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Why did Akhenaten use royal cartouches around the Aten’s name?

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Sculpted head of Akhenaten, ancient Egyptian pharaoh, with elongated facial features and a tall, ornate headdress, displayed at the Alexandria National Museum. — Akhenaten Akhenaten, sculpture in the Alexandria National Museum, Egypt.

Akhenaten placed the name of the Aten within royal cartouches to signify the deity's status as a king, as the cartouche was a traditional oval frame used exclusively to enclose the names of Egyptian royalty.123

By applying this royal convention to the sun’s disk, Akhenaten emphasized the unique, kingly nature of the Aten. This practice was part of a broader religious shift in which the king and the deity shared a special, reciprocal status; they were often depicted celebrating jubilees together, a ceremony typically reserved for pharaohs. Through these innovations, Akhenaten elevated the Aten as the sole provider for the world while reinforcing his own exclusive role as the only individual with direct knowledge of the god.13