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An early representation of Amenhotep IV as king can be found on the walls of the tomb of a royal scribe named Kheruef (TT 192). The walls of the tomb contain inscriptions that feature the sun disk and other references to Amenhotep IV and the worship of the sun.<ref>”The Tomb of Kheruef: Theban Tomb 192” <i>The Epigraph Survey</i>. The Oriental Institute of Chicago, 1980. Web. Nov. 5, 2015, p.12.</ref> It was not uncommon for the pharaohs to choose a particular god as patron, and it stands to presume that Egyptians such as Kheruef could not have guessed the lengths to which his king would go to honor his chosen god.
In year four of his reign Amenhotep IV and his queen changed their names to reflect their devotion to the Aten. Amenhotep became Akhenaten, or “One Who Is Effective For the Aten” and his queen became Neferneferuaten Nefertiti, which means “Beautiful Are The Beauties of the Aten, The Beautiful One Has Come” Come.” <ref>Williamson, Jacquelyn. “Amarna Period.” <i>UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology</i>. 24 June 2015. Web. 04 Nov. 2015, pg. 7</ref> One year later the king abandoned all pretense and officially did away with the old gods. Another stela from this time at Karnak Temple, located in modern day Luxor, contains an announcement that all deities save the Aten had “ceased to exist.” <ref>Redford, Donald B. “Akhenaten: New Theories and Old Facts.” <i>Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research</i> 269: 4-15</ref>
==The Systematic Erasure of the Old Gods==
