Aims to set the reign of Akhenaten in its full historical context, by providing a narrative account of the history of Egypt from the end of the reign of Amenhotep II to the high point of the reign of Akhenaten, highlighting the threads that led to the establishment of the latter's monotheistic cult of the Aten. While written as a stand-alone work, it will also act as a 'prequel' to the same author's Amarna Sunset, published by AUC Press in 2009.