Abstract
This paper in honor of James P. Allen sets out to compare and contrast a few aspects of Akhenaten's revolution with the somewhat analogous case of Nabonidus' cult of the Moon god Sîn in the Neo-Babylonian empire and his move to the Arabian oasis of Tayma.
In particular, the Amarna boundary stelae emphasize how Akhenaten founded a new capital and holy city exclusively upon the Aten's divine command, in a remote place with no connection to the Egyptian religious tradition. Although Nabonidus' move to Tayma was equally unprecedented in Babylonian history, inscriptions such as the barrel cylinder YBC 02182 portray Nabonidus as an antiquarian who reads ancient records, discovers inscriptions of past kings, and restores temples that have fallen into ruin.
By comparing and contrasting how Akhenaten's and Nabonidus' inscriptions relate to their historical and cultural contexts, this paper discusses how strategies of continuity or discontinuity with the past functioned as an integral component of religious reforms and a viable instrument of royal legitimation in Egypt and in the broader Near East.