The tomb of Sennedjem at Awlad Azzaz (Sohag)

The Amarna period and its aftermath is one of the most controversial in Egypt's history. This is due in large measure to the state of our sources - because memory of the kings of this era was systematically erased in later times, most of their monuments, and the information these would provide, are now lost to us.The long-known sources that did survive have been fairly exhaustively studied and any major advances in our understanding of the period will depend in large measure upon the recovery of fresh material. The work of Macquarie University at the site of Awlad Azzaz, west of the Red Monastery, Sohag, has contributed some important and interesting new data from a non-royal monument.