Amarna

Akhetaten; العمارنة

Egypt · Minya

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period1,347 BCE — 1,332 BCEApproximate period of use as a capital; XVIII Dynasty, Amarna Period See on the map ↓

In brief

The short-lived capital founded by Akhenaten has been investigated through its houses, palaces, temples and production areas. The numerical date range indicates its approximate use as a capital; the site also saw later use.

What was found?

  • 1Amarna letters

    These are clay tablets written in cuneiform; most are correspondence between rulers. They document the use of Akkadian and Mesopotamian writing in Eastern Mediterranean diplomacy.

  • 2Bust of Nefertiti

    It is a painted bust of the queen found in Thutmose's workshop area. Together with other portraits from the same location, it sheds light on the working environment in which royal images were produced.

  • 3Foundations of the Great Aton Temple

    Traces of walls survive on the plaster-based foundation surfaces of the building, whose stones were removed. These traces made it possible to establish the temple's plan and its two successive main construction phases.

  • 4Remains of glass and faience production

    Production waste, jewelry molds and coloring materials were found in workshop areas. They document specialized craft production in the city.

What does it point to?

Amarna brings royal administration, international correspondence and specialized production together in the same city. Changes to the temple indicate that large buildings could be redesigned even within the period when the capital was in use.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that Akkadian and cuneiform were used in the Egyptian court's foreign relations.
  2. Documented traces of cuneiform training through learning texts among the tablets.
  3. Revealed that the Great Aton Temple developed from a more modest initial layout into a more magnificent design.
  4. Provided an opportunity to study royal portraits and craft production within workshop contexts.

Images

AmarnaLetterOfMarriageNegotiation-BritishMuseum-August19-08
CaptMondo · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Headless bust of Akhenaten or Nefertiti. Part of a composite red quartzite statue. Intenti
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Amarna 1 llegenda
Joan lalucat i Adrià Turina · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Ancient Egyptian
First modern dig
1891
Team / historical
Amarna Project
Coordinates
27.6453°, 30.8964°

Sources

  1. amarnaproject.com
  2. ucl.ac.uk
  3. metmuseum.org
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. academic.oup.com
  6. Berlin Devlet Müzeleri, Mısır Müzesi — Nefertiti büstünün bulunuşu
  7. Amarna Project — Great Aten Temple
  8. University College London, Digital Egypt — Faience workshop

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