Tombs of the Nobles (Amarna)

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Located in Middle Egypt, the Tombs of the Nobles at Amarna are the burial places of some of the powerful courtiers and persons of the city of Akhetaten.

Contents

The tombs are in two groups, cut into the cliffs and bluffs in the east of the dry bay of Akhetaten. There are 25 major tombs, many of them decorated and with their owners name, some are small and unfinished, others modest and unassuming. Each seems to reflect the personality and patronage of the tomb's original owner.

Northern tombs

Northern Tombs at Amarna, looking south along the cliffs Northern Tombs at Amarna.jpg
Northern Tombs at Amarna, looking south along the cliffs

These tombs are located in two groups in the cliffs overlooking the city of Akhetaten, to the north and east of the city. They are split into two groups by a wadi, and are near one of the Boundary Stelae (Stela V).

Tomb numberOwnerTitleComments
Amarna Tomb 1 Huya [1] Steward of Queen Tiye
Amarna Tomb 2 Meryre II [2] Overseer of the houses in the royal quarters of the Great Royal Wife Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti
Amarna Tomb 3 Ahmes [1] Sealbearer of the King of Lower Egypt, Steward in the house of Akhenaten
Amarna Tomb 4 Meryra (also called Meryre I) [2] Greatest of seers of the Aten in Akhetaten Incomplete. Had it been completed, it would have been the largest of the noble's tombs.
Amarna Tomb 5 Penthu [1] First servant of the Aten in the mansion of the Aten in Akhetaten, Chief of physicians, chamberlainThe tomb was cross-shaped, containing a long outer hall, and a long transverse hall, containing the burial shaft and a now destroyed shrine to Penthu. Only the outer hall is decorated.
Amarna Tomb 6 Panehsy [2] First servant of the Aten in the house of Aten in Akhetaten This was originally a two-roomed tomb; each of the rooms had four columns. Later reuse as a Coptic church has changed the layout and damaged the original decoration.

Desert altars

At a short distance to the west and north of the Northern Tombs lie the remains of three large mud-brick solar altars in the form of platforms with ramps. The reason for their location is not clear. Their connection with an ancient road leading to the Northern Tombs would seem to be a sign that they were for the benefit of those buried in them.

Southern tombs

The southern tombs are located in a series of low bluffs south and east of the main city. Associated with these tombs a recently discovered workers cemetery has been found. [3]

Southern Tombs at Amarna, showing cliffs behind Southern Tombs At Amarna.jpg
Southern Tombs at Amarna, showing cliffs behind
Tomb numberOwnerTitleComments
Amarna Tomb 7 Parennefer [4] Cupbearer of the king's PersonParennefer had another tomb in Thebes, TT188
Amarna Tomb 7a,b,c Unknown [1] [4] Small unfinished tombs located near Tomb 7.
Amarna Tomb 8 Tutu [4] Chamberlain of the Lord of the Two Lands, etc.
Amarna Tomb 9 Mahu [1] Chief of the Medjay (police) of Akhetaten
Amarna Tomb 9a,b,c Unknown [1] Small unfinished tombs located near Tomb 9.
Amarna Tomb 10 Ipy [1] King's scribe, the overseer of the large inner palace of the pharaoh
Amarna Tomb 11 Ramose [1] Scribe of Recruits, General of the Lord of the Two Lands
Amarna Tomb 12 Nakhtpaaten Hereditary prince, count, sealbearer, overseer of the city and vizier, etc.
Amarna Tomb 13 Neferkheperuhesekheper [1] Mayor of Akhetaten
Amarna Tomb 14 May [4] General of the Lord of the Two Lands, etc.
Amarna Tomb 15 Suti [1] Standard-bearer of the company of Neferkheprure-Waenre (Akhenaten)
Amarna Tomb 16 unknown
Amarna Tomb 17 unknown
Amarna Tomb 18 unknown [4] Only the facade of the tomb was completed
Amarna Tomb 19 Satau [4] Treasurer of the Lord of the Two Lands
Amarna Tomb 20 unknown [4] The lintel shows the royal family adoring the Aten
Amarna Tomb 21 unknown [4]
Amarna Tomb 22 unknown [4] The lintel shows the royal family adoring the Aten
Amarna Tomb 23 Any [4] Scribe of the offering table of the Lord of the Two Lands, Steward of the House of Aakheprure (Amenhotep II), etc.
Amarna Tomb 24 Paatenemheb [4] General of the Lord of the Two Lands, Steward of the Lord of the Two Lands
Amarna Tomb 25 Ay [4] Fanbearer on the right of the King, God's Father, The commander of all the horses of his PersonAy was a future pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
Southern Tomb 25a [4] Ia (?)

Rediscovery and excavation

Some of the tombs have obviously been open since antiquity, and have been used variously as burial places in the Ptolemaic times, storehouses, houses and as Coptic churches.[ citation needed ]

See also

Notes and references

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nefertiti</span> Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten

Nefertiti was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for their radical overhaul of state religious policy, in which they promoted the earliest known form of monotheism, Atenism, centered on the sun disc and its direct connection to the royal household. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of ancient Egyptian history. After her husband's death, some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly as the female king known by the throne name, Neferneferuaten and before the ascension of Tutankhamun, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate. If Nefertiti did rule as Pharaoh, her reign was marked by the fall of Amarna and relocation of the capital back to the traditional city of Thebes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tey</span> Egyptian queen and Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Kheperkheprure Ay

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Penthu was an Egyptian noble who bore the titles of sealbearer of the King of Lower Egypt, the sole companion, the attendant of the Lord of the Two Lands, the favorite of the good god, king's scribe, the king's subordinate, First servant of the Aten in the mansion of the Aten in Akhetaten, Chief of physicians, and chamberlain. These titles alone show how powerful he would have been in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meketaten</span> Daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti

Meketaten was the second of six daughters born to the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. She likely lived between Year 4 and Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign. Although little is known about her, she is frequently depicted with her sisters accompanying her royal parents in the first two-thirds of the Amarna Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Aten Temple</span> Ancient Egyptian temple located in Amarna

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meryre II</span> Ancient Egyptian official

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neferneferuaten Tasherit</span> Kings Daughter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beketaten</span> Kings Daughter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna Tomb 1</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb at Amarna

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Mahu was Chief of Police at Akhetaten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Meryra</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The tomb of Meryra is part of a group of tombs located near Amarna, Upper Egypt. Placed in the mountainsides, the graves are divided into north and south groupings; the northern tombs are located in the hillsides and the southern on the plains. Meryra's burial, identified as Amarna Tomb 4 is located in the northern cluster. The sepulchre is the largest and most elaborate of the noble tombs of Amarna. It, along with the majority of these tombs, was never completed. The rock cut tombs of Amarna were constructed specifically for the officials of King Akhenaten. Norman de Garis Davies originally published details of the Tomb in 1903 in the Rock Tombs of El Amarna, Part I – The Tomb of Meryra. The tomb dates back to the 18th Dynasty.

Mutbenret or Mutnodjmet was an Egyptian noblewoman, and said to be the sister of the King's Great Wife Nefertiti.

Nakhtpaaten or Nakht was an ancient Egyptian vizier during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna Tomb 5</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

Amarna Tomb 5 is an ancient sepulchre in Amarna, Upper Egypt. It was built for the courtier Penthu, and is one of the six Northern tombs at Amarna. The burial is located to the south of the tomb of Meryra. It is very similar to the tomb of Ahmes. The sepulchre is T-shaped and its inner chamber would have served as the burial chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amarna Tomb 7</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

Amarna tomb 7 was one of the Southern tombs at Amarna, Egypt. It belonged to Parennefer, who was a pure handed cupbearer of the king's Person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neferkheperu-her-sekheper</span>

Neferkheperu-her-sekheper was an ancient Egyptian official during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten. He was the mayor of Akhet-Aten, the pharaoh's new capital. He was buried in Tomb EA13 in the southern group of the Amarna rock tombs. His name, "Neferkheperu causes me to live", is a basilophoric name, since "Neferkheperu" is an element of Akhenaten's throne name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Panehsy</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Tomb of Panehsy is a sepulchre in Amarna, Upper Egypt. It was erected for the noble Panehsy who bore the titles the First servant of the Aten in the house of Aten in Akhet-Aten, Second prophet of the Lord of the Two Lands Neferkheprure-Waenre (Akhenaten), the sealbearer of the King of Lower Egypt, Overseer of the storehouse of the Aten in Akhetaten, Overseer of cattle of the Aten in Akhet-Aten.

The Anonymous Tombs in Amarna are ancient Tombs of Nobles at the Royal Wadi in Amarna, Upper Egypt. They consist of both sepulchres and burial pits in varying stages of construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipy (noble)</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N. de G. Davies, The rock tombs of El-Amarna, Parts III and IV, 1905 (Reprinted 2004), The Egypt Exploration Society, ISBN   0856981605. Facsimile in Internet Archive: Part III. The Tombs of Huya and Ahmes, 1905 and Part IV. The Tombs of Penthu, Mahu and Others, 1906
  2. 1 2 3 N. de G. Davies, The rock tombs of El-Amarna, Parts I and II, 1905 (Reprinted 2004), The Egypt Exploration Society, ISBN   0856981591. Facsimile in Internet Archive: Part I. The Tomb of Meryre, 1903 and Part II. The Tombs of Panehesy and Meryra II, 1905
  3. "The Pharaoh's Lost City". Archived from the original on 2020-03-12. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N. de G. Davies, The rock tombs of El-Amarna, Parts V and VI, 1905 (Reprinted 2004), The Egypt Exploration Society, ISBN   0856981613. Facsimile in Internet Archive: Part V. Smaller Tombs and Boundary Stelae, 1908 and Part VI. Tombs of Parennefer, Tutu and Ay, 1908

Further reading

27°39′42″N30°54′20″E / 27.6617°N 30.9056°E / 27.6617; 30.9056