Aten (deity)
Aten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology, and originally an aspect of the god Ra. It became the focus of the religion of Atenism established by the pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten in worship and recognition of Aten. In his poem "Great Hymn to the Aten", Akhenaten praises Aten as the creator, giver of life, and nurturing spirit of the world.
At some point during his reign, Akhenaten discovered a sphered relic, believing it to be Aten itself. His son and later successor, Tutankhamun took up the relic, but gave it to the priests of Amun at the Temple of Karnak in Thebes to restore balance. In the aftermath of his passing, Akhenaten's vision of Aten manifested as a form of the afterlife.
By the 1st century BCE, the worship of Aten was still prevalent, as one such cult situated in village outside Thebes still cemmemorate the Aten with multiple rituals.