Son Of The Sun

After much soul-searching and consideration, Pharaoh Amenhotep III is forced to make his other son, Amenhotep IV, his co-regent upon the death of his older, and more qualified son, Thuthmosis. Although resentment flows strong between the two men, at first, the young prince studies under his father and follows his wishes. It isn't until his father's death, that Prince Amenhotep IV becomes a full-fledged Pharaoh, and changes his name to “Akhenaten”, in honor of the only god he truly believes in-- Aten, represented by the sun... The changes Akhenaten makes are radical-- he outlaws the worship of all other gods, and specifically, Amun, even going so far as to tax the temples and powerful Amun priesthood. Together with his queen, the beautiful Nefertiti, he escapes the confines of the traditional royal city, Thebes, and builds his own city in the desert and devotes it to his god, Aten. There, they form a utopian community where artists, poets, scribes, masons, priests and farmers can live in beauty-- as long as they pay homage to the Aten and his king, Akhenaten. Everything seems perfect at first-- Akhenaten and Nefertiti have a beautiful family and their city is prospering, but there are undercurrents of dissent. Not only does the Amun priesthood resent Akhenaten's treatment of them, but foreign dignitaries are angered that he doesn't maintain correspondence with them and they begin turning to Egypt's enemies to pay tribute. The army, under command of General Horemheb, has been allowed to grow fallow by the Pharaoh, leaving borders open to invasion, creating local uprisings and making the people vulnerable. Akhenaten begins to question his own leadership when his relationship with Nefertiti begins to falter, the ground beneath them crumbling away as plague sweeps across the land, taking the lives of several of their beloved children. Just as he begins to come to his senses, a plot begins to brew between the vizier, Aye, and the Amun priesthood to eliminate Akhenaten and seize power of the kingdom and return it to its original glory by making his son, Tuthankhamun the new Pharaoh...