Studies on Akhenaten at Thebes, II : A Report on the Work of the Akhenaten Temple Project of the University Museum, The University of Pennsylvania, for the Year 1973-4

Abstract

The names of individual buildings erected by Akhenaten at Karnak occur almost exclusively the identifying epithets placed columns on either side of the ubiquitous sun-discs. The formula, which hardly varies, is as follows: Live Reharakhty, He Who Rejoices the Horizon His Name 'Light which is in/from the Disc/ the Great Living Disc, Lord of Heaven and Earth, who is Jubilee, Residing (hry-ib) . followed by the specific structure's name. To judge by frequency of occurrence the four major buildings, or complexes of buildings, named are (in order of numerical frequency) Gm-t(w)-ftz-Un, Hwt-bnbn, Rwd-mnw, and Tni-mnw. The first is said to be in the domain (fir) of the Disc Southern Heliopolis; the second is sometimes said to be the first, but there any textual implication of spatial or other connection between any of the named buildings ceases. Those who wish to construe the temples (for such they surely appear to be) as part of a larger whole, and to locate it east of Karnak, had better produce their evidence, or modify their views. They will also have to contend with the embarrassing fact that the four names have a dispersal pattern their secondary locations which is consistent : the first two names come from the Second Pylon, Hypostyle and the middle courses of the Ninth Pylon. Rwd-mnw comes from the upper courses of the Ninth, and Tni-mnw from the lower courses of the same pylon. To my mind this is not consonant with a single original location for all buildings, but I have argued the point at length elsewhere.2 The relief scenes which decorate the walls of the eight Karnak temples can be separated on the basis of style as well as names and provide a clue as to the activity which went on each. Scenes of the jubilee come only from Gm*t(w)-p;-itn and account for almost the whole of the repertoire of reliefs therein.3 It has been suggested that Akhenaten celebrated more than one jubilee his first six years on the throne.4 There is no evidence whatsoever that the Gni't{w)-ps-itn scenes depict more than one ; and fact only one, the first, is specifically mentioned the inscriptions. In a scene made up of blocks from the Second Pylon, a band of text is carved above the heads of a group of adoring officials short caps, arranged rows of four facing right (see pl. la). The text reads Introducing the officials, courtiers and standard-bearers of the army to cause them to stand the king's presence at the first si-festival of His Majesty, which [the Disc?] granted him/'5 The Hwt-bnbn was decorated primarily with but one type of scene, viz. an offering to the sun-disc with Queen Nefertity as celebrant (see pl. Via). Akhenaten apparently does not appear the Hwt-bnbn