Ancient Egyptians believed in the power of words and writing. Hieroglyphs spelling out the names of rulers, enclosed in oval rings called cartouches, stood for those rulers in a very real way. Akhenaten is shown kneeling and holding up two large cartouches containing the names of Aten. Writing the god's name in a royal cartouche was a way of saying that Aten ruled Egypt. One title for Akhenaten was "He who elevates the name of Aten."

Plaque with the early cartouches of Aten

Reign of Akhenaten, 1353–1336 B.C.
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Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin