The cult of Aton was the first recorded monotheistic religion in history. It was introduced by the infamous pharaoh Amenhotep IV, later Akhenaton "The Glory of Aton". The Aton was a purer representation of the sun than Ra. He was the disk which gave life to all the land by stretching his powerful rays of light. While the encouraged worship of Aton continued, Akhenaton continued his religious campaign against the temples of Amun. Akhenaton was so obsessed with his new religion and the destruction of all things concerning the other other gods of Egypt, he neglected Egypt's foreign affairs, eventually leading to Egypt's declining political power. The cult of the Aton only lasted for as long as the reigns of Akhenaton and his queen Nefertiti themselves. The pharaoh and queen mysteriously disappeared in Egyptian history. After this, Akhenaton's successors re-established the cults of the old gods, and returned power to Amun by pairing him with Ra, thus creating Amun-Ra.