The Life and Times of Akhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt

by Arthur E. P. Brome Weigall

5. THE FINDING OF THE BODY OF AKHNATON.

Thus, sheathed in gold, the nameless body lay, while the fortunes of Egypt rose and fell and the centuries slid by. A greater teacher than Akhnaton arose and preached that peace which the Pharaoh had foreshadowed, and soon all Egypt rang with the new gospel. Then came the religion of Muhammed, and the days of the sword returned. So the years passed, and many a wise man lived his life and disappeared; but the first of the wise men of history lay undiscovered in the heart of the Theban hills.

Now it happened that there was a fissure in the rocks in which the sepulchre was cut, and during the rains of each season a certain amount of moisture managed to penetrate into the chamber. This gradually rotted the legs of the bier upon which Akhnaton’s body lay, and at last there came a time when the two legs at the head of the coffin gave way and precipitated the royal body on to the ground. The bandages around the mummy had already fallen almost to powder, and this jerk sent the golden vulture which was resting upon the king’s face on to his forehead, where it lay with the tail and claws resting over the left eye-socket of the skull. Presently the two remaining legs of the bier collapsed, and the whole coffin fell to the ground, the lid being partly jerked off, thus revealing the king’s head at one end and his feet at the other, from all of which the flesh had rotted away.

In January 1907 the excavations in the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings which were being conducted by Mr Theodore Davis, of Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., on behalf of the Egyptian Government, brought to light the doorway of the tomb, and it was not long before an entrance was effected. A rough stairway led down into the hillside, bringing the excavators[85] to the mouth of the passage, which was entirely blocked by the wall which the priests had built after they had entered the tomb to erase Akhnaton’s name. Beyond this wall the passage was found to be nearly choked with the débris of the three earlier walls, the first of which had been built after Queen Tiy had been buried here, the second after Akhnaton’s agents had entered the tomb to erase the name of Amon, and the third after Akhnaton’s body had been laid beside that of his mother. On top of this heap of stones lay the side of the funeral shrine of the queen which the priests had abandoned after attempting to carry it out with her mummy. In the burial-chamber beyond, the remaining portions of this shrine were found. Upon these one saw the figures of Akhnaton and his mother worshipping beneath the rays of the Aton. The inscriptions showed the erasure of the name of Amonhotep III., and the substitution in red ink of that king’s second name, Nebmaara; and one observed that at a later date the name and figures of Akhnaton had been hammered out.

At one side lay the coffin of Akhnaton, as it had fallen from the bier. The name of Akhnaton upon the coffin had been erased, but was still readable; and the gold ribbons from which his name had been cut out still encircled the body, back and front. The golden vulture lay as has been described above, and the necklace still rested on the breast, while the whole decaying body was found to be wrapped in sheets of gold. In a recess above this coffin stood the canopic jars, and in another part of the tomb Queen Tiy’s toilet utensils were found, from one of which the name of Amonhotep III. had been erased.

The bones, when examined by Dr Elliot Smith, F.R.S., were found to be those of a young man of not more than about twenty-eight years of age,—that is to say, the age at which Akhnaton has been shown in the above pages to have died. The skull was pronounced to be that of a man who suffered from epileptic fits, and who was probably subject to hallucinations. Curiously enough, the idiosyncrasies of this misshapen skull are precisely those which Lombroso has stated to be so usual in a religious reformer. The face had crumbled away, but the lower jaw was intact; and when this was placed in position one could see at once the great resemblance to the well-known portraits of Akhnaton which had survived the wreck of his city.

There could thus be no doubt that the mummy of this wonderful Pharaoh had at last been found; but since Akhnaton had always been thought, though without particular reason, to have been a much older man, the identity was questioned. It was suggested that the body was perhaps that of Smenkhkara, the successor of Akhnaton, which by some error had managed to be placed in Akhnaton’s coffin. But how, then, did the gold ribbons inscribed with Akhnaton’s name manage to be placed around the body? And apart from the extreme improbability that the mummy which was thus labelled with Akhnaton’s name, and which lay in his coffin, should be that of any other king but Akhnaton, one may ask in this case how it is that the body has the well-known physical characteristics of the great heretic if it be that of Smenkhkara, who was not related to the king?

It has been stated that the presence of the vulture upon the body is against the identification with Akhnaton. This has already been shown to be capable of explanation; but it may here be noted that if Smenkhkara would not have placed the vulture upon Akhnaton’s body, then by the same token the mummy is not likely to be that of Smenkhkara, and there is certainly no other prince of this period with whom to identify the body. In conclusion, it may be added that of all the royal mummies now known there is not one which can be so clearly shown to belong to the Pharaoh with whom it has been identified as this mummy can be shown to belong to Akhnaton. The body was lying in a coffin inscribed with Akhnaton’s name; it was bound round with ribbons inscribed with his name; it had the physical characteristics of the portraits of Akhnaton; it had the idiosyncrasies of a religious reformer such as he was; it was that of a man of Akhnaton’s age as deduced from the monuments; it lay in the tomb of Akhnaton’s mother; those who had erased the names must have thought it to be Akhnaton’s body, unless one supposes an utter chaos of cross-purposes in their actions; and finally, there is nobody else who, with any degree of probability, it could be.

Thus one may say that, without the vaguest shadow of a doubt, the body of this the most remarkable figure of early Oriental history has been brought to light; and with this assurance we may close this sketch of his life, which has been written partly for the purpose of thus explaining the significance of Mr Davis’s great discovery, and partly to introduce the general reader to one of the most interesting characters ever known. In this brief outline it has only been possible to touch upon the main characteristics which the few remaining inscriptions and monuments seem to reveal; but to the most casual reader it will be apparent that there stands before him a personality of surprising vigour and amazing originality, and one deserving of careful study. In an age of superstition, and in a land where the grossest polytheism reigned absolutely supreme, Akhnaton evolved a monotheistic religion second only to Christianity itself in purity of tone. He was the first human being to understand rightly the meaning of divinity. When the world reverberated with the noise of war, he preached the first known doctrine of peace; when the glory of martial pomp swelled the hearts of his subjects, he deliberately turned his back upon heroics. He was the first man to preach simplicity, honesty, frankness, and sincerity; and he preached it from a throne. He was the first Pharaoh to be a humanitarian; the first man in whose heart there was no trace of barbarism. He has given us an example three thousand years ago which might be followed at the present day: an example of what a husband and a father should be, of what an honest man should do, of what a poet should feel, of what a preacher should teach, of what an artist should strive for, of what a scientist should believe, of what a philosopher should think. Like other great teachers he sacrificed all to his principles, and thus his life plainly shows—alas!—the impracticability of his doctrines; yet there can be no question that his ideals will hold good “till the swan turns black and the crow turns white, till the hills rise up to travel, and the deeps rush into the rivers.”

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MAP OF AKHETATON, THE CITY OF THE HORIZON OF ATON.
(Tel el Amarna)

SURVEY DEP. CAIRO 1909 (151) FROM THE CAIRO SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL.
NOTE: Of the Boundary Stelae only those lettered A, B, F, J, K, M, N, P, Q, R, S, U, V and X,
still remain. The position of these is shown upon the Map.

[INDEX.]

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Aahmes I., [7]
Abdkhiba, governor of Jerusalem, appeal of, to Akhnaton for help, [236]
Adonis, connection of, with Aton, [15], [37], [49], [136] et seq.
Akhnaton, personality of, [2]
—ancestors of, [7] et seq.
—birth of, [42] et seq.
—change of name from Amonhotep to, [45] [note], [91] et seq.
—marriage of, [53]
—accession of, [58] et seq.
—first years of the reign of, [62] et seq.
—new city founded by, [88] et seq.
—site of the city selected by, [92] et seq.
—foundation ceremonies performed by, [94] et seq.
—departure of, from Thebes, [105] et seq.
—age of, [110] et seq.
—religion of Aton formulated by, [115] et seq.
—tenth to twelfth years of the reign of, [149] et seq.
—similarity of the hymn of, to Psalm civ., [155] et seq.
—representations of, in his palace, [167] et seq.
—historical events of tenth to twelfth years of the reign of, [169] et seq.
—thirteenth to fifteenth years of the reign of, [189] et seq.
—name of Amon obliterated by, [193] et seq.
—affection of, for his family, [208] et seq.
—friends of, [213] et seq.
—troubles of, [217] et seq.
—last two years of the reign of, [223] et seq.
—conscientious objections of, to warfare, [226] et seq.
—health of, gives way, [246] et seq.
—last days and death of, [252]
—fall of the religion of, [258] et seq.
—burial of, [258]
—body of, brought to Thebes, [266]
—persecution of the memory of, [272] et seq.
—finding of the body of, [276] et seq.
—ideals of, [283]
Amon or Amon-Ra, worship of, [12]
—priesthood of, [20], [45] et seq., [77]
—break with the priesthood of, [88] et seq.
—Akhnaton obliterates the name of, [193] et seq.
—restoration of the worship of, [272] et seq.
Amonhotep I., [7]
Amonhotep II., [10]
Amonhotep III., “the Magnificent,” [11], [13], [28], [33] et seq., [49], [54]
—death of, [57], [111]
—second name of, [186], [187], [195]
Amonhotep IV.: see [Akhnaton]
Amonhotep-son-of-Hapu, the “wise man,” [33]
Animal worship, [18] et seq.
Ankhsenpaaton, third daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [109]
—marriage of, [112], [264]
Apis, the sacred bull, worship of, [16], [87]
Apiy, letter to Akhnaton from, [85]
Art, the new style of, [68] et seq., [101]
Aswan, commemoration tablet at, [107]
—statue of Amonhotep III. at, ib.
Aton, the name, [37], [92] and [note]
—rise of, [45] et seq.
—development of the religion of, [76] et seq.
—nature of the religion of, [84] et seq.
—founding of new city for the worship of, [88] et seq.
—religion of, formulated, [115] et seq.
—connections of the worship of, with older religions, [135] et seq.
—hymns of the worshippers of, [149] et seq.
—Meryra made high priest of, [158] et seq.
—development of the religion of, [189] et seq.
—great temple of, [198] et seq.
—City of the Horizon of, [202] et seq.
—downfall of the religion of, [264] et seq.
Auta, Queen Tiy’s chief sculptor, [75], [207]
Ay, foster-parent of Queen Nefertiti, [57], [109]
—palace of, [204]
—accession of, to the throne, [268]
—death of, ib.
Aziru, the Amorite prince, unscrupulous dealings of, [226], [230] et seq.
Baketaton, sister of Akhnaton, [178], [212]
Bek, art taught to, by Akhnaton, [76]
—sculptures of, at Aswan, [107], [196]
Canopic jars, the, in Akhnaton’s tomb, [263], [279]
Child-marriages, frequency of, in Egypt, [112]
Christianity, comparison of Akhnaton’s faith with, [143] et seq.
“City of the Brightness of Aton,” new name of, given to Thebes, [65]
City of the Horizon of Aton, founding of, [90] et seq.
—Akhnaton’s residence at, [107]
—gardens of, [127]
—inscriptions on the sepulchres at, [149] et seq.
—Queen Tiy’s visit to, [176] et seq.
—Queen Tiy’s residence and death at, [184] et seq.
—shrines and temples in, [196] et seq.
—beauty of, [202] et seq.
—Akhnaton’s tomb near, [207] et seq.
—abandonment of, by the court, [264]
—removal of Akhnaton’s body from, [266]
—desolate condition of, [275]
Delta, “House” of Aton in the, [191]
Demigods and Spirits, worship of, [18] et seq.
Domestic life of Akhnaton, reliefs and paintings on tombs showing the, [167] et seq.
Dushratta, King of Mitanni, marriage of Nefertiti, daughter of, to Prince Amonhotep (Akhnaton), [56]
—marriage of Nezemmut, daughter of, to Horemheb, [269]
“Effulgence which comes from Aton,” name of Aton changed to, [192]
Fayum, “House” of Aton in the, [191]
Gebel Silsileh, tablets at the quarries of, [63]
—the name Amonhotep erased at, [195]
Gods of Egypt, the, [11] et seq.
—Akhnaton orders the erasure of the names of, in inscriptions, [249]
Goodness of Aton, the, [127] et seq.
Hathor, worship of, [16]
Hatshepsut, Queen, [8]
Heliopolis, temple of Aton at, [191]
Hermonthis, temple of Aton at, [191]
Hermopolis, temple of Aton at, [191]
Hittite invasion of Syria, the, [223] et seq.
Horakhti Aton, erection of temple at Karnak to, [63], [68], [89]
—restoration of the temple to, [267]
—destruction of the temple to, [272]
Horemheb, tomb of, [67] and [note], [84], [86], [265] [note]
—presence of, with the troops in Asia, [265]
—accession of, to the throne, [268]
—marriage of, [269]
—reign of, [270] et seq.
Horus, the hawk god, worship of, [15], [16]
Huya, scenes sculptured on the tomb of, [170] et seq., [177], [207]
Isis, worship of, [15]
Karnak, temple to Horakhti Aton at, [63] et seq., [68], [89]
—temples and shrines at, [63], [84]
—restoration of the Aton temple at, [267]
—destruction of the Aton temple at, [272]
Khnum, the ram-headed deity, worship of, [16]
Khonsu, the god of the moon, worship of, [13]
Kirgipa or Gilukhipa, wife of Amonhotep III., [39], [51], [55]
“Lord of the Breath of Sweetness,” Akhnaton’s name of, [61]
Mahu, scenes on the tomb of, [215] et seq.
Meketaton, second daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [101]
—death of, [219]
Memphis, temple of Aton at, [191]
Meryra, appointment of, as high priest of Aton, [158] et seq.
—scenes sculptured on the tomb of, [159] et seq., [203]
Merytaton, first daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [83]
—marriage of, [112], [211], [254]
Min or Min-Ra, worship of, [12], [27]
Mnevis, the sacred bull, worship of, [135]
Mut, the consort of Amon, worship of, [13], [187], [260]
Mutemua, wife of Thothmes IV., [23] et seq., [28]
Nebmaara, second name of Amonhotep III., [186], [187], [195], [279]
Nefernefernaton fourth daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [112], [169]
—marriage of, [112], [211]
Neferneferura, fifth daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [208]
Nefertiti (Tadukhipa), marriage of Prince Amonhotep (Akhnaton) to, [55], [210]
—birth of the first daughter of, [83]
—second daughter of, [101], [106]
—third daughter of, [109]
—fourth daughter of, [112], [169]
—fifth daughter of, [208]
—sixth and seventh daughters of, [209]
Nezemmut, sister of Queen Nefertiti, [109], [212]
—marriage of, to Horemheb, King of Egypt, [269]
Nubia, imperial regard of Akhnaton for, [189] et seq.
—temple of Aton in, [191]
Osiris, god of the dead, worship of, [20]
Palace of Akhnaton, description of the, [205] et seq.
Psalm civ., similarity of Akhnaton’s hymn to, [155] et seq.
Ptah, the Vulcan of Egypt, worship of, [16], [21], [85]
Ra or Ra-Horakhti, the sun-god, worship of, [12], [14], [21], [45] et seq., [51], [58], [59], [64], [70], [86], [92]
Rames, Vizir of Upper Egypt, tomb of, [66], [68], [81], [84], [148]
Ribaddi, King of Byblos, appeals of, to Akhnaton for help, [235], [239], [242]
—death of, [247]
Set, the worship of, [16]
Setepenra, sixth daughter of Akhnaton, birth of, [209]
“Shade of the Sun,” the, Queen Tiy’s private temple called, [182] et seq.
—statues in, [182], [196]
Smenkhkara, Akhnaton’s successor to the throne, [211], [253]
—marriage of, [254]
—association of, with Akhnaton, as co-ruler, ib.
—accession of, as sole ruler, [258]
—death of, [264]
“Son of God,” Akhnaton the, by traditional right, [130] et seq.
“Son of the Sun,” the title of, held by the Pharaohs, [14], [71], [74], [131], [197]
Soul, spiritual needs of the, after death, [138] et seq.
—material needs of the, [143] et seq.
—the excommunication of a, [276]
Sunrise and sunset, worship of Aton at, [124] et seq.
Syria, imperial regard of Akhnaton for, [189] et seq.
—temple of Aton in, [191]
—Hittite invasion of, [223] et seq.
—Akhnaton’s policy in, [226] et seq.
—the fighting in, becomes general, [235] et seq.
Tadukhipa: see [Nefertiti]
Temple of Aton, description of the great, [198] et seq.
Tender Father of all Creation, Aton as the, [118] et seq.
Thebes, discoveries in the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings near, [4], [278] et seq.
—booty brought by Thothmes III. to, [8]
—the deities of, [12] et seq.
—the court at, [35]
—the royal palace at, [36], [43] et seq.
—new name of “City of the Brightness of Aton” given to, [65]
—departure of the court from, [105] et seq.
—Queen Tiy’s continued residence at, [176]
—Queen Tiy’s tomb at, [185]
—return of the court to, [264] et seq.
—body of Akhnaton brought to, [266]
—finding of Akhnaton’s body at, [277] et seq.
Thothmes I., [8]
Thothmes II., [8]
Thothmes III., [8] et seq.
Thothmes IV., [10] et seq., [13], [21] et seq., [110]
Tiy, Queen, birth and childhood of, [26]
—marriage of, [29] et seq., [112]
—children of, [39], [43], [54]
—death of the parents of, [40]
—birth of Amonhotep or Akhnaton, son of, [43] et seq.
—the power of, [49] et seq.
—death of the consort of, [57]
—visit of, to the City of the Horizon, [176] et seq.
—visit of, to her temple, [182] et seq.
—death of, [184]
—tomb of, [185] et seq.
—Akhnaton’s body placed in the tomb of, [266], [282]
—body of, removed, [274]
Tribal gods, names of, [12] et seq.
True God, Aton as the, [115] et seq.
Tuau, wife of Yuaa, Priest of the god Min, [26] et seq., [30], [32]
—death and burial of, [40]
Tunip, letter to Akhnaton from the governor of, [232]
Tutankhaton, the throne usurped by, [211], [252], [264]
—marriage of, [264]
—name of, changed to Tutankhamon, [266]
—return of, to Thebes, ib.
—death of, [267]
Ty, foster-parent of Queen Nefertiti, [57], [109]
Valley of the Tombs of the Kings at Thebes, the, discoveries in, [4], [278] et seq.
—burial of Yuaa and Tuau in, [40]
Vulture, representation of a, used in burials, [187], [259] et seq., [279], [281]
Wady Hammamât, inscriptions near the quarries of, [76], [113]
Warfare, Akhnaton’s conscientious scruples to, [226] et seq.
Worship of Aton at sunrise and sunset, [124] et seq.
Yuaa, Priest of the god Min, birth of, [25]
—marriage of Tiy, the daughter of, to Amonhotep III., [29]
—personality of, [32]
—death and burial of, [40]

THE END.

PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS.

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