On the other hand, Amen-hetep IV/Akhenaten did not, or could not, abolish the characteristic funeral customs
and beliefs of his country, and the tombs of the adherents of Aten bear witness to the fact.
The king caused a tomb to be hewn out of the rock in the mountains near the town, on its eastern side, and it contained, when discovered in 1892 by the natives, the things which are usually found in tombs of men of high rank.
The sarcophagus was broken in pieces, and scattered about the mummy-chamber and along the corridor which led to it were numbers objects and fragments of objects made of the beautiful purple and blue glazed faience which is so characteristic of the reign of Akhenaten. The body of the king must have been mummified, and on it must have been laid the same classes of amulets that are found on the royal mummies at Thebes. Portions of several granite ushabtin figures were also found, a fact which shows that those who buried the king assumed he would enjoy a somewhat material life.
Seket-hetepet IV thought little about his death and burial and is proved by the state of his tomb, which shows that he made no attempt to prepare it for the reception of his body when the need should arise. This is the more strange because he had caused his eldest daughter Aten-merit, to be buried in it, and he must have known from sad experience what great preparations had to be made, and what complied ceremonies had to be performed when a royal personage was laid to rest.
The tombs of the adherents of Aten are very disappointing in many ways, though they possess an interest peculiar to themselves. From the scenes painted on their walls, it is possible to obtain an idea of the class of buildings which existed in the city of Khut-Aten, and of the arrangements of its streets and gardens and of the free manner in which various members of the royal family moved about among the the people.
The king's tomb was never finished, and the remains of the greater number of the paintings on its
walls show that they were executed not for him but for his eldest daughter, who has already been mentioned. The chief subject chosen for illustration is the worship of Aten, and both the scenes and
the text accompanying them represented that the god was adored by every nation in the world.
It is clear that the Egyptian people never accepted their king's religion and view of the world. Even at his own capital, Khut-Aten, amulets featuring Bes and Tauret have been found. Following Akhenaten's death, Atenism
died rapidly.
