[Wegaton]

On sait qu'à la fin de son règne, le pharaon Akhenaton s'en est pris violemment contre le clergé d'Amon, détruisant souvent les figurations de ce dieu et vidant les temples à son honneur. Je me demandais simplement une chose : est-ce que le courroux d'Akhenaton a aussi touché les autres dieux et leurs clergés respectifs ?

[ftonic]

déjà parler de fureur, non non et non !

ensuite le martelage du nom d'amon se fait vers l'an 5 et non à la fin du règne et encore ce martelage n'est pas systématique. au plus tard en l'an 6 l'ensemble des dieux est prospricts mais on trouve des exceptions, des références à Osiris, à Maat à Mnevis

il faut faire une différence entre la sphère royale et le peuple. à amarna même nous savons que des habitants adoraient toujours divers dieux autres qu'Aton.
_________________
toutankhamon magazine

[Wegaton]

Merci beaucoup pour ces explications.

[Loiret.F]

[Wegaton]

[ftonic]

certes la ville a survécu mais loin de la cour royale. je sais que sur ce point nous ne sommes pas d'accord sur l'abandon royale que je place sous la femme roi en l'an 3.

la ville resta habité jusqu'à l'époque ramesside puis on constate une occupation romaine puis copte

la ville étant abandonné sans temple, sans administration sans doute, il n'y avait pas grand chose à y faire
_________________
toutankhamon magazine

[Loiret.F]

[ftonic]

et d'autre part, le martelage d'akhenaton a été bien loin d'être acharné !

comme gérard l'avait écrit dans un article
_________________
toutankhamon magazine

[Loiret.F]

Copie d'un message que j'avais posté sur un forum anglophone.

Akhenaten spent ~10 years at Amarna. The city was occupied during at least 20 years after his death. What is found now is what was left by the last occupants of each house.

Anna Stevens’s 2003 thesis used to be on the web. Here is the last paragraph before the conclusion.

THE CULTS OF TRADITIONAL DIVINITIES

There is general agreement amongst scholars that aspects of traditional religious belief and practice continued at Akhetaten. In particular, the cults of divinities who played a limited role in the state religious system prior to the Amarna Period are thought to have continued. Less is known of the scope and nature of these cults, or those of other divinities.

Within the archaeological record, gaps in the range of religious conduct related to traditional deities can certainly be recognised. This is most notable in the absence of state-run temples and shrines at which access to traditional cults was available. Although it cannot be assumed that all residents of the city would necessarily have participated in cult at state temples prior to their relocation to Akhetaten, the absence of such complexes presumably created a gap in the cult lives of some individuals. They would have been denied the chance to participate in state-run religious festivals and celebrations centred upon such complexes, and perhaps the opportunity to undertake activity at associated public shrines.

The degree to which this was compensated for by the undertaking of cult at temples and shrines beyond Amarna is uncertain, given the limited knowledge of the movements of the residents and the status of state temples elsewhere during the Amarna The close similarity of some Amarna figurines, in particular, to examples found at the temple complex at Hermopolis is interesting. This may simply indicate activity at Hermopolis shortly before or after the Amarna Period, but might reflect conduct during that time, perhaps even by some residents of Akhetaten itself. The temple complex was presumably closed on an official level during Akhenaten's reign, given its proximity to Akhetaten,
but perhaps some form of small-scale private conduct continued.

The small, privately-run shrines that functioned as centres for the worship of traditional deities are of particular significance in relation to the impact of the state doctrine. The majority of private chapels seem to have been erected towards the end of the reign of Akhenaten, or after it. This could reflect that worship at such spaces was considered inappropriate during all or some of his reign, and even subsequent backlash against restrictions imposed by this king. It is significant, however, that as far as can be determined such shrines do not appear to have been common features of settlement sites prior to the Amarna Period. This could be explained if there was simply greater scope for the worship of traditional deities at state run complexes at such sites. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that the absence of such structures at Amarna does not necessarily reflect the removal of a standard component of the non-state religious system.

Beyond cult buildings, the archaeological assemblage includes a significant quantity and variety of material that relates to traditional divinities. These include divinities who did not feature prominently in the state sphere prior to the Amarna Period, such as Bes and Taweret, and private ancestors. In addition, deities who seen1 to have played significant roles within the state cults, although often worshipped also within the nonstate realm, are represented, including Amun, Hathor, Thoth and Ptah. The royal ancestors of Akhenaten and Amenhotep , if venerated in the non-state sphere, can probably be assigned to this group of traditional divinities. There is some indication that Akhenaten himself undertook the worship of his distant royal ancestors. Inscriptions on objects such as jar sealing and personal titles at the site mention 'houses' or 'estates' of Thutmose I, Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV. Some of these appear to have been located at Akhetaten and to have served cult functions on 'm
official level. Johnson's suggestion that the Aten was viewed as the living embodiment of all ancestral kings is also noteworthy. Nonetheless, it seems unlikely that the worship of such individuals in the non-state sphere was undertaken either in imitation of Akhenaten's actions or, if Johnson is correct, in recognition of the embodiment of royal ancestors within the Aten. If royal ancestor cults occurred, these were probably undertaken in continuation of a tradition already established within the non-state sphere, more akin to the worship of Ahmose Nefertiri and Arnenhotep I at Deir el-Medina. This is supported by the simple nature of the finds: there are, for example, no stelae that depict these kings in the company of either the Aten or Akhenaten.

The roles of the traditional cults and the degree to which they were impacted upon by the state doctrine are difficult to uncertain. The range of material suggests that there was at least scope for their involvement with most forms of religious conduct undertaken at the site. The evidence of cult images and the likelihood that not all cult emplacements were associated exclusively with the royal family and Aten suggests traditional divinities could be worshipped directly in domestic contexts, in private chapels and perhaps in public spaces, such as the possible shrine near the entrance to the Workmen's Village. There are fewer objects that can be identified with confidence as cult images of
traditional deities than there are of the royal family and Aten. It is possible, however, that material pertaining to traditional cults was removed upon abandonment of the city for further use. It may even have been necessary to remove some material. Given the potential of the deceased to inflict barn on the living, for instance, material relating to private-ancestor cults could have been removed due to a
need for the ongoing placation of potentially malevolent forces. In fact, material relating to such cults would have been more likely to have been removed than that relating to the cult of the royal family and Aten if the latter was deemed irrelevant upon the abandonment of the cult in the extreme form promoted during the reign of Akhenaten. It is also noteworthy that the range of material relating to the cults of traditional deities at Amarna accords well with the limited amount of comparative material from residential contexts at earlier sites. As noted previously, these assemblages generally do not include large-scale statues or stelae of such deities. Indeed, large-scale images of divinities such as Bes do not appear to have been produced in general during this period. Along with the general parallel between the Amarna corpus and other sites, particular types of jewellery, figurines, vessels and some small stelae, can frequently be paralleled with material from elsewhere, ranging from various centres in Upper and Lower Egypt, to Nubian settlements such as Sesebi, and Beth Shan in Palestine. In some cases, the parallel material is of identical or almost identical form. This is seen particularly in jewellery and figurines from sites such as Malkata, Kom Rabi’a, Saqqara, Sesebi, Beth Shan and Saft el-Hemell. The close parallels between some objects from Amarna and elsewhere are potentially of great significance, but are difficult to interpret at present. They might indicate that material used at Akhetaten was also in use beyond the site during approximately the same period. Hence, they could reflect a degree of continuity between elements of non-state religious conduct at Akhetaten and those undertaken elsewhere at an approximately contemporary period, although the possibility that the
non-state religious systems at sites beyond Akhetaten were also affected by the religious reforms of Akhenaten certainly remains. Further comparison of the Amarna assemblage with those from other sites may clarify this aspect.

If worshipped through cult images, traditional divinities were presumably the recipients of offerings in particular. In some cases, they were probably involved in magical rituals, perhaps directly through the use of images of deities themselves. In other cases, their presence in such rituals might have been less explicit, with the utilisation of the powers of a deity, but not necessarily a physical image thereof. It is noteworthy that the verbal components of spells frequently mention deities. The verbal expression of such spells, an element that is clearly inaccessible through material remains, could thus have constituted a further manifestation of traditional cults. It is highly likely that images of traditional divinities were also perceived to possess prophylactic powers, and used as amulets. This is supported by the presence of such divinities on personal items of jewellery, in particular, but possibly also on figurines, ostraca and other objects, and in the form of domestic reliefs.

The relatively large quantity of material associated potentially with the cults of certain deities, and aspects of its distribution, suggest the general prominence of particular deities; namely, Bes, Hathor, Taweret, one or more cobra deities and perhaps private ancestors. This prominence conceivably extended into at least part of the reign of Akhenaten.

Some scholars have implied that material relating to traditional deities occurs only in houses of the non-elite. However, portable objects relating to cults such as Bes and Hathor do occur in larger houses, perhaps in sufficient quantity to suggest that they were not all deposited by servants. The absence of wall paintings depicting traditional deities in larger houses, as seen in the Bes-image mural at the Workmen's Village, proves little in light of the comparatively poor vertical preservation of houses beyond the village. The lack of stone domestic architectural elements with representations of traditional deities might be more significant: the existence of examples relating to the royal family and Aten suggests some of these would have survived if once present. The material assemblage associated with the estates of Panehesy, the First Servitor of the Aten, provides a possible example of the participation of a member of the elite or his associates in aspects of both the cult of the royal family and Aten and of traditional cults. As noted in Part IV.D.V, the assemblage included a range of emplacements and objects clearly associated with the official cult, but also a quantity of portable finds with potential links with traditional cults, such as wD3t-eye rings a bovid-shaped figure vessel and possibly a cobra bowl. The participation of the elite in aspects of traditional cults, or at least their apparent tolerance of these, is suggestive of a degree of tolerance by the state.

In many cases, religious conduct associated with traditional deities could also have been highly visible. The material depicting deities such as Bes, I-Iathor, Taweret and one or more cobra deities, in particular, occurs not only in all the major residential zones, but also in areas with a high degree of state presence, such as the Central City. These cults are certainly not restricted to the Workmen's Village. In addition, whilst the Workmen's Village itself is isolated from the city proper, the private chapels here are accorded a prominent position whilst the close proximity of shrines P48.4 and P47.10 to a number of large estates, including that of the General Ramose, is noteworthy. The large scale of the pottery vessels with images of Bes and Hathor suggests these were highly visible during production, and possibly when in use. Similarly, jewellery with images of deities could have been
extremely visible if worn.

The presence of material relating potentially to a range of traditional deities, including Thoth, Bes, Hathor, and falcon and cobra deities, in courtyard manufacturing establishments is also significant. Such complexes appear to have had some degree of official patronage, possibly supplying statues and similar objects to the state. The limestone block found at the state apartments of the Great Palace carved with a Bes-image on one side, and the head of a king, seemingly Akhenaten, on the other was presumably produced in an environment under a degree of state influence, although there could have been considerable time difference in the cutting of each face. The probability that official influence was required to obtain the cobalt aluminate pigment used to decorate the blue-painted Bes- and Hathor image ceramic vessels is also suggestive of some degree of state participation in the production of such objects.

In addition to the limited direct dating evidence other sources suggest that the relative prominence of these cults extended into the reign of Akhenaten. These include the block depicting a Hathor-headed column excavated at the Great Palace and the possibility that the royal family were perceived as manifestations of deities such as Hathor. The material relating to traditional deities, including Bes-images, Hathor and perhaps Osiris, in the Royal Tomb and Wadi at Amarna and in KV 55, is of potential significance, although the degree to which such goods were included under the direction of Akhenaten is unknown. The incorporation of the cults of deities such as Bes and Taweret into the private religious practices of the royal family was apparently an established tradition. If aspects of this continued under Akhenaten, it seems unlikely that this king would have proscribed the worship of such figures by the residents of Akhetaten.

If these cults were, indeed, conducted at the site during the reign of Akhenaten, it is possible to envisage a range of scenarios under which this occurred, although none can be confirmed from the available evidence. If material relating to these cults was actually manufactured in workshops under state influence during his reign, this is clearly suggestive of a significant level of state tolerance. If such manufacture only occurred after his reign, his religious agenda presumably proscribed such activity. Nonetheless, such prohibition might not have extended to the manufacture of such goods in private contexts, or the confiscation or destruction of material in the possession of the residents of the city. There may, in fact, have been considerable variation in the attitude of Akhenaten towards these cults in different periods of his reign.

Determining the social conditions under which the cults of deities represented by a limited range and quantity of material were conducted is less straightforward. The relatively low quality and quantity of material relating to deities such as Amun, Min and Ptah could support the idea that, if occurring during the reign of' Akhenaten, their cults were conducted under restricted conditions. The removal of the name of Amun from objects such as an alabaster vase found in a pit at magazines associated with the Royal Estate provides further evidence for this. However, the removal of cult material at the time of abandonment must again be considered. In addition, whilst it is apparent that the cults of major deities such as Amun were incorporated into the non-state sphere prior to the Amarna Period, the extent to which this occurred is uncertain. There has also been little investigation of the physical manifestations of these cults, particularly within the domestic sphere and. as noted in, it is possible that some material pertaining to these cults at Arnarna is simply unidentifiable. It is, in fact, conceivable that the limited range of material relating to such deities is largely typical of the physical components of the cults in the
domestic sphere in general. This is supported again by the overall similarity of the range of material relating to these cults at Amarna to that at earlier sites. Thus, it is premature to view the limited quantity of material necessarily as evidence of the conduct of specific cults under conditions restricted by the state doctrine. It remains possible that the material represents the limited worship of such cults, as was the case in general, the remnants of more widespread worship, or isolated instances of personal piety.

[Wegaton]

Voici des explications qui éclairent ma lanterne. Merci beaucoup pour toutes ces informations.

[Oudjat-Paneb]

l'article en francais aurait été bienvenu

merci quand même loiret

[ftonic]

la traduction d'un tel article demande du temps ! et ce texte n'est pas disponible en français à ma connaissance...

en égyptologie si on le lit pas l'anglais c'est plus qu'un problème !

pour amarna, 90 % des fouilles, analyses, etc sont en anglais ou en allemand !
_________________
toutankhamon magazine

[Oudjat-Paneb]

je parle et lit l'anglais, mais je me permettais de parler au nom de tous ceux et celles non anglophones... je sais qui en a un paquet

[Loiret.F]

Depuis la suppression des classes du Certificat d'Etudes, l'anglais est inclus dans le cursus scolaire de tout français(e), ce n'est donc pas un problème. Des traducteurs en ligne donnent une approximation; j'utilise pour l'allemand : http://babelfish.altavista.com/

[Wegaton]

J'ai lu avec attention l'article en Anglais qu'a posté Loiret.F. J'avoue qu'il s'agit d'un écrit assez ardu et je n'ai pas compris tous les mots. Pour autant j'ai saisi l'esssentiel de ce qui y était traité. Ca m'a appris beaucoup de choses sur les divers rites religieux pendant et juste après le règne d'Akhenaton.