Aton
Aton, or Aten, an Egyptian god. He was proclaimed as the one true god of all mankind by the Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaton in the 14th century B.C. Atonism , the worship of Aton, was one of the first monotheistic religions in history. Worshipers identified Aton (whose name means "sun") with the sun's life-giving heat and artists represented him by a sun with rays ending in hands. The best-known hymn to Aton—believed to have been composed by Akhnaton—is regarded by many scholars as the most beautiful poem in Egyptian literature. It praises the god as the loving creator and father of all life. Akhnaton tried to establish Atonism by abolishing the worship of other gods; after his death, however, the religion was abandoned.