On the 9th March Ian Trumble, curator at the Bolton Museum came to speak to the Society at the Cooper Gallery.
Ian started by giving some basic background to the Amarna period which helped to put the archaeological findings in context. He explained the changes in artistic styles and the new temple layouts which were such a distinctive aspect of the period. He also gave a brief review of the timeline of excavations at the site and raised our awareness of the potential damage to be caused by modern agriculture, building and illicit excavation.
Archaeological excavations at the house of Hatiay, and others at Amarna, have opened up the world of a high status individual in Amarna, and it was good to hear of the artefacts held by the Bolton Museum, as well as those spread across museums around the world – the door lintel is a prized possession and will certainly be the focus of my next visit to the museum. Some beautiful glassware and a section of floor were other highlights – did Tutankhamun walk that very spot? The villas of Amarna, two storey affairs, seem to have had their own small family shrine and their own grain stores. The body of the walls in houses were not lavishly decorated as far as the archaeological evidence shows, but the upper and lower sections, coving and skirting, door jambs and lintels and ceilings were highlights of the internal decoration.
We thank Ian for making the time to come and speak to us. We hope to see him at a Hapy meeting again in the future.
Further reading:
Nefertiti Lived Here, by Mary Chubb.
Amarna: A guide to the city of Akhetaten, by Anna Stevens
Amarna, by Barbara Watterson
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