ANCIENT AKETATEN CITY

AMARNA
Egypt

Nidhi Hegde K
1RV13AT068

Location : Upper
Egypt - 270
kilometers south of
Cairo East bank of
Nile
Type Of
Settlement : Capital City
Local Deity : Aten - the
SunDisc
Ancient Name : Akhetaten
- The
Horizon of
Aten
Contemporary Name : elAmarna

HISTORY New Kingdom

18th Dynasty

- Pharaoh Akhenaten founded a new capital of Egypt. The

area of
the city was effectively a virgin site.
- The city was dedicated to his new religion of worship to the
Aten.
- The name of the city derived from the two hills between
which the
sun appeared in the morning
- The city, however, remained capital of Egypt only for about
fifteen
years
- After Akhenaten death, during the reign of Pharaoh
Tutankhamen,
it was abandoned and the royal court moved back to Thebes.

The plain of Amarna is encircled by a line of cliffs, an unbroken

wall of stone - except for a slight break in the Eastern horizon
exactly where the sun rises each morning - the location of the
Aker and where the sun was reborn each morning after a night
of battling through the Underworld.

AKHETATEN AND ATEN

Why the site of Amarna was chosen for the location of

Akhetaten?

Akhenaten had already started down the road to identifying

himself as the Aten/sun god when he was still alive - expanding
on the theory of the position of the rising sun - a building was in
line with the sun as it made it was up the morning sky, it was
from here that Akhenaten and his family made their
appearances to their subjects - known as 'The Window of
Appearance'. But when the position of sun is taken into account
with the Window of Appearance it shows once more Akhenaten's
master plan for Akhetaten - while Akhenaten was in the Window
of Appearance the sun was directly behind him bathing him in

AKHETATEN AND ATEN

The Window of Appearance.

Alignment of buildings in Akhetaten.

AKHETATEN AND ATEN

Measurements taken at Amarna , there appears to be a

common axis running through the old city (the line of the rising
sun) and all the other points taken into account make a scaled
up version of the temple of the Aten - was this Akhenaten's
plan ,To make Akhetaten itself one large living temple to the
Aten?

THE CITY CENTRE

The city contained royal palaces, temples for the Aten (the SunDisc), and administrative buildings, as well as private houses
and workshops.
1. Great Temple of the Aten
2. Great Royal Palace
3. Bureau of Correspondence of the Pharaoh

THE CITY CENTRE

THE WORKERS VILLAGE

Akhenaten's
workmen on the
other hand had
to live in crowded
flats of 60 m, or
100 m if there
was a second
floor,.
The parallel
streets were
about two metres
wide, and
practically the
whole space
inside the walls
was occupied by
houses.

Recreated 3-D model of

amarna

Site after first round of

excavations

Temple of aten

Royal Wadi and tombs

- the Royal Family were buried here.
It was a replacement for the Valley
of Kings

The Wadi contained 4

tombs:
1. The Royal Tomb of Akhenaten
- is the only decorated tomb,
and contained the burial of
Akhenaten. It includes a suite of
chambers for his daughters, his
mother and probably Nefertiti,
although she was never buried
there
2. Tomb intended for a Royal
Burial, as the doorway and
entrance are of a similar size to
that of the Royal Tomb.
However, it was never finished
and no burial material has ever
been found
3. This tomb was plastered, but
never decorated. It consists of 4
corridors, and in plan is similar
to the suite of rooms in the
Royal Tomb