REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT
The site of Tell el-Amarna presents a unique opportunity to understand aspects of the daily lives of ancient Egyptian people more than 3,000 years ago. The high level of preservation of the ancient city and its environs, as well as the comprehensive excavation and documentation of the site over the past century, provides a fascinating insight into what life was really like for those who lived in the ancient royal city of pharaoh Akhenaten. One particular area of interest at Tell el-Amarna is the evidence for domestic religion in this new royal city, where the focus on the worship of the sun disc Aten was so central to Akhenaten’s religious reforms. How were the city’s inhabitants expressing their own religious beliefs?
The author defines ‘personal religion’ as a ‘religious system partly characterised by a manifold of expressions’, such as direct appeals to specific divinities, and ancestor worship. The distinction between public religion and personal religion is explored through an innovative comparative assessment of different historical sources, including those from other cultures such as Mexico, the Pacific, and Europe. More traditional Egyptological sources for domestic religion are also drawn on – including the sites of Lahun and Deir el-Medina, and more recent work at the New Kingdom site of Amara West in northern Sudan – to place Tell el-Amarna in its geographical and historical context. This inclusion of recent archaeological data ensures that the narrative feels contemporary and current.
A range of architectural, iconographic, and archaeological evidence is presented to support the author’s main argument, that there was a continuity of tradition in the domestic practice of personal religion from before, during, and after the Amarna Period. General introductory themes such as ‘religion and magic in ancient Egypt’ set the context for the more detailed study of domestic personal religion, which will be particularly useful for general interest readers. A comprehensive assessment of artefactual evidence is a common thread throughout the volume, including objects such as figurative ostraca, stelae, and amulets, several of which can be found in museums in the UK. A short bibliography is provided for each chapter, as well as a comprehensive bibliography at the end of the volume, which are sure to be invaluable for further research.
Well illustrated with a range of line drawings and maps, and colour and greyscale images including archival images of Tell el-Amarna, this volume will be valuable for both general and scholarly readers, and will form a key text for students wishing to know more about this fascinating and innovative area of research.
Personal Religion in Domestic Contexts during the New Kingdom: The Impact of the Amarna Period
by Iria Souto Castro
Archaeopress, 2023
ISBN 978-1-80327-505-5
Paperback (includes .PDF) £35; e-book £16
