very early on. During the Amarna period, this synthesis was seen as the invisible source of energy of the sun god, of which the visible manifestation was the Aten, the solar disk. Thus Ra-Horus-Aten was a development of old ideas which came gradually. The real change, as some see it, was the apparent abandonment of all other gods, especially Amun-Ra, prohibition of idolatry, and the debatable introduction of quasi-monotheism by Akhenaten. The syncretism is readily apparent in the Great Hymn to the Aten in which Re-Herakhty, Shu and Aten are merged into the creator god. Others see Akhenaten as a practitioner of an Aten monolatry, as he did not actively deny the existence of other gods; he simply refrained from worshipping any but the Aten. Other scholars call the religion henotheistic. After Akhenaten Akhenaten was considered the 'high priest' or even a prophet of Aten, being the main propagator of the religion in Egypt during his reign. After the death of Akhenaten, his son, Tutankhamun, reinstated the cult of Amun and the ban on religions in competition with Atenism was lifted. The point of this transition can be seen in the name-change of Tutankhaten into Tutankhamun indicating the loss of favor in the worship of the Aten. The cult of the Aten was still in Egypt for another ten years or so as it faded and there was no purge of the cult after Akhenaten's death. When Tutankhamun came into power, his religious reign was one of tolerance, the only difference being that Aten was no longer the only god. Tutankhamun rebuilt the temples that were destroyed during Akhenaten's reign and reinstated the old pantheon of gods. This return to the gods that were before Aten was "a move based publicly on the doctrine that Egypt's woes stemmed directly from its ignoring the gods, and in turn the gods' abandonment of Egypt". Names derived from Aten Akhenaten: "Effective spirit of the Aten". Akhetaten: "Horizon of the Aten", Akhenaten's capital. The archaeological site is known as Amarna. Ankhesenpaaten: "Her life is of the Aten". Beketaten: "Handmaid of the Aten". Meritaten: "She who is beloved of the Aten". Meketaten: "Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten". Neferneferuaten: "Beautiful are the beauties of Aten". Paatenemheb: "The Aten on jubilee". Tutankhaten: "Living image of the Aten". Original name of Tutankhamun. Silver Aten: The moon. Gallery See also Amun The Egyptian Inti Pharaoh of the