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Four great kings self-identified as ‘son of a nobody’ – or was this just the one mighty ruler?

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  by Damien F. Mackey     Here, I have selected four names, Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal, Nabopolassar and Nabonidus, whom I have identified in various articles as only one king. For example:   Aligning Neo-Babylonia with Book of Daniel   (2) Aligning Neo-Babylonia with the Book of Daniel   and:   Nabopolassar a great king if only one could find him   (2) Nabopolassar a great king if only one could find him   Specifying status as ‘Son of a nobody’   Another common key-word (buzz word), or phrase, for these king-names would be ‘son of a nobody’, pertaining to a prince who was not expecting to be elevated to kingship.   Thus I had previously introduced Ashurbanipal-as-Nebuchednezzar/Nabonidus with the statement: “Nabonidus is   not singular   either in   not expecting   to become   king. Ashurbanipal had   felt the same”.   Now, Esarhaddon is presented by Mattias Karlsson, as a likely ‘son o...

Pharaoh Akhnaton sticks out in history books like a sore thumb

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    “The priests of Amun would likely have suffered the worst of these changes as Akhenaten’s main political rivals. This is shown by records of Akhenaten singling them out to perform the most demeaning tasks he could muster”. Austin Crouch   In 2023, Austin Crouch wrote an eminently readable article on pharaoh Akhnaton (Akhenaten), which article, however, suffers, in part, from being conceived within the context of the conventional chronology. Here I (Damien Mackey) would like to re-visit Austin’s fine article, but with some of my own comments added throughout the course of it.   Akhenaten: Prophet or Tyrant?   Akhenaten upended the traditional Egyptian religion, but did he go too far with his reforms?   Akhenaten is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures not only in Egyptian history, but antiquity at large. From the early days of his reign to his death, Akhenaten challenged many Egyptian traditions, inclu...