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Amarna (commonly known as el-Amarna) is the name given to an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly-established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty (c. The name for the city employed by the ancient Egyptians is written as Akhetaten (or Akhetaton ? 16
The area contains an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly?established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty (c. The name for the city employed by the ancient Egyptians is written as Akhetaten (or Akhetaton ? It translates literally as “the Horizon of the Aten”. 34
Amarna (commonly known as el-Amarna) is the name given to an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly-established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty (c. The name for the city employed by the ancient Egyptians is written as Akhetaten (or Akhetaton ? It translates literally as “the Horizon of the Aten”. 16
The site of Amarna is located on the east bank of the Nile River in the modern Egyptian province of al-Minya, some 58 km (38 miles) south of the city of al-Minya, 312 km (194 miles) south of the Egyptian capital Cairo and 402 km (250 miles) north of Luxor. The site of Amarna includes several modern villages, chief of which are el-Till in the north and el-Hagg Qandil in the south. 16
The frequent designation “Tel el-Amarna” for the city is inaccurate: nowhere do the ancient remains constitute a mound of eroded architecture that would warrant the description of a “Tell” (Arabic: “city mound”), so common elsewhere in the region. Cyril Aldred notes that the name “Tel el-Amarna” is a misunderstanding of the name for one of the modern villages near the ruins, Et Til el Amarna. The name “Amarna” itself comes from the name of a tribe of nomads, the Beni Amran, who left the Eastern Desert in the 18th century to settle on the banks of the Nile along this stretch. 34
Akhenaten wanted to change Egyptian religion overnight, and that can’t be done without a lot of work. The twisted bones of the workers of Amarna show some of the cost of turning from the old gods. It could be a fascinating programme. Then again Timewatch rendered the Sea Stallion voyage into a bit of a snooze, so maybe not. 26
The physical aspects of Tel El-Amarna are as interesting as the heretic king himself. The area is covered by sand and filled with ruins of temples, palaces and houses. There are more then 25 tombs at the base of the cliff front. Six are located on the north side and 19 on the south. The evidence found in Tel El-Amarna is very interesting. There was nothing there before Akhenaten built Akhetaten and, since the capital moved back to Thebes quickly after his death, the site can be dated specifically to a narrow period. 3
The name Amarna is also used to describe the period of time including Akhenaten and his kin, the most well known of which is Tutankhamun. Howard Carter and Flinders Petrie, two of the best-known archaeologists in history, have excavated at this site. 3
Due to the fact that ancient cities would lack many of the modern day populations, commerce and culture it makes it more difficult to determine whether a place should be recognized as a city or a ceremonial centre. Therefore, El-Amarna will have to be investigated more intensely based upon more specific criteria. 20
Usual tourist itineraries: from el-Till to the North tombs, nos. and 2 require an extra excursion), returning to el-Till via a detour to the North Palace. The Central City can be added as a further detour. This can be accomplished in half a day or less. A much longer excursion can be taken to the South Tombs along the road beside the cultivation. This passes through much of the ancient city. The greater part of a day should be allowed for this extended trip. The Royal Tomb can be reached by an extension to the asphalt road which leads out to the North Tombs. The driving time from the North Tombs is around half an hour. 15
One very major difference between Theban tombs of the 18th Dynasty and those at Amarna were the decorations. While those at Thebes show the activities of the owners, those at Amarna are always related to the owner’s master, the Pharaoh. The scenes accordingly feature Aten and Akhenaten and most everything else revolves around them. In fact, the subjects which occur most frequently are the royal family making offerings before heaped altars under the rays of Aten, usually accompanied by one or more daughters who shake sistrums. In no less than seven tombs, the royal family is depicted at a table, or drinking wine together. With a very few exceptions, the tombs usually show little in the way of funerary scenes. 6
Amarna art is unique among the Egyptian world for its realistic depiction of its subjects, instead of the strict idealistic formalism universal in Egyptian art up until that point, as well as for depicting many informal scenes such as the royal family playing with their children. Although the worship of Aten (known as the Amarna heresy) was completely suppressed, the artistic legacy had a more lasting impact. 16
Objects in the Amarna exhibit include a monumental wall relief showing Aten, the solar deity, as a disk hovering above Akhenaten and a female member of the royal family. There is also a bronze statuette of a kneeling Tutankhamun that still contains traces of gold in the headdress and chest. There are statues of traditional Egyptian deities such as the lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, and Isis and her son, Horus. 42
Around 1,350 B.C. Pharoah Akhenaten moved the capital of ancient Egypt from Luxor to Amarna. The ruins of Amarna extend approximately eight miles NS along the Nile. Ancient Egyptian texts indicate that the northern and southern boundaries of the city were carefully marked by boundary stelae but no trace of these boundary stelae has been found in modern times. 30
In 1887 a local woman digging for sebakh uncovered a cache of over 300 cuneiform tablets (now commonly known as the Amarna Letters). These tablets recorded select diplomatic correspondence of the Pharaoh and were predominantly written in Akkadian, the lingua franca commonly used during the Late Bronze Age of the Ancient Near East for such communication. 34
- References
- www.mnsu.edu
- www.studylight.org
- www.indopedia.org
- www.experiencefestival.com
- www.studylight.org
- en.wikipedia.org
- www.archaeology.org
- www.highbeam.com
- archaeoastronomy.wordpress.com
- net.bible.org
- famoussites.blogspot.com
- wikitravel.org
- www.touregypt.net
- www.zwire.com
- home.hiwaay.net
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