Tomb of Meryra

The Tomb of Meryra is part of a group of tombs located near Amarna, Upper Egypt. Placed in the mountainsides, the graves are divided into north and south groupings; the northern tombs are located in the hillsides and the southern on the plains. Meryra's burial, identified as Amarna Tomb 4 is located in the northern cluster. The sepulchre is the largest and most elaborate of the noble tombs of Amarna. It, along with the majority of these tombs, was never completed. The rock cut tombs of Amarna were constructed specifically for the officials of King Akhenaten. Norman de Garis Davies originally published details of the Tomb in 1903 in the Rock Tombs of El Amarna, Part I – The Tomb of Meryra. The tomb dates back to the 18th Egyptian Dynasty.

The tomb was found in relatively good condition compared to the other tombs of Amarna. After the death of Akhenaten, depictions of his rule and religion were destroyed because they were considered to be heretical. In Meryra’s tomb, Akhenaten and Nefertiti’s features have been consistently erased. The desecration is confined to these individuals, and the names and figures of the princesses remain untouched. The tomb consists of four sections: the antechamber, the hall of columns, a second hall, and the shrine. The entrance to the tomb was originally decorated with inscriptions to the Amarna Royal family and the deity Aten. These decorations have either been destroyed, or are hidden by the modern doors protecting the tomb entrance. The antechamber itself shows Meryre offering prayers to the Akhenaten, and the cartouches of the king, Nefertiti and the Aten. The door jambs are inscribed with funerary prayers for Akhenaten and the Aten. The entrance from the antechamber to the outer hall is decorated with the Short Hymn to the Aten, and shows Meryre's wife Tenre making offerings to the sun-disc.

Meryra served as the high priest of the cult of Aten, a new religious tradition instituted by King Akhenaten. This belief system placed exclusive emphasis on sun worship in the form of Aten, or the solar disc, a deity encapsulating the idea of many gods into the essence of the sun. The tomb provides little information regarding the personal life of Meryra. Familial references are limited to depictions of his wife, Tenre, who is described as “a great favorite of the Lady of the two Lands.” Lady of the two Lands refers to Nefertiti, the queen of Akhenaten. Not all officials at Amarna had tombs. Having a tomb at Amarna reflected closeness with Akhenaten, due, in part, to demonstrating a commitment to Akhenaten’s institution of Atenism.

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