What happened to Akhenaten’s sarcophagus after his burial?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Following the death of Akhenaten and the subsequent abandonment of his capital, Tell el-Amarna, his burial site was not left undisturbed. Archaeological excavations conducted in the 1890s and the late 1970s revealed that his sarcophagus had been deliberately smashed.1

In addition to the fragments of the destroyed sarcophagus, researchers discovered numerous broken ushabti figures within the tomb, which was located in a dry watercourse east of the city. These findings provide evidence of the desecration that occurred at the site following the collapse of the Amarna period and the return to traditional religious practices.12