Amarna

Amarna (also known as el-Amarna or Tell el-Amarna), an archeological site on the location of the city of Akhetaton[?], which was built c. 1353 BC by King Akhenaton. It is the only ancient Egyptian city for which we have great details of its internal plan.

The site was discovered in 1887 when a local woman digging for sebbakh[?] uncovered a cache of 300 tablets (now known as the Amarna Tablets[?] or Letters). These tablets were of correspondences of the Pharaoh and were written in Akkadian, the language commonly used in the Near East in the Late Bronze Age[?] for diplomatic communications.

Amarnan art[?] is unique among the Egytian world, containing depictions of many informal scenes such as the royal family playing with their children.

The city has been abandoned since the death of Akhenaton.

Famous landmarks at the site include:

• Great Temple of the Aten
• Great Royal Palace
• Tomb of Akhenaton