Searching for Nefertiti – British archaeologist is on the trail

[webfact]

Searching for Nefertiti – British archaeologist is on the trail



LONDON: -- A British archaeologist hopes he’s on the brink of finding the tomb dating back to the 14 century BC of the legendary Egyptian beauty, Queen Nefertiti

Nicholas Reeves is convinced she is buried in a secret chamber hidden behind the tomb of the famous boy king Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings.

Reeves is being allowed to use a sophisticated radar to reveal any irregularities on the tomb walls.

“The interesting aspect of the surface scan is that you can remove the colours – so stuff you can’t see because the painting are blocking – you can actually see the physicality of the wall underneath. Now, that reveals several very interesting features which look not at all natural.”

Reeves theory is based on Tutankhamen having died suddenly at 19, was buried in a rush in a chamber probably not intended for him. Although not proven, some believe Nefertiti was his mother and priests may have put her son in an adjacent tomb.

Reeves is to announce his preliminary findings on Thursday (Oct 1) with the hoe of carrying out extensive scans n late November.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-10-01

[Usernames]

I thought they had already found her.

[Kerryd]

It seems there is speculation on whether or not her mummy was actually found. The problem being is they have no conclusive DNA evidence linking to any of her known (or presumed) family. In the one tomb, a mummy known as "The Younger Lady" has been identified as not only Tutankhamun's mother, but also as the sister of his father Akhenaten (making King Tut the inbred son of his father's incestuous liaisons.) That pretty much rules The Younger Lady out as being Nefertiti though there are still some who think she could be the same person.

It seems things were a little confused back then as some also believe Nefertiti may have ruled as a pharaoh after her husband (also Akhenaten - he had a lot of royal wives in his day it seems) died. It seems there was a pharaoh (Neferneferuaten) that ruled while Tutankamun was a child but much of the history of that time was destroyed. It has been suggested that Neferneferuaten may have been either Nefertiti herself or her daughter (Meritaten). However it has been difficult to prove concisely. It also seems that a number of the female mummies from that period show evidence of violence suggesting that they were murdered. The pharaohs that followed after Tutankhamun put a lot of effort into erasing all traces of the monotheistic reign his father started as well as (apparently) eliminating various family members and any records of them.

Another problem that could very well exist is that it seems Tutankhamun was buried in the tomb meant for Ay in the East Valley of the Kings while Ay was buried in the tomb meant for Tutankhamun in the West Valley of the Kings. That could very well mean that any hidden chambers in "King Tut's" tomb could have been for members of Ay's family that died before Tutankhamun.

(It is thought that Tut died before his tomb was completed so he was buried in the tomb Ay had been preparing for himself, which would account for why Tut's tomb was relatively small for someone of his stature, as it was meant for Ay who was a Grand Vizier but not an actual "royal"). After Ay managed to claim the throne for himself - despite apparently not being the rightful heir or even in the line of succession - he obviously took over the tomb meant for Tutankhamun. Ay held the throne in part by marrying Tutankhamun's widow (Ankhesenamun - sound familiar ?).

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[Ulic]

It seems there is speculation on whether or not her mummy was actually found. The problem being is they have no conclusive DNA evidence linking to any of her known (or presumed) family. In the one tomb, a mummy known as "The Younger Lady" has been identified as not only Tutankhamun's mother, but also as the sister of his father Akhenaten (making King Tut the inbred son of his father's incestuous liaisons.) That pretty much rules The Younger Lady out as being Nefertiti though there are still some who think she could be the same person.

It seems things were a little confused back then as some also believe Nefertiti may have ruled as a pharaoh after her husband (also Akhenaten - he had a lot of royal wives in his day it seems) died. It seems there was a pharaoh (Neferneferuaten) that ruled while Tutankamun was a child but much of the history of that time was destroyed. It has been suggested that Neferneferuaten may have been either Nefertiti herself or her daughter (Meritaten). However it has been difficult to prove concisely. It also seems that a number of the female mummies from that period show evidence of violence suggesting that they were murdered. The pharaohs that followed after Tutankhamun put a lot of effort into erasing all traces of the monotheistic reign his father started as well as (apparently) eliminating various family members and any records of them.

Another problem that could very well exist is that it seems Tutankhamun was buried in the tomb meant for Ay in the East Valley of the Kings while Ay was buried in the tomb meant for Tutankhamun in the West Valley of the Kings. That could very well mean that any hidden chambers in "King Tut's" tomb could have been for members of Ay's family that died before Tutankhamun.

(It is thought that Tut died before his tomb was completed so he was buried in the tomb Ay had been preparing for himself, which would account for why Tut's tomb was relatively small for someone of his stature, as it was meant for Ay who was a Grand Vizier but not an actual "royal"). After Ay managed to claim the throne for himself - despite apparently not being the rightful heir or even in the line of succession - he obviously took over the tomb meant for Tutankhamun. Ay held the throne in part by marrying Tutankhamun's widow (Ankhesenamun - sound familiar ?).

Very interesting but also very confusing.

[Kerryd]

Very interesting but also very confusing.

For sure. It is my favourite period of human history and even though much of it was "written in stone" a lot of it is still hidden or, in many cases, erased. I think it was Zahi Hawass (former Director of Antiquities) that stated some years ago that 90% of Egypt's "treasures" remain buried beneath the sands. All over Egypt at different sites you can see where carvings have been altered or chiselled to hide their original design as different pharaohs fell out of favour or were overthrown/deposed of. Recreating the history often relies on limited information and fragments of stone. Still, they've been able to sort out a great deal of it, with the help of scholars/explorers/archaeologists and Egyptologists from around the world. So much history has been lost, and so much more waits to be discovered !

The one problem I had when I was touring the various sites was that the tour guides were very limited in their knowledge. They actually go to university to study being a tour guide as a career but it seems that, besides learning a language and the general "basics" of Egyptian history, they know very little about many of the sites. Obviously they can't be experts in all aspects of every site, even if they confine themselves to a relatively small area of the country. I would have preferred to go to a site and then hire a guide who was an expert in that particular site rather than someone who knew how to get there and where the "main" attraction was.

For example I went to the Cairo museum with one guide and while looking at the Tutankhamun exhibit she pointed out a case containing a number of walking sticks that had been found in his tomb. She mentioned that "they" weren't sure why they had been in the tomb. I mentioned that it had been reported that examinations of his mummy revealed he had broken his leg a short time before his death (it is also considered by some to perhaps have resulted in his death, possibly by infection). It seemed rather obvious that if he'd broken his leg he'd have needed "walking sticks" and that they would have been included in his grave goods as he would have needed them in the "afterlife" as well. My guide just kind of shook her head and said something like "I don't know anything about that". (More recent speculation is that Tut suffered from spina bofida which would have also explained the need for the walking sticks.)

She wouldn't go into the "mummy" room either where a number of mummies are on display in glass cases. I asked her a question about Egyptian gods and she immediately started whispering the "There is no god but Allah and Mohhamed is his prophet" line.

At Djoser's Step Pyramid my guide informed me that there wasn't any chambers inside it. I then asked if that was the case why was there a number of logs evenly spaced at about head height with just the (worn) ends sticking out on one wall ? To me it looked like they were supports for a interior ceiling of a room (recall that Djoser's pyramid was built with much smaller stones than the later, larger pyramids of Giza). I also noted that there were a couple of spots that seem to have been covered up with smaller, newer bricks as though they were covering holes that had been cut into the sides of the structure (perhaps by grave robbers searching for inner chambers like they did at the Giza pyramids). Again - the guide didn't have a clue. (I really, really wanted to take a sample of the wood and try to get it carbon dated but that would have been somewhat difficult.)

(When I did my second tour of various sites in Cairo I didn't bother with a guide at all. Next time I probably won't use a guide either, just a driver to get me around and translate. So much to see and do, so little time, so sad.)

[JingerBen]

It seems there is speculation on whether or not her mummy was actually found. The problem being is they have no conclusive DNA evidence linking to any of her known (or presumed) family. In the one tomb, a mummy known as "The Younger Lady" has been identified as not only Tutankhamun's mother, but also as the sister of his father Akhenaten (making King Tut the inbred son of his father's incestuous liaisons.) That pretty much rules The Younger Lady out as being Nefertiti though there are still some who think she could be the same person.

It seems things were a little confused back then as some also believe Nefertiti may have ruled as a pharaoh after her husband (also Akhenaten - he had a lot of royal wives in his day it seems) died. It seems there was a pharaoh (Neferneferuaten) that ruled while Tutankamun was a child but much of the history of that time was destroyed. It has been suggested that Neferneferuaten may have been either Nefertiti herself or her daughter (Meritaten). However it has been difficult to prove concisely. It also seems that a number of the female mummies from that period show evidence of violence suggesting that they were murdered. The pharaohs that followed after Tutankhamun put a lot of effort into erasing all traces of the monotheistic reign his father started as well as (apparently) eliminating various family members and any records of them.

Another problem that could very well exist is that it seems Tutankhamun was buried in the tomb meant for Ay in the East Valley of the Kings while Ay was buried in the tomb meant for Tutankhamun in the West Valley of the Kings. That could very well mean that any hidden chambers in "King Tut's" tomb could have been for members of Ay's family that died before Tutankhamun.

(It is thought that Tut died before his tomb was completed so he was buried in the tomb Ay had been preparing for himself, which would account for why Tut's tomb was relatively small for someone of his stature, as it was meant for Ay who was a Grand Vizier but not an actual "royal"). After Ay managed to claim the throne for himself - despite apparently not being the rightful heir or even in the line of succession - he obviously took over the tomb meant for Tutankhamun. Ay held the throne in part by marrying Tutankhamun's widow (Ankhesenamun - sound familiar ?).

Very interesting but also very confusing.

For sure. It is my favourite period of human history and even though much of it was "written in stone" a lot of it is still hidden or, in many cases, erased. I think it was Zahi Hawass (former Director of Antiquities) that stated some years ago that 90% of Egypt's "treasures" remain buried beneath the sands. All over Egypt at different sites you can see where carvings have been altered or chiselled to hide their original design as different pharaohs fell out of favour or were overthrown/deposed of. Recreating the history often relies on limited information and fragments of stone. Still, they've been able to sort out a great deal of it, with the help of scholars/explorers/archaeologists and Egyptologists from around the world. So much history has been lost, and so much more waits to be discovered !

The one problem I had when I was touring the various sites was that the tour guides were very limited in their knowledge. They actually go to university to study being a tour guide as a career but it seems that, besides learning a language and the general "basics" of Egyptian history, they know very little about many of the sites. Obviously they can't be experts in all aspects of every site, even if they confine themselves to a relatively small area of the country. I would have preferred to go to a site and then hire a guide who was an expert in that particular site rather than someone who knew how to get there and where the "main" attraction was.

For example I went to the Cairo museum with one guide and while looking at the Tutankhamun exhibit she pointed out a case containing a number of walking sticks that had been found in his tomb. She mentioned that "they" weren't sure why they had been in the tomb. I mentioned that it had been reported that examinations of his mummy revealed he had broken his leg a short time before his death (it is also considered by some to perhaps have resulted in his death, possibly by infection). It seemed rather obvious that if he'd broken his leg he'd have needed "walking sticks" and that they would have been included in his grave goods as he would have needed them in the "afterlife" as well. My guide just kind of shook her head and said something like "I don't know anything about that". (More recent speculation is that Tut suffered from spina bofida which would have also explained the need for the walking sticks.)

She wouldn't go into the "mummy" room either where a number of mummies are on display in glass cases. I asked her a question about Egyptian gods and she immediately started whispering the "There is no god but Allah and Mohhamed is his prophet" line.

At Djoser's Step Pyramid my guide informed me that there wasn't any chambers inside it. I then asked if that was the case why was there a number of logs evenly spaced at about head height with just the (worn) ends sticking out on one wall ? To me it looked like they were supports for a interior ceiling of a room (recall that Djoser's pyramid was built with much smaller stones than the later, larger pyramids of Giza). I also noted that there were a couple of spots that seem to have been covered up with smaller, newer bricks as though they were covering holes that had been cut into the sides of the structure (perhaps by grave robbers searching for inner chambers like they did at the Giza pyramids). Again - the guide didn't have a clue. (I really, really wanted to take a sample of the wood and try to get it carbon dated but that would have been somewhat difficult.)

(When I did my second tour of various sites in Cairo I didn't bother with a guide at all. Next time I probably won't use a guide either, just a driver to get me around and translate. So much to see and do, so little time, so sad.)

Informative and interesting posts.

Thank you very much.