Overview

An illustrated cultural guide to the archaeological site of Amarna, the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt Around three thousand years ago, the pharaoh Akhenaten turned his back on Amun, and most of the great gods of Egypt. Abandoning Thebes, he quickly built a grand new city in Middle Egypt, Akhetaten--Horizon of the Aten--devoted exclusively to the sun god Aten. Huge open-air temples served the cult of Aten, while palaces were decorated with painted pavements and inlaid wall reliefs. Akhenaten created a new royal burial ground deep in a desert valley, and his officials built elaborate tombs decorated with scenes of the king and his city. As thousands of people moved to Akhetaten, it became the most important city in Egypt. But it was not to last. Akhenaten's death brought the abandonment of his city and an end to one of the most startling episodes in Egyptian history. Today, Akhetaten is known as Amarna, a sprawling archaeological site in the province of Minya, halfway between Cairo and Luxor. With its beautifully decorated tombs and vast mud-brick ruins, it is the best-preserved pharaonic city in Egypt. This informed and richly illustrated guidebook brings the ancient city of Akhetaten alive with a keen insider's eye, drawing on ongoing archaeological research and the knowledge and insight of Amarna's modern-day communities and caretakers to explain key monuments and events, while offering invaluable practical advice for visiting the site. With over 150 illustrations, maps, and plans, Amarna is both an ideal introduction for visitors to Amarna and a window onto the extraordinary reign of Akhenaten.

Full Product Details

Author:   Anna Stevens
Publisher:   The American University in Cairo Press
Imprint:   The American University in Cairo Press
ISBN:  

9789774169823

ISBN 10:   9774169824
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   01 January 2021
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Who Was Who? Akhenaten’s Predecessors Akhenaten and His Family Secondary Royal Figures Coregents and Successors CHRONOLOGY SETTING THE SCENE Amenhotep III and Akhenaten’s Early Years Rise of the Solar Cult Akhenaten as King: Change on the Horizon Denouncing the Gods Amarna: Building a Vision A City of People Akhetaten What Kind of City? The Aten Cult Supplying the City Securing Akhetaten An Emerging City Akhenaten’s Amarna Years A Collapsing Dynasty A City Abandoned Rediscovering Amarna Discovering City Life How Can We Recover the Past? Viewing Akhetaten from Afar VISITING AMARNA Getting There and Around Accommodation Ticket Office and Opening Hours Amarna Visitor Centre Food, Drinks, Toilets, and Shopping Accessibility Tips for Visiting NORTH CITY AND PALACES Abandoned Dig House North Riverside Palace North Palace EASTERN CLIFFS AND DESERT Desert Altars The North Tombs Boundary Stela U Royal Wadi and Tombs The Royal Tomb North Suburb CENTRAL CITY Great Aten Temple Royal Road Bridge to the King’s House Great Palace and Smenkhkare Hall Small Aten Temple Administrative Quarters SOUTHERN CITY AND TEMPLES An Ancient Villa Main City South Tombs Kom al-Nana FURTHER INFORMATION CONTRIBUTORS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Reviews

Providing a handy reference guide to the chronology, geography and main players in the story, this book will allow visitors to bring with them the definitive guide to the site. At once scholarly and also entirely accessible, it will instantly become indispensable for enthusiasts, students and scholars of the period and the place. I look forward to my copy becoming increasingly dog-eared with each visit I make to the site in future. --Chris Naunton, author of Egyptologists' Notebooks

"""Providing a handy reference guide to the chronology, geography and main players in the story, this book will allow visitors to bring with them the definitive guide to the site. At once scholarly and also entirely accessible, it will instantly become indispensable for enthusiasts, students and scholars of the period and the place. I look forward to my copy becoming increasingly dog-eared with each visit I make to the site in future.""—Chris Naunton, author of Egyptologists' Notebooks ""Part academic-reference, part field-guide, this book presents a dramatic and exciting story. . . Armana provides tremendous insight for Egyptologists and scholars into daily life in Egypt 3,000 years ago.""—AramcoWorld"

"""Providing a handy reference guide to the chronology, geography and main players in the story, this book will allow visitors to bring with them the definitive guide to the site. At once scholarly and also entirely accessible, it will instantly become indispensable for enthusiasts, students and scholars of the period and the place. I look forward to my copy becoming increasingly dog-eared with each visit I make to the site in future.""--Chris Naunton, author of Egyptologists' Notebooks ""Part academic-reference, part field-guide, this book presents a dramatic and exciting story. . . Armana provides tremendous insight for Egyptologists and scholars into daily life in Egypt 3,000 years ago.""--AramcoWorld"

Author Information

Anna Stevens is a research archaeologist specializing in Egyptology, and Assistant Director of the Amarna Project. She is affiliated with Monash University, Australia and the University of Cambridge, UK.

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