Northern Palace (Amarna) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Northern Palace, also called the North Palace, is located in the abandoned Northern Suburbs of the city of Ahketaten (modern Amarna, in
Palace
/ref> On one end of the open space is a throne-room complex. The complex included a pillared hall and a stone built balcony. Next to that area was the private bedroom and bathroom. To the north of the throne room is a garden court with rooms for personal servants. The staff may have included the unguent preparer Ramose known from two letters that place in Meritaten's household. To the south of the throne-room are further servant quarters. On one side of the open center is and area that was used to house animals. The mangers were decorated with images of cattle, ibexes and antelopes. The structure featured limestone feeding troughs and mangers combined with tethering stones. The palace is well known for its decorations. Many of the decorations were found in their original position. Common themes include papyrus plants growing in a swampy environment with birds and butterflies.Kemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames and Hudson, 2012 The residence was initially the home of one of
Models and reconstructions of the city, including the Northern Palace
Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century BC Amarna Palaces in Egypt {{AncientEgypt-stub
The Northern Palace, also called the North Palace, is located in the abandoned Northern Suburbs of the city of Ahketaten (modern Amarna, in Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
). This palace should not be confused with the North Riverside Palace further north in Amarna.
The North Palace is situated between the North Suburb and the North City of Amarna. It is an isolated building facing west to the river and oriented perpendicularly with respect to an extension of the Royal Road. The rectangular structure is arranged around a large open space.Amarna Project WebsitPalace
/ref> On one end of the open space is a throne-room complex. The complex included a pillared hall and a stone built balcony. Next to that area was the private bedroom and bathroom. To the north of the throne room is a garden court with rooms for personal servants. The staff may have included the unguent preparer Ramose known from two letters that place in Meritaten's household. To the south of the throne-room are further servant quarters. On one side of the open center is and area that was used to house animals. The mangers were decorated with images of cattle, ibexes and antelopes. The structure featured limestone feeding troughs and mangers combined with tethering stones. The palace is well known for its decorations. Many of the decorations were found in their original position. Common themes include papyrus plants growing in a swampy environment with birds and butterflies.Kemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames and Hudson, 2012 The residence was initially the home of one of
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 ...
's queens. It had been proposed that the palace was the home of the Great Royal Wife 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 that the palace was later given as the primary residence of the eldest royal daughter 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 ...
. In recent times however it has become clear that the palace was the home of Queen Kiya
Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's ‘Great royal wife’, Nefertiti. Her unusual n ...
, and that after her death the palace became the residence of Meritaten.Reeves, Nicholas. Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet. Thames & Hudson. 2005.
References
External links
Models and reconstructions of the city, including the Northern Palace
Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century BC Amarna Palaces in Egypt {{AncientEgypt-stub