Breaking Ma’at: Akhenaten and the battle for Egyptian tradition and identity

To ancient Egyptians, the notion of ‘identity’ was simply being among the people (remet or remetj) who lived and thrived on Kemet (the land of Egypt). A citizen was expected to adhere to Egyptian customs, cultural norms, and belief systems. To go against such an idea was to break cosmic order (ma’at), which in Egyptian eyes could result in threatening the delicate balance of the universe. Throughout the 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, pharaohs lived and ruled through the support of cosmic order and balance. Yet, as always, there are exceptions to the rule, particularly the ‘heretic king’ Akhenaten. On Akhenaten’s accession to power, he altered virtually every Egyptian so