Building Scene
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Amarna Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
These two adjoining blocks depict stonemasons and laborers constructing one of Amunhotep IV's shrines to the Aten at Karnak. At the lower left is a figure carrying either a bag or a sandstone block, called a talatat, to the construction site. Above him, three other workmen walk on a wooden beam separating the unfinished walls. The group of men in the lower right may be listening to instructions from an unseen overseer.
MEDIUM
Limestone, pigment
DATES
ca. 1352-1347 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
late Dynasty 18
PERIOD
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
DIMENSIONS
8 3/8 x 10 5/8 x 1 7/16 in. (21.2 x 27 x 3.6 cm)
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
61.195.1
CREDIT LINE
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented, probably from Tell el-Amarna, Egypt; probably reused inside the pylon of Ramsses II at Hermopolis Magna, Egypt; by 1961, acquired by Renee Raymond Dreyfus of Geneva, Switzerland; December 13, 1961, purchased from Renee Raymond Dreyfus by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Fragment of limestone relief with remains of two registers. On upper register in raised relief, legs of two men (soldiers?) running to right. Lower register also in raised relief. Man with bag on shoulders in a doorway; probably the first in a row of bearers, some of which in a row on another block in the same group of reliefs. Joins Brooklyn 86.132.
Condition: Very incomplete. Upper register badly eroded. Scattered remains of original red paint on all bodies, particularly orange-red on face of man.
CAPTION
Building Scene, ca. 1352-1347 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 8 3/8 x 10 5/8 x 1 7/16 in. (21.2 x 27 x 3.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 61.195.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.195.1_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 61.195.1_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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Tell me more.
These reliefs that you just photographed are really special because they come from the part of a city that people actually lived and worked in. Most of what you see in many ours and many museums come from tombs.
People only lived in the city of Akhetaten, as it was called in ancient times, for a very short period. This actually makes it much easier for archaeologists to study.
So... what year was the boom box invented?
It looks like the first boombox device was created in 1969. Over your shoulder is a useful way to carry a variety of things like boomboxes or, in this case, a stone masonry block.
Nice! Thank you. You're awesome.
The scenes of everyday life in this gallery are really interesting. The city of Tell el-Amarna (known as Akhetaten in ancient times) was only occupied for a few decades and then abandoned, so a lot more of the city is preserved than just the tombs.
