DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5066#0248
MX. xviii. THE 'CHIEF PKOPHET' MERI-KA 219
art, in the decorations of the tombs at Tell-el-Amarna.
He there exhibits himself in the very act of giving the
last strokes of the chisel to a statue of the princess
Bek-en-aten, which is just finished. This person is
' the overseer of the sculptors of the queen Thi, by
name Putha.' Under his supervision two artists are
carving, the one a head, the other an arm, from life.
And, in fact, if we are to believe the representations we
have mentioned in the tombs behind Tell-el-Amarna,
the temple of the Sun was almost overladen with the
pictures of the king, his wife, and his daughters.
Near the quarry of Aswan, which furnished the
artist with rose and black granite, lay the cliffs of
Silsilis, on each side of the river, from which the hard
brown sandstone was obtained for the works of archi-
tecture and sculpture, under the rule of Khu-n-aten.
The building of the new city was now finished. In
the midst, not far from the Nile, on the eastern side of
the river, stood the great temple of the Sun. In the
background towards the east rises a steep mountain,
while on the north and south of the city, like an
encompassing wall, stand two ranges of hills, reaching
almost to the Nile, and leaving only narrow outlets-
towards the east, to the right and left of the eastern
chain of mountains.
The dignity of Chief Prophet in the temple of the
Sun-god was bestowed upon a faithful servant of the
king, named Meri-Ea, which means ' dear to the Sun.'
He bore the title of honour of ' chief seer of the disk of
the Sun in the temple of the Sun of the city of Khu-aten.'
In the presence of the king he was solemnly invested
with his high dignity. Pharaoh spoke to him on this
occasion the following words :—
Here am I present to promote thee to be chief seer of the disk
of the Sun, in the temple of the Sun of the city of Khu-aten. Be-
art, in the decorations of the tombs at Tell-el-Amarna.
He there exhibits himself in the very act of giving the
last strokes of the chisel to a statue of the princess
Bek-en-aten, which is just finished. This person is
' the overseer of the sculptors of the queen Thi, by
name Putha.' Under his supervision two artists are
carving, the one a head, the other an arm, from life.
And, in fact, if we are to believe the representations we
have mentioned in the tombs behind Tell-el-Amarna,
the temple of the Sun was almost overladen with the
pictures of the king, his wife, and his daughters.
Near the quarry of Aswan, which furnished the
artist with rose and black granite, lay the cliffs of
Silsilis, on each side of the river, from which the hard
brown sandstone was obtained for the works of archi-
tecture and sculpture, under the rule of Khu-n-aten.
The building of the new city was now finished. In
the midst, not far from the Nile, on the eastern side of
the river, stood the great temple of the Sun. In the
background towards the east rises a steep mountain,
while on the north and south of the city, like an
encompassing wall, stand two ranges of hills, reaching
almost to the Nile, and leaving only narrow outlets-
towards the east, to the right and left of the eastern
chain of mountains.
The dignity of Chief Prophet in the temple of the
Sun-god was bestowed upon a faithful servant of the
king, named Meri-Ea, which means ' dear to the Sun.'
He bore the title of honour of ' chief seer of the disk of
the Sun in the temple of the Sun of the city of Khu-aten.'
In the presence of the king he was solemnly invested
with his high dignity. Pharaoh spoke to him on this
occasion the following words :—
Here am I present to promote thee to be chief seer of the disk
of the Sun, in the temple of the Sun of the city of Khu-aten. Be-