The Number, Extent and Distribution of the Vitreous Materials Workshops at Amarna

Excavations at Amarna, the late 18th Dynasty capital of Akhenaten, undertaken at the end of the last century and early in this century, uncovered several parts of the city where major areas of habitation coincide with manufacturing sites. This paper presents the results of an in-depth study of the published reports and unpublished excavation day books for the 1200 individual houses so far registered at Amarna carried out by the author. This study led to the recognition of eight further high concentrations of manufacturing debris also thought to be areas of manufacturing activity for the production of vitreous materials. Comparison of these eight sites has shown how closely the manufacture of vitreous materials was associated and inter-related with other manufacturing industries, including pottery making, the working of precious metals and sculpture in stone and plaster for composite statues. In all of these sites the focus seems to be on the finished object, rather than the material being manipulated. The craftsmen therefore seem to be better described as 'jewellers', 'statue-makers' and 'vessel-makers' than 'glass-workers', 'stone sculptors' and 'precious-metal workers', having the skills needed in all the media to produce the finished object 'in house'.