Stone Village

The low plateau that shelters the Workmen’s Village is also the setting for the Stone Village, which lies nestled in a shallow valley on its eastern face.

The Stone Village is named for the large number of cobbles and boulders scattered across its surface, prominent in the otherwise barren desert setting, and its general similarity in location and character to the Workmen’s Village. It is one of the least studied parts of Amarna, although a survey and preliminary excavations were undertaken here from 2005–9.

The main area of remains is a concentration of limestone boulders and cobbles spread over a roughly rectangular area of around 80 x 67 m (the ‘Main Site’), nestled into a bay on the north side of a low desert plateau. Some of the stones lie in approximately linear arrangements, although few can be resolved into structures at surface level. Along the eastern margin of the Main Site there are low mounds of ancient rubbish (sherds, stone chips, etc). On the top of the plateau there are a few denuded stone structures, probably connected with the supply and policing of the site. The Main Site is surrounded by circuit of ancient roadways, now partly washed out by flooding. The site also has a small cemetery.

The location, layout and material culture of the Stone Village, as currently understood, suggests that it housed workers connected with the construction of monuments on Akhetaten‘s eastern desert perimeter, including the Royal Tombs, whether labourers or personnel connected with the supply of these construction sites. It has a more modest archaeological footprint overall than the Workmen’s Village, which may indicate that workers based at the Stone Village undertook less specialised tasks than those at the latter settlement.

Anna Stevens

Stone Village

Further reading