Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamduh al-Damati (or Mamdouh el-Damaty) has announced his support of a theory put forward last month[1] by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, the Lila Acheson Wallace Associate Curator of Egyptian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, that there may exist still undiscovered hidden chambers in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen located in the Valley of the Kings. They hope that these alleged chambers might hold the remains of a queen -- possibly even those of Tutankhamen's legendary stepmother, Queen Nefertiti the primary wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.
Tutankhamen (popularly as King Tut) died at the age of 19 approximately 3300 years ago and was hastily buried, but his tomb, which was discovered in 1922 held the largest repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts ever uncovered.
Reeves speculates that after his sudden death Tutankhamen may have been rushed into an outer chamber of what was originally Nefertiti's tomb and that covered lines "beneath the plastered surfaces of the painted scenes" of his burial chamber could outline two hidden doors.
“This is a conclusion based upon completely new evidence yielded by a technology to which previous generations had no access -- the digital scanning of surfaces,” Reeves said. He added that these high-resolution images "revealed several very interesting features which look not at all natural, features like very, very straight lines which are 90 degrees to the ground, positioned so as to correspond with other features within the tomb."
He hopes that these undisturbed hidden chambers might even hold undiscovered artifacts that would surpass those from Tutankhamen's tomb
Reeves thinks that the reason they share a tomb is because after Tutankhamen's sudden death those responsible for his interment had little choice but to place him in the tomb intended for his stepmother.
Al-Damati said that a plan would be presented "immediately" for advanced, non-invasive radar to be used and that once approved, the equipment could be at the site within three months, maybe even as early as November, in time for the 93rd anniversary of the 1922 discovery of Tut's tomb. He said that he is “70% certain” that an investigation will prove successful but figures that if anyone is buried there it is likely Kia, who is believed by many to be Tutankhamen's mother.
1. The paper, entitled The Burial of Nefertiti is available here in pdf format (if you don't want to sign up just click "Read Paper" at the bottom of the page)
Further Reading:
Tutankhamen (popularly as King Tut) died at the age of 19 approximately 3300 years ago and was hastily buried, but his tomb, which was discovered in 1922 held the largest repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts ever uncovered.
Reeves speculates that after his sudden death Tutankhamen may have been rushed into an outer chamber of what was originally Nefertiti's tomb and that covered lines "beneath the plastered surfaces of the painted scenes" of his burial chamber could outline two hidden doors.
“This is a conclusion based upon completely new evidence yielded by a technology to which previous generations had no access -- the digital scanning of surfaces,” Reeves said. He added that these high-resolution images "revealed several very interesting features which look not at all natural, features like very, very straight lines which are 90 degrees to the ground, positioned so as to correspond with other features within the tomb."
He hopes that these undisturbed hidden chambers might even hold undiscovered artifacts that would surpass those from Tutankhamen's tomb
Reeves thinks that the reason they share a tomb is because after Tutankhamen's sudden death those responsible for his interment had little choice but to place him in the tomb intended for his stepmother.
Al-Damati said that a plan would be presented "immediately" for advanced, non-invasive radar to be used and that once approved, the equipment could be at the site within three months, maybe even as early as November, in time for the 93rd anniversary of the 1922 discovery of Tut's tomb. He said that he is “70% certain” that an investigation will prove successful but figures that if anyone is buried there it is likely Kia, who is believed by many to be Tutankhamen's mother.
1. The paper, entitled The Burial of Nefertiti is available here in pdf format (if you don't want to sign up just click "Read Paper" at the bottom of the page)
Further Reading:
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