Tales of Amarna Trivia Quiz

Answer: Akhenaten

Amenhotep IV, a younger son of Amenhotep III, was not in line to be pharaoh - his older brother Thutmose was the crown prince. When Thutmose died at a fairly young age, however, Amenhotep became his father's heir. In 2014 it was announced that evidence had been uncovered that suggested that both ruled together for eight years before Amenhotep IV became pharaoh in his own right. For five years he ruled Egypt and began building temples to the god Aten (solar disk) in the capital city; then he changed his name to Akhenaten, which means "Effective for Aten", and began work on a new capital city called Akhetaten, or "Horizon of the Aten".

The modern name of the city, Amarna, is taken from the Beni Amran tribe that lived in the area in the past.

Answer: It was abandoned soon after Amenhotep IV's death.

Amarna is regarded to be a virgin site; that is, the area had not been occupied before the city was constructed, and when the city was abandoned, it was covered with sand until being rediscovered in the 1700s. Hurriedly built beginning the fifth year of Amenhotep IV's reign and abandoned almost as fast, the site does present challenges.

Many of the buildings were made with sun dried painted brick, which left alone for thousands of years has deteriorated. While the important buildings were built with faces of stone made from the nearby limestone cliffs, many of the stones were removed by later occupants of the area. So - even though the remains of the city are not in the best shape, there was no previous layer of occupation under the site, and no layer on top of the city either.

There was eventually an ancient Roman settlement nearby, however, it was not built on the same site.

Answer: Boundary Stelae

Apparently Amenhotep IV viewed his ancient capital as more of a sacred area of land than an actual city. First found in 1714, there have been 16 ancient stelae found so far; while they have been named after letters in the alphabet, they have not been named in alphabetical order in case more are discovered at another time. Chiseled into the limestone cliffs that surround the ancient city, the stelae contain carvings of the royal family, as well as information about the founding of the city, proclamations made by the pharaoh, and dedications to the god, Aten.

Many of the stelae have been damaged due to natural wind and erosion, although local people, who believed that the stelae served as doors to treasure vaults, have also caused extensive harm to the artifacts.

Answer: Henotheism

Amenhoteps IV's supposed attempt at monotheism is a topic that continues to be debated among historians today. Prior to his reign, the state god of ancient Egypt was Amen Ra or Amen Re, the sun god. It was believed that Ra protected the state of Egypt as a whole from invaders. Because there were also other gods - Osiris, Anubis, Isis, among others, that were being worshiped at the time, the religion of the ancients is typically called polytheism. Evidence at Amarna suggests that while Ra was replaced with the worship of Aten, the solar disc, there were other gods worshiped, such as Bes (war, childbirth, home), Taweret (childbirth, fertility), Isis (children, life, sick), and Shed (salvation).

This suggests a form of henotheism, also considered by some to be a type of monolatrism, a belief that while there are many gods, one is supreme.

The type of religious belief was practised in ancient Mesopotamia, as well as Greece, and, in some areas of the Roman Empire.

Answer: Temples

The Great Temple of the Aten, believed to be the main place of worship in the city, and the Small Aten Temple, probably older than the other, were the two main places of worship in Amarna. The remains of both temples show that stairs led to a platform where the royal family presumably prayed and left offerings to Aten.

There was also a ceremonial table or altar where the offering would have been placed. The temples were connected to pharaoh's ceremonial palace, the Great Royal Palace and Royal Residence. Administrative buildings where functions of government were carried out were also part of the Central City.

There is a large walled area east of Central City which is believed to have been where the workmen and their families lived. They worshiped at small chapels that were located outside of the village walls.

Answer: False

The Valley of the Kings was used as a royal burial site for nearly 500 years. The remote, desolate location of the Valley of the Kings seems to have assured the pharaohs of the 18th-20th dynasties that their tombs and grave goods would remain undisturbed and they would have a safe trip to the afterlife - even though most of the tombs were robbed in ancient times.

At the present time 63 have been discovered, with, of course, the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen being the most intact. The royal necropolis in Amarna, called the Royal Wadi, contained the tomb of one of pharaoh's lesser wives, possibly Queen Kiya and her child, which is the only finished tomb in the necropolis.

The Royal Tomb of pharaoh is the only decorated tomb there; it is a larger complex that was probably intended to serve as the burial site for many family members.

While it is believed that Amenhotep IV was originally buried there, it appears that his tomb was moved to the Valley of the Kings at some point. The Egyptian Museum contains an artifact that is believed to have been his sarcophagus.

Some unfinished tombs have also been found in the Royal Wadi. Tombs constructed for others who lived in Amarna have been found, however, they are not located in the Royal Wadi.

Answer: Nefertiti Bust

Nefertiti is well known as the Great Royal Wife and chief consort of Amenhotep IV. Very little is known about her as there is no information available about her lineage. It was recorded, however, that she had six daughters, and Tutankhamen was her stepson. One of the most famous artifacts from ancient Egypt, the Nefertiti Bust, is approximately 19 inches tall and weighs 44 pounds. Made of limestone, it is covered with layers of stucco that have been painted with bright colors. Surprisingly intact, the bust has suffered some damage to its ears, and one of its eyes does not contain an iris. Discovered by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, the bust has established Nefertiti as a legendary beauty and has had several homes - all in Germany - since its discovery.

Answer: Cuneiform

The ancient Egyptians developed an advanced form of picture writing called hieroglyphics, where pictures represented sounds that made up words. Even after other written languages were developed - demotic, which was used for trade and business, and hieratic, used for temple accounts and poetry - scribes continued to use hieroglyphics for religious texts and official proclamations from pharaoh.

The Amarna Letters were written in Akkadian cuneiform, which was the diplomatic language used in written correspondence with ancient Egyptian neighbors.

They were found in an ancient building that has since been named the Bureau of Correspondence of Pharaoh. Consisting of over 300 diplomatic letters, the tablets have helped to uncover much information about the relationship between Pharaohs Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV and those who lived near the borders of the empire, such as the Hittites and Assyrians.

Answer: Thebes

Let's hear it for the modern wonder of genetic testing! In 2008 results were published that indicate that the mummies of KV55, believed to be Amenhotep IV, and KV35 Younger Lady, his full-blooded sister, were the parents of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. It was also stated that Tutankhamen was the grandson of the great Amenhotep III. One can only imagine the problems that Tut inherited when he became pharaoh; he was eight or nine years old and probably under the control of advisors who counseled that a move away from the religious changes that had been made by his father had to take place.

He expanded the priesthood of Amen Ra and had new statues of the god made. In the second year of his reign he changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamen, which historians believe is an indication that he was advised, perhaps even pressured, to return to the old religious ways.

He had his father's body removed from Amarna and interred in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes. He also re-established the capital at Thebes and restored temples there that had been desecrated by his father.

While there is evidence that people continued to live in Amarna at least through the reign of Horemheb, who is known for attempting to erase the name of Amenhotep IV from the history of ancient Egypt, it is logical to assume that the city was soon abandoned after the relocation of the capital.

Answer: Napoleon

Claude Sicard visited the Nile Valley in 1714 and made the first modern mention of the city of Amarna. It was during Napoleon's military expedition to Egypt, however, that the first detailed map of Amarna was drawn in 1798-99. Don't forget that Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in order to cut Britain's trade with India sparked a fascination of ancient Egyptian history that still exists to this day. Was it because Napoleon was truly engrossed in the Enlightenment movement or was there more of a military ambition in mind? It doesn't matter! He took a large number of scholars and scientists with him - as many as 160 - who eventually compiled the "Description de l'Égypte", which contained a map of Amarna! The book in turn began the modern science of Egyptology. And - don't forget - it was during this time that the Rosetta Stone, which unlocked the secrets of hieroglyphics, was found by one of Napoleon's men!