The legendary ancient Egyptian city was not abandoned because of the plague
A new study published in Journal of American Archeologyaims to show that the ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaton was not abandoned because of the plague, as many had previously assumed, but for a different reason entirely.
Akhetaten, now Amarna, was founded during the reign of Akhenaten, known as Amenhotep IV, who worshiped the sun god Aten. His new royal palace and capital of the Kingdom of Egypt was only occupied for about 20 years, until it was abandoned shortly after the pharaoh’s death.
The city’s rapid decline and mysterious abandonment has long been thought to be due to an epidemic, which has also been cited in literature. For example, the Hittite plague prayer claimed that Egyptian prisoners of war brought epidemic diseases to their empire. Letters from Amarna also indicate outbreaks of disease in Megiddo, Byblos, and Sumur. However, none of these sources specifically points to the epidemic in Akhtaten.
Researchers Gretchen Dabbs and Anna Stevens surveyed the cemeteries around Akhtaten, which include four cemeteries for public use: South Cemetery, North Cliff Cemetery, North Desert Cemetery, and North Cemetery, with a total of 11,350 to 12,950 burials. The study used a total of 889 burials excavated between 2005 and 2022.
The remains show signs of stress such as adult short stature, spinal trauma, linear enamel hypoplasia, and degenerative joint disease, all of which are associated with economic and social hardship. Although seven people were found to have suffered from tuberculosis, there were few other illnesses among the recovered remains.
Most of the bodies were not embalmed and were found with various grave goods, textiles and cushioned coffins. The burial site does not appear to have been rushed as might be expected in a pandemic. Palaeodemographic models also indicate that the number of burials is within the expected range.
The city also seems to have been systematically abandoned. It seems that it was occupied after Akhenaten’s death.
“Egyptian texts provide many different connections between Amarna and horrific words like ‘plague’ and/or epidemic. Multiple Amarna letters mention plague. Hittite plague prayers connect extreme death/disease events to Egyptians. Members of the royal family died at Amarna. Amenhotep III built many statues of Sekhmet, the ancient Egyptian goddess of disease and plague,” Dabbs told physical network.
Dabbs added: “It creates a network of indirect evidence linking Amarna and Akhenaten/the royal family to diseases that largely come from written records from other places and/or times… Once the seed of this connection is planted, it becomes a ‘fact’ through repetition.”
