Mystery of ancient city shared in Bentonville
Posted on Sunday, October 7, 2007
BENTONVILLE — Archeologists and historians across the globe have been fascinated by such ancient civilizations as Pompeii for years. But there’s another ancient city, located about a half-day drive south of Cairo, the capital city of Egypt, whose mysteries are still being uncovered.
That ancient city is Tell el-Amarna, more commonly referred to by historians as Amarna. On Saturday afternoon, Dr. Barry Kemp, a professor of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge, spoke to an audience at the Bentonville Public Library about the Amarna Project.
Amarna was the capital city built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten in pursuit of a society dedicated to the cult of one god, the power of the sun. The city rose up quickly but was abandoned shortly after Akhenaten’s death, estimated to be 1332 B. C. Amarna, which is said to have existed for a span of less than 20 years, remains the largest readily accessible living-site from ancient Egypt.
“ If you go there expecting to find something like Pompeii, you’ll be disappointed, ” Kemp said. “ You have to work to find it. You can see the shapes there. But this truly is like a city that fell asleep. ”
Exactly what happened to ancient Amarna is unknown. There may very well have been an epidemic. But what is known by historians is that Akhenaten’s religion was abandoned.
Amarna was a city of temples, palaces and houses for several tens of thousands of people. The temples there had no roofs, as to allow direct view and worship of the sun. The city was built on desert in close proximity to the Nile River in middle Egypt. The city has since been covered by the sands of time. Archeologists continue to uncover the city, recovering and recording important information.
“ It takes a lot of time and care with something like the Amarna Project, ” Kemp said. “ But it’s worth it. ”
The facet of the program Kemp has been most directly involved in of late has been exploration of the Amarna grave sites. The graves and remains of those who lived and died at Amarna are now being studied to get a clearer picture of what life was like in ancient Egypt. New discoveries are being made every day, but Kemp said one of the most interesting is the fact that the life expectancy of the average resident was just 30 years.
“ I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of the people who lived in various places, ” Kemp said. “ Amarna is fascinating. There is no other place like it. There’s so much left to be discovered here. ”
The Amarna Project was initially funded by the British Government. Today, the project continues on fundraising and donations. For more information on the project or how to contribute, go to www. amarnaproject. com and www. amarnatrust. com.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
