Tomb of temple scribe found

The new discovery is sited in Sakkara, the area known mainly for the stepped pyramids of the Old Kingdom (27th century BC). A cliff in this area was used for tombs by members of the Egyptian nobility in the New Kingdom (15th-13th century BC), which were reused centuries later as receptacles for mummified cats. Until now, archaeologists had always assumed the area was of no other archaeological interest.

Dr Zivie had been excavating the site on behalf of the French Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) for the past 15 years before his remarkable new discovery: the tomb of a scribe who worked in the temples of Aton, both in Memphis and in Amarna.

One of the most interesting details of the find is that the scribe had two names: Raya, typical of the new Atonian religion, because it contains a reference to the sun, and Hatyiay. This last name is thought to have been composed around the name of a god: “I am made in the likeness of Amon” (Amon is the god of Luxor). The implication of this double name is that when Akhenaton came to the throne, the scribe embraced the new religion and changed his name but also kept a reference to the old gods as well.

Posted by David on June 20, 2003 3:37 PM