Tomb of Merire I.

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Amarna Tomb 4
Tomb of Merire I.

place Amarna
Discovery date Unknown
excavation Unknown
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The tomb of Merire I (also known as Amarna Tomb 4 ) is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the necropolis of Tell el-Amarna in Middle Egypt . It is one of the largest and most important private graves in the northern cemetery and belonged to the dignitary Merire I , who was installed as high priest of Aten in the 18th dynasty under Pharaoh Akhenaten . The grave is around 28 meters long and its spatial arrangement is very similar to the rest of the graves in this cemetery. Garis Davis dated the start of construction in the 9th or 10th year of Akhenaten's reign, as the royal family is shown with only four instead of six princesses.

description

Entrance to the tomb
Floor plan of the tomb

The entrance portal adorned with a hollow is located in the southwest and originally showed the deceased worshiping the sun god Aton and the royal couple. A short corridor is followed by a small antechamber, which looks like a living room due to the slightly vaulted ceiling and a surrounding hollow. On the left and right side there are false doors , roughly carved in stone , behind which the praying grave lord and bouquets of staff are depicted. There are also hymn texts on the walls. A special feature is the ceiling decoration, which is divided into three sections by inscription bands with blue hieroglyphs on a yellow background. The sections are decorated with a coffered pattern and an ornament reminiscent of a pearl net .

After another passage, the 7.90 × 6.70 meter columned hall opens . Two of the four originally planned papyrus columns are still preserved. The hall is divided into a central nave with a vaulted ceiling and two relatively low aisles . A cove with a round bar is attached directly under the ceiling , making the room appear larger. The large-scale representations on the walls mainly show the royal family, whereas the grave owner and his family move into the background. One scene that shows the inauguration of Merire as high priest is particularly famous . The destruction of the reliefs goes back to Christian monks who used the tomb as a house.

The adjoining pillar hall is slightly larger than the columned hall and, like the northeast statue chamber, remained unfinished. Four pillars were provided to support the ceiling, one of which is still unfinished in the western corner.

Insertion scene

The so-called "installation scene" is one of the most famous depictions of the grave. It is located in the hypostyle hall on the left side of the south wall and shows Merire as he was elevated to the office of high priest of Aton, which was the highest priesthood in the Amarna period . The royal couple Akhenaten and Nefertiti occupy the largest part of the depiction, bending over the parapet of an apparition window and performing the appointment. Cheering courtiers carry the grave owner on their shoulders. In a text, Merire reports on the appointment:

“The king says:“ See, I am setting you up for myself as the 'greatest of those who see' in the temple of Aten in Achetaton. I do it out of love for you with the following words: My respected servant who truly hears the teaching! My heart is satisfied with every job you do. I give you the office and say: You shall eat the food of Pharaoh, your Lord, in the temple of Aten! " Merire replies: «O you rich man who knows the needs and satisfies Aton!» "

See also

literature

  • Norman de Garis Davies : The Rock Tombs of El-Amarna. Volume 1: The Tomb of Meryra (= Memoir of the Archaeological Survey of Egypt. Volume 13). Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1903.
  • Manuela Gander: The high priest Meryre I . In: Christian Tietze (ed.): Amarna. Living spaces - life images - world views . 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Arcus-Verlag, Weimar 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-031582-4 , p. 220-224 .

Web links

Commons : Tomb of Merire I.  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ M. Gander, Ch.Tietze: The High Priest Merire I. Weimar 2010, p. 224.
  2. ^ Emma Brunner-Traut : Egypt: Art and travel guide with regional studies. Kohlhammer, 5th, expanded and improved edition, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-17-009037-2 , p. 565.
  3. ↑ a b M. Gander, Ch.Tietze: The High Priest Merire I. Weimar 2010, p. 220.
  4. ↑ M. Gander, Ch. Tietze: The High Priest Merire I. Weimar 2010, pp. 220-223.
  5. ↑ a b M. Gander, Ch.Tietze: The High Priest Merire I. Weimar 2010, p. 223.
  6. ^ Hermann A. Schlögl : Echnaton (= Beck'sche Reihe. No. 2441 CH Beck Wissen ). Beck, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-406-56241-9 , p. 36.

Coordinates: 27 ° 39 '49.9 "  N , 30 ° 55' 38.8"  E