title: [Akhenaton--pharaoh and heretic].
abstract: Akhenaten has been called the first individualist in history. As the eldest son of the pharaoh Amenhotep III and queen Tiy he grew up between a weak and sick father and an ambitious and intelligent mother at a time when Egypt was at the peak of its power. At court they led a life in luxury; however, the pharaoh went out hunting while his wife was ruling the strongest empire of the ancient world. The gifted young pharaoh to be was a philosopher with great interests in the arts. He took over his parents' scepticism against the powerful priesthood. Later, as Akhenaten, he created a monotheistic religion with a good-natured God symbolized by the disc of the life-giving sun. He appointed himself high priest, thus dethroning the numerous priests serving the many animal-shaped gods of ancient Egypt. His introduction of one single deity might, from a psychoanalytic point of view, be interpreted as an extension of his needs for a warm mother. The physiognomy of Akhenaten was peculiar; statues of him convey the impression of a man with acromegaly. His reluctance in defending the borders of his country was perhaps also a result of an endocrine development, making him lethargic.
authors.affiliation: Aker sykehus Divisjon psykiatri, Avdeling VI forskning og undervisning, Oslo.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Albretsen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Albretsen
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000266:history; D000076144:Egypt, Ancient; D004700:Endocrine System Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D010551:Personality; D011584:Psychology / Q000266:history*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012613:Sculpture / Q000266:history