Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, from the University of Arizona, is on an expedition beneath the sacred sands where, years ago, scientists unearthed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Advertisement
With the help of a sophisticated radar, Reeves aims to prove Nefertiti is buried there in a hidden chamber of the young pharaoh’s underground tomb that long hid the most fabulous treasure ever discovered in Egypt.
Reeves believes Queen Nefertiti’s tomb lies beyond the wall, and that it may be completely undisturbed. Instead, the archeologists will find the remains of Tut’s mom Queen Kiya, he expects.
He saw clear, straight lines underneath a coating of paint and plaster – two hidden doorways, National Geographic reported.
According to Mamdouh El Damaty, scratching and markings on the northern and western walls bear striking similarities to the ones at the entrance of King Tut’s tomb, discovered by Howard Carter.
Eldamaty, Reeves, and the scientific committee are to embark Tuesday on a second trip to the Valley of the Kings, but this time to inspect three tombs of royals who were alive in Tutanakhmun’s era: King and military commander Horemhab, King Akhenaten’s brother King Smenkare, and Amenhotep III.
Archaeologist Nicholas Reeves, who participated in the study of King Tut’s tomb, wrote an article earlier this year in which he claimed that Tutankhamun’s tomb contains two hidden doorways.
The 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb filled with artifacts, including the famed golden funeral mask, made him known the world over, and boosted interest in that era, called the Amarna period.
The archaeologist cited a line on the ceiling of tomb as evidence that it had once been a corridor and also noted a marked contrast in the different materials used in the same wall.
“The theory is a very good theory but it doesn’t mean it’s true”.
Reeves found evidence of two doors in high-definition scans of Tut’s tomb by Factum Arte that are available online. “The surrounding wall is a softer plastering”.
Instead, these inscriptions include things such as “spells to enable the deceased to reach the lands of the gods”, said Reeves. “Since Nefertiti had been buried a decade before, they remembered that tomb was there and they thought, well, perhaps we can extend it”, he said.
Advertisement
“I am now 70 percent certain that we are going to find something”, said Damati, the minister, as he stepped out of the tomb. He’s now considering getting a tiny fiberoptic camera through the wall without much damage, or seeking Japanese conservators who specialize in removing wall paintings.
