The Anonymous Tombs in Amarna are ancient
Tombs of Nobles at the
Royal Wadi in
Amarna,
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
. They consist of both sepulchres and burial pits in varying stages of construction.
Amarna Tomb 7a,b,c
Amarna Tomb 7a,b,c are small unfinished tombs located near
Tomb 7 (The tomb of
Parennefer
The ancient Egyptian noble Parennefer was Akhenaten's close advisor before he came to the throne, and in later times served as his Royal Butler, an office which brought him into intimate contact with the king. His titles include "The King's Cup Be ...
). Tombs 7a and 7b are very small. Tomb 7c had some columns completed, but no inscriptions were evident.
[The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts III and IV: Part 3 The tombs of Huya and Ahmes & Part 4 The tombs of Penthu, Mahu, and Others Egypt Exploration Society (2004)][ The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts V and VI: Part 5 Smaller tombs and boundary stelae & Part 6 Tombs of Parennefer, Tutu and Ay, Egypt Exploration Society (2004) ]
Amarna Tomb 9a,b,c
Small unfinished tombs located near Tomb 9 (The tomb of
Mahu).
All three tombs are very simple in construction.
Amarna Tomb 16
The tomb owner's name has not been preserved. The owner is shown kneeling in adoration before the sun. Contrary to most tombs the owner faces northeast in this tomb. The tomb was said to have contained "burials in palm-sticks, coffins, etc."
[ Davies, The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Part V, Footnote 5 pg 12-14]
Amarna Tomb 17
Davies describes this tomb as having no interesting features. Some pottery was found in the excavations, including a small pot with a foot and some saucers.
Amarna Tomb 18
Only the facade of the tomb was completed. The tomb is of the corridor type. A
hieroglyphic
Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...
inscription was written on the left jamb of the outer door. The lower part of the inscription is too damaged to read the name of the tomb owner.
Amarna Tomb 20
The lintel shows the royal family adoring the deity
Aten
Aten also Aton, Atonu, or Itn ( egy, jtn, ''reconstructed'' ) was the focus of Atenism, the religious system established in ancient Egypt by the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten. The Aten was the disc of the sun and originally an aspect o ...
. We see the same scene on the left and the right but in mirror image.
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
is shown on both sides wearing the
khepresh
The khepresh (''ḫprš'') was an ancient Egyptian royal headdress. It is also known as the blue crown or war crown. New Kingdom pharaohs are often depicted wearing it in battle, but it was also frequently worn in ceremonies. While it was once c ...
crown.
Nefertiti
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...
and her daughters were never carved. The inscriptions show that Nefertiti was supposed to follow her husband, followed by
Meritaten
Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten ( egy, mrii.t-itn) (14th century BC), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means "She who is beloved of Aten"; Aten being the sun-deity whom h ...
,
Meketaten Meketaten ("Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second daughter of six 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 ...
and
Ankhesenpaaten
Ankhesenamun (, "Her Life Is of Amun"; c. 1348 or c. 1342 – after 1322 BC) was a queen who lived during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt as the pharaoh Akhenaten's daughter and subsequently became the Great Royal Wife of pharaoh Tutankhamun. Born Ank ...
. Behind the princesses the Queen's sister
Mutnodjemet is depicted.
Amarna Tomb 21
While cutting the entranceway, the workers cut column bases from the existing stone.
[ Kemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames and Hudson, 2012, pg 62]
Amarna Tomb 22
The lintel shows the royal family adoring the
Aten
Aten also Aton, Atonu, or Itn ( egy, jtn, ''reconstructed'' ) was the focus of Atenism, the religious system established in ancient Egypt by the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten. The Aten was the disc of the sun and originally an aspect o ...
.
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
is shown wearing the
Khepresh
The khepresh (''ḫprš'') was an ancient Egyptian royal headdress. It is also known as the blue crown or war crown. New Kingdom pharaohs are often depicted wearing it in battle, but it was also frequently worn in ceremonies. While it was once c ...
crown.
Nefertiti
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...
, wearing her blue crown, followed her husband, followed by three princesses, probably
Meritaten
Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten ( egy, mrii.t-itn) (14th century BC), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means "She who is beloved of Aten"; Aten being the sun-deity whom h ...
,
Meketaten Meketaten ("Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second daughter of six 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 ...
and
Ankhesenpaaten
Ankhesenamun (, "Her Life Is of Amun"; c. 1348 or c. 1342 – after 1322 BC) was a queen who lived during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt as the pharaoh Akhenaten's daughter and subsequently became the Great Royal Wife of pharaoh Tutankhamun. Born Ank ...
. Behind the princesses the Queen's sister
Mutnodjemet is depicted.
References
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Amarna tombs