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Gallery Text

This relief fragment dates to the Amarna period, a time in Egypt when the king, Akhenaten, initiated a religious revolution. It was originally part of the wall decoration at the palace-temple complex at Akhenaten’s capital, Tell el-Amarna, but was later transported to Hermopolis Magna during the reign of King Rameses II (1292–1232 BCE). The two cities were roughly 14 miles apart and on opposite banks of the Nile, which would have made transportation of the reliefs by boat fairly easy. The scene depicts two female attendants riding in chariots, most likely during a royal procession. Such events were common at Amarna as Akhenaten and his immediate family would parade from the palace to the Great Temple each day to make offerings to the chief sun god, the Aten. The journey was meant to reflect the sun’s movement across the sky during the day.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1960.170
Title
Temple or Palace Relief: Charioteers
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
c. 1365-1353 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Tel el'Amarna (Egypt)
Period
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, Amarna period
Culture
Egyptian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/291048

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Limestone, traces of modern paint
Dimensions
24 cm h x 54 cm w x 3.5 cm d (9 7/16 x 21 1/4 x 1 3/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
German Hermopolis Expedition of 1938 and 1939. Director: Professor Gunther Roeder. This relief was discovered beneath a later construction of Rameses II at Hermopolis.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of New Hermes Foundation
Accession Year
1960
Object Number
1960.170
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • John D. Cooney, Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis in American Collections, Brooklyn Museum (New York, NY, 1965), No. 34
  • Günther Roeder, Amarna-Reliefs aus Hermopolis, Gerstenberg (Hildesheim, Germany, 1969), no. P.C. 22, pl. 174
  • George M. A. Hanfmann and David Gordon Mitten, "The Art of Classical Antiquity", Apollo (May 1978), vol. 107, no. 195, pp. 362-369, fig. 4.
  • David Gordon Mitten and Amy Brauer, Dialogue with Antiquity, The Curatorial Achievement of George M. A. Hanfmann, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1982), p. 17, no. 76.
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), p. 95, no. 103, ill.

Exhibition History

  • Dialogue with Antiquity: The Curatorial Achievement of George M.A. Hanfmann, Fogg Art Museum, 05/07/1982 - 06/26/1982
  • 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/28/2017 - 05/31/2023

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu