This research reinterprets Akhenaten’s revolution using Foucauldian discourse analysis, emphasizing historical contexts and power relations—a novel approach. In the early 20th century, James Henry Breasted framed Akhenaten’s revolution through the lens of Abrahamic monotheism. Framing it in this context rendered his motivation mysterious and controversial. By the mid-20th century, scholars like Barry Kemp and Nicholas Reeves shifted focus to Egypt’s internal struggles between the northern and southern regions and the priesthoods of Amun and Re.

The question is: How does Foucauldian discourse analysis provide a deeper understanding of Akhenaten’s motivations?

Reeves traced the origins of the conflict to the Middle Kingdom, when Theban rulers fused Amun and Re into Amun-Re, consolidating the power of the Amun priesthood. Kemp argued that Akhenaten sought to purify the solar cult, rejecting the fusion of Amun-Re as a corruption of Re’s pure worship and seeking to dismantle the dominance of Amun-Re’s priesthood.

The Foucauldian analysis reframes Akhenaten’s revolution within the broader ancient Egypt's religious context as part of a longstanding power struggle between the priesthoods of Re and Amun rather than a singular prophetic event. Foucault highlights the concept of exclusion within discourse. Akhenaten removed Amun's name from the temples, and later, Akhenaten’s name was removed from the king's list. These actions illustrate Foucault's notion that power is exercised through the control and manipulation of discourse, revealing unseen and unquestioned power relations between Re and Amun priesthood. Akhenaten’s hymn identifies Aten as the father, Re, who returned as Aten. This should clarify Akhenaten’s motivations.