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89
IN the gardens of many of the houses at el- 'Amarna lay small constructions that have
in the past been dubbed chapels, kiosks, garden houses or even birth houses
(mammisi).1It is unfortunate that they have hitherto escaped the study that they
deserve. This might be partially blamed upon the lack of interest that many of the
early excavators displayed towards subsidiary buildings. In their publications,2there
are virtually no lists of where specific objects were found, and occasionally the only
record of a chapel is in the general site plans, without any mention in the text. For
this study, some material had to be gleaned from such plans and from unpublished
material;this is particularlythe case for the North City, records of which survive in
the archives of the Egypt Exploration Society.
I have been able to recognize forty-six such buildings in the city, which can be
divided into five types: I-Simple, II-Bipartite, III-Temples, IV-Altars and VMiscellaneous.
TypeI - Simpleshrines
This is the most common type of shrine, numberingeighteen in all. The plan shows a
sloping flight of stairs,leading up to a platform,upon which is a walled room. The latter
might containan altarof brickor limestone(fig.Ia).These chapelsare often separatedfrom
the mainpartof the house gardenby a wall and are surroundedby trees.There follows a list
of such shrines.with mentionof anv variationsin the basicplan.
*This paper has its origins in a Cambridge University Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology M. Phil.
thesis, supervised by Mr. Barry J. Kemp, to whom my thanks are due for suggesting the topic and much help
and advice during its preparation. I must also thank Dr. Patricia Spencer for access to the Egypt Exploration
Society's unpublished excavation records, the Committee of the EES for permission to use plans originally
published in its memoirs, and Miss Helen Grassley for preparing the isometric reconstructions featured in fig.
3. Lastly, but by no means least, I must express my deep gratitude to Mr. Aidan Dodson, without whose
counsel, encouragement and practical assistance this paper would never have seen the light of day.
'There can be no question of their having been the latter,particularly since they contain no scenes relating to
birth, cf. B. J. Kemp, JEA 65 (1979),47-53, and are placed in areas not generally associated with mammisi.They
could be called garden houses without compromising a status as chapels, given that an appreciation of Nature,
Aten's creation, constituted a large part of the religion.
2L. Borchardt and H.
Ricke, Die Wohnhduserin Tell El-Amarna(Berlin, I980) (Wohnh); T. E. Peet and C. L.
Woolley; H. Frankfort and J. D. S. Pendlebury; J. D. S. Pendlebury, The City of Akhenaten i-Hi(London,
I923-I951)(CoA); also preliminary reports in MDOG and JEA.
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SALIMA IKRAM
90
Shrine
Area
(m2)
Entered
Pylon
from
Material
(Brick/
JEA 75
House
House
Near
size
Shrine
Water
Stone)
N 48.I3
N 49.I04
tiny
II
N 50.I75
B
B
Lg.
Lg.
SE
Med.
0 48.I16
SE
Med.
048.I77
NW
NW
E
NW
E
B
B
B
BS
B
Lg.
Lg.
Lg
Med.
Lg.
B
BS
S
B
Med.
Lg.
Lg.
Lg.
B
B
B
Lg.
Med.
Lg.
?
Med.
0 49.9/108
0 49.239
0 47.2210
047.3211
P 48.212
Q 46.i13
Q 46.214
R 44.Ib15
6
II
24
6
20
8
E
SE
SE
S
Y
Y
Y
Y
T 34.ia16
24
T36.518
15
W
E
E
U 25.419
U 36.5420
N/S
25
T 35.917
NE
SE
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
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i989
91
O 49.9/10 Objects:a bunch of faience grapes, of the type generally found used as roof
decoration.
O 49.23 Objects:fragmentof limestonestela,showing the king offeringto Aten.
P 48.2 Objects:fragmentof limestonestatueof royalfamily.
Q 46.I Objects:reliefof king worshippingAten.
T 34.Ia Of unusualform, in that an exit at the rear led to a set of altars(see T 34.ib,under
Type III).Containeda platformfor a stela or statue(fig. ib).
Objects:fragmentsof limestonestelaeand otherfragmentsshowingAten and the pharaoh.
TypeII - Bipartiteshrines
There are fourteenexamples of this type. They are very similarto Type I in plan, but are
bipartite.A sloping flight of steps leads to an anteroomor verandah,followed by the cella
(fig.ic). Column bases and fragmentsof some of the columns themselves have been found
in conjunctionwith the shrines.Many of these chapels lay in separatecompounds attached
to the house.
Shrine
Area
Entered
(m2)
from
Pylon
Material
House
House
Near
(Brick/
size
Shrine
Water
Lg.
Med.
Y
Y
Stone)
M 50/5I.I21
18
Q44.I23
24
Lg.
5
21
B
B
B
Lg.
Lg.
Med.
39
W
E
E
I6
Med.
3
I8
E
E
B
B
Med.
Med.
Lg.
N 47.622
T 33.I24
T 33.925
T 35.2I26
T 36.I27
T 36.2328
T 36.3729
U 37.Ia32
U 37.IC32
V 37.633
B
S
29
8
23
W
W
B
B
U25.II30
U 36.I531
SE
NW
Med.
Lg.
Lg.
Y
Y
Med.
93.
23
Griffith, JEA IO (I924), 290, pl. xxv.
24 CoA
II, 68, pl. x, xxiv [3].
Record Sheets.
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SALIMAIKRAM
92
YEA 75
a. Type I
b. T 34.Ia
c. Type II
HO U3SE7
d. P 47.10
I
-l
e. R442
f. U 25.7a
g. U 37.Ib
h. L 50.9
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.4 Wohnh,III-I2,
stpl. iii, plan 28.
3)Griffith, yEA 10, 302, pl. xxxiii; JEA I7, I82, pl. xxvi; EES Notebook.
'3 Griffith,
yEA 17, 240-I, pl. lxxvi, lxxvii [4]; EES Record Sheets.
37 CoA
n, 64, pl. xxi [6]; Griffith, JEA I7, 237, pl. lxxiv, Ixxv [4].
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94
SALIMAIKRAM
JEA 75
above constructionwith the middle one, includingits steps, paintedred in frontand whitewashed at the back. The smaller altarwas painted blue and white, the steps white with
stripes of blue, yellow and red. These were open air altarsand perhapsdedicatedto Aten
(central),Akhenatenand Nefertiti (side altars) (but cf. below, Dedication).Similar altars
appearin the Aten temple38and at the Desert Altars.
Objects:fragmentsof limestone stela decoratedwith a scene of Aten worship;this could
havecome fromthe simple shrine.
U 37.Ib40Againstthe west wall of the house, an altarof mouldedmud brick standsupon a
slightlyraised small platform.It was the only altarphysicallyattachedto a house. There is
no recordedevidence for stairsleadingup to the platform;it probablysupporteda stela or
statue.The plan indicatesthatan offeringtablestood in frontof it (cf.U 37.Ia,c) (fig.ig).
Objects:the head of a princessand fragmentsof statuarywere foundin an adjoiningwell.
TypeV - Miscellaneous
A few shrines do not easily fit into any of the above categories,eitherbecause theirplan is
complexand uniqueor becauseso very littleof theirplanremains.
L 50.94'This chapel has flower beds and a water source behind it. The survivingplan is
peculiarand consists of the base of a platformon which the shrinestood.It is impossibleto
tell what the whole shrine looked like. The size and complexitysuggest that it was of the
Bipartiteform (fig.ih).
Objects:two headlesssandstonestatuesof (presumably)Akhenatenand Nefertiti.
M 47.I42The shrine was located in a court of its own. According to the excavators,it
consistedof a small rectangularbrick structure,reachedby a flightof stairs,which was the
foundationfor a light wooden chapel.A small pylon or narrowterracestood at the front,
above the stairs.In the pedestal-filling,two sectionsof foundationswere laid out lengthwise:
the excavators believed that these served as supports for the floor. An alternative
reconstructionis that this was a tripartiteshrine,the stone foundationsbeing very regular
and meetingprotrudingbits of mud brickthatemergefromthe frontof the chapel(fig.2a).
Objects:head of a woman.
O 49.I43 An area for stairs leads to an entrancelevel, beyond which stood a verandah,
markedby a set of squarepillars;this leads in turnto a room containinga shrine(fig.2b).It
was plasteredinside, and painted with scenes showing the pharaohofferingto Aten. A
bunch of faiencegrapeswas found here.On the left of the shrineis anothersmall room, for
whose possibleparallelsee N 50.17.In theirreconstruction,the excavatorsbelievedit to have
consisted of a flight of steps leading to an entrancearea,giving access in turn to a small
porch,its roof supportedby two squarepillars.Behindthe porch lay a roofedchambercontaininga stela.44
3<s
N. de G. Davies, Rock Tombsof El Amarna,vi (London, I908), pl. xix-xx.
3, A. Badawy, Ilistory of EgyptianArchitecture,in (Berkeley, I968), 96; CoA I,
IOI-3.
40CoA II,
I3, pl. iii, xix [2].
41Griffith,
JEA IO,303, pl. xxxiv-v; JEA I7, I79 if, pl. xxiii-iv.
42 Wohnh,
53-4, stpl. ii, iv, plan 15, pl. iva.
43 Wohnh,
240, stpl. v, plan 75, abb. 35a.
44 Wohnh,
240.
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L..
A
/
b. 0 49.I
a. M 47.I
c. P 47I9
N --
d. P 47.17
e. T35.12
f. T35.19
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SALIMAIKRAM
96
YEA75
R 44.Ia47No plan survives of this chapel, called R 44.IC in the field notebooks. It was in an
independent courtyard and garden attached to R 44.I, which also contains a chapel (R 44.Ib)
in its main garden. It was partially or completely constructed out of limestone.
Objects: limestone doorjamb with an inscription to Aten; limestone statue bases and
fragments of statues, possibly of the king and queen.
T 35.I248 This chapel belongs to house T 35.I6 and seems to be an elaboration on the basic
bipartite shrine. A flight of stairs with piers at the top leads to a verandah which is followed
by a small plastered and whitewashed room, containing an altar.There might have been a
walkway/colonnade around the exterior of the small room, but we cannot be sure of this,
given the limited information available (fig. 2e).
Objects: fragments of statues.
T 35.I949 The remains of this chapel show a back room (cella), the beginning of a porch and
a small side room on the left of the naos (cf. 0 49.1 and N 50.I17).It was probably a bipartite
shrine with a side room (fig. 20.
Objects: fragments of a painted limestone relief showing Akhenaten making offerings to
Aten.
U 25.7b50The chapel seems to have been square with two square piers. It fell into disuse
quite early on and was replaced by U 25.7a.No reconstruction is possible due to limited
information.
deriving
his JEA
i9
reconstruction of the Amarna garden chapel from the Amarna internal shrines,
especially
altar, was found in his 'Official Residence'. It was made of stone and consisted of a
square platform of limestone blocks set against the wall, with a miniature stairway
leading up to it. The shrine's entrance was adorned with a broken lintel inscribed
with figures of the royal family and Aten. Two little walls connected the entrance
47Griffith,EES Notebook.
x CoA
II, 39-40,
pl. vii.
4(JCoA In,
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Reconstructions
Although in a few examples the walls of chapels were preserved up to as high as
0.7 m (and in one case nearly 1.0 m), the vast majority are represented by little more
than ground plans; thus, reconstructions must be attempted if one is to deal realistically with them.
TypeI
There are three possible reconstructions:
i. Chapel raised on a quadrangularplatform fronted by a stairway, and consisting
of a walled and roofed chamber with an altar in the middle (fig. 3a). Evidence for this
reconstruction lies in the basic preserved ground plans. A roof is included since
faience grapes, commonly used to decorate the roofs of Amarna houses were found
in chapel 0 49.9/10. It also represents a simple and economical design, which may
explain the prevalence of this type of chapel. Furthermore, such a closed chapel will
have offered some protection for the reliefs, paintings and statues housed within.
2. Chapel raised on a quadrangular platform fronted by a stairway. Superstructure consists of a walled area with low walls marking the perimeter of the platform.
There are small columns, supporting an architrave, set in the walls (fig. 3b). The
evidence for such a reconstruction is sparse, though being similar to that favoured by
the excavators of the site.54The reason that the chapel was thought to be roofless was
that the only way to worship a solar deity (Aten) was seen as by having the shrine
open to the sky. Furthermore, no evidence of roofing material (matting, etc.), was
found. This does not, however, mean that there was none: such material is of a
perishable nature and therefore may not have been picked up by the excavation
techniques of the time. Also, as the shrines were of minor importance and the site
was excavated in a hurry, it is quite possible that surviving evidence was lost or
destroyed during excavation.
3 CoA III, 26, pl. xxx-xxxi
[6]; Frankfort,JEA 13(I927),
$4SetonLloyd, JEA 19 (I933), 2, pl. ii.
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jEA 75
SALIMAIKRAM
98
c. Type I
d. Type 11
Fi(;. 3. Reconstructions by H. Grassley.
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99
TypeII
Three possible reconstructions are proposed.
i. Chapel 'raised on a rectangular socle fronted by a stairway and it consists of a
minute pillared porch (column bases have been found in situ in some shrines)
fronted by screen walls, and a roofless shrine with an altarto the Aten'.55Between the
shrine and the porch or colonnade, a broken lintel would occur; the roof of the
colonnade would have a cavetto cornice.56
This is the most popular reconstruction for shrines of this type. However, there
are problems with it: there is absolutely no evidence for the broken lintels, although
one or two pieces of cavetto cornice were found in the areas surrounding chapels
which could have come, however, from the house. As in the case of Type I, one
cannot make a firm statement as to the roofing of these buildings.
2. Chapel as above, except that both cella and verandah will have been roofed,
without any broken lintel (fig. 3d). Comparable buildings, albeit on a rather larger
scale, would be the chapel of Amenophis III at Elephantine57and that illustrated in
the Theban tomb of Ipuy (TT 217, time of Ramesses II).58
3. As in i., but without the broken lintel.
General
Out of the above, the most plausible ones for Type I would seem to be either 2 or 3.
The essential difference between them is the presence of a roof, the same going for
the options for the reconstruction of Type II.
Roofs are suggested for Type I by the appearance of faience grapes,59 the
preserved height of the walls, and the presence of statues and stelae which might be
in need of protection. It is possible that the single example of grapes could have
come from the nearby house and that the walls are preserved to near their original
height. Also, on the evidence of the great Aten temples, sculpture need not be
protected by roofs. Thus, it is quite possible that the shrines could have been
unroofed.
Taking the internal Panehsi shrine as a model, the main offering area, the cella,
will have been roofless. The porch of Type II shrines would have been roofed, on the
5"Badawy, op. cit. 96.
56Lloyd, loc. cit.
'7J. Vandier, Manueld'archeologie
igyptienne,11(Paris, I955),8I, fig. 395.
xDavies, Two RamessideTombsat Thebes(New York, I927),pl. xxviii.
59
E.g. Cambridge Fitzwilliam E.28.I926and 29.1926.
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SALIMAIKRAM
IOO
YEA 75
basis of grapes, columns and fairly high walls. This would fit in with the main Aten
temples - if the chapels were their domestic equivalents.
Many of the stelae from the chapels show the royal family in a chapel/temple
adoring and offering to the disc or seated below Aten, whose 'arms' extend protectively over the royal family. Unroofed chapels/temples would have allowed his rays
to reach the offerings and adorers.
Other sources of influence could have been the 'Window of Appearance' balcony
where the pharaoh and his family appeared on public occasions and the kiosks
which sheltered them on other such occasions.60These seem hypaethral,with Aten's
ray's reaching in to touch the royal personages. Thus, on balance one would favour
the view that the cellae of the garden shrines were open to the air.
The context of the shrines
Shrines only appear in large or medium sized houses, and were obviously a luxury
building. They were probably built by important and rich officials who wanted to
demonstrate publicly their loyalty to Akhenaten's regime, as well as their wealth and
piety.
Dedication
Given all known factors, it is clear that the chapels can only have been dedicated to
the king, Aten, or both. I would propose that their dedication was to the cult of the
royal family, in their manifestations as part of the triad of Aten, Akhenaten and
Nefertiti.61
Statues of the royal family, stelae of them worshipping Aten, or the family alone,
and paintings of the same subjects are found within the chapels. There is only one
known example of a stela depicting only Aten, found in T 36.45, possibly belonging
to T 36.37,62which is perhaps unique to Egyptian art. As the contents of the chapels,
these images of the royal family, in the main Akhenaten and his queen, would seem
to have been the recipients of the offerings and homage of the householders. If our
speculation of a connexion with royal kiosks and the Window of Appearances is
correct, this would be reinforced, as these two architectural features are used
exclusively for the royal family.
60
h J. Assmann,
Agypten:Theologieund FrommigkeiteinerfruhenHochkultur(Berlin, I984), 252.
62 CoA II, 46, pl. xl [7].
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IoI
The idea that the shrines were dedicated to Aten himself may be initially
attractive, but may founder on two points. Firstly, they do not have the orientation
one would expect from sun altars (e.g. those in the royal mortuary temples), EastWest; secondly, under Atenism, the only people to have direct contact with the god
were Akhenaten and Nefertiti. 'The manner in which the rays [of Aten] fondle and
protect [them] constitutes a graphic illustration of the close tie between the king and
queen and the heavenly father (Aten)'.63If any non-royal person wanted to request
something from the god, he or she had to go through Akhenaten or Nefertiti. There
are many examples of such requests in the Amarna tombs.64Furthermore, one sees
that the private area and the small chapel in the big Aten Temple were for the worship of Aten by the royal family, while the exterior colonnaded court containing
royal statues was accessible to a favoured few.65By praying to statues of the pharaoh,
the son of Aten and his sole representative on Earth, the worshipper might obtain his
wish and/or the grace of the god. Thus one sees that the only way individuals had
access to the new god was by having house altars and garden chapels containing
images of the god's family (the royal family) and, by having it open to the sun, he
might be with that family and so indirectly with the worshipper.
'3D. Redford,
JARCE 13 (I976), 56.
64 BAR II,
409-20; Davies, Rock Tombs, i, (London, I903) 52, n. 9.
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