(CNN) – Nefertiti continues to capture our collective imagination through time. No trace was found of the legendary “beautiful woman” who ruled Egypt alongside her husband … until now, possibly.
Nicholas Reeves, a British archaeologist at the University of Arizona, believes he has found his resting place hidden in plain sight: in the tomb of Tutankhamen.
The bold new theory emerges after an extensive analysis of high resolution images posted online last year by Factum Arte, a restoration specialist who helped create a copy of the burial chamber of King Tut Luxor. In scanned images, Reeves discovered cracks in the walls that could indicate that two “ghost” tickets that had not been identified previously were behind the walls.
The implications are extraordinary, because if the digital appearance is translated into a physical reality, it seems that we are now not only by the possibility of seeing a new deposit was Tutankhamun west; north seems to be marked a continuation of the tomb KV 62 (Tutankhamen’s tomb), and within these unknown depths, a former royal burial: the same Nefertiti.
Nefertiti was the original occupant of the tomb?
Despite the ruthless looters, the tomb of the boy king remains one of the discoveries more Egypt prolific. Discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, it remains the most intact tomb has been unearthed. And it’s been a treasure trove for archaeologists, as there nearly 2,000 objects recovered.
In his article on the possible finding Reeves speculated that the size of the tomb of Tutankhamun is “less than adequate” for the final resting place of an Egyptian king. Instead, it seems to solve the riddle that has puzzled archaeologists for years, explaining that their size and inadequate design are due to an extension of an earlier tomb originally designed for a queen.
The academic also means that recycling equipment that was found in the burial chamber predates the rise of Tutankhamun. Concludes that it is likely that the tomb has been designed for an ancient Egyptian queen of the XVIII dynasty-of which Reeves says, Nefertiti is the only woman who achieved such honors, and was adapted as the untimely death of Tutankhamun gave 17 years old.
“At the time of burial of Nefertiti … surely there was no intention of Tutankhamun in due time occupy the same grave. That thought does not occur until the early and unexpected death of the king a decade later “Reeves writes.
As long it believed that the tomb of the ancient queen had lost Reeves theory has caused a stir among Egyptologists.
“It is certainly tempting to what Nicholas Reeves has suggested,” says Toby Wilkinson, an Egyptologist at the University of Cambridge.
“If we think we know, we’re pretty sure there’s a royal tomb undiscovered about the same time somewhere, because we have more kings tombs, so logic suggests that there is still a tomb to find. ”
In search of a lost queen
This is not the first time there has arisen a new lead in the search for Nefertiti. In 2003, Joann Fletcher of the University of York drew attention when he announced that his team had found an anonymous mummy known as the ‘younger lady “, discovered in a secret chamber in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and he thought belonged to the old queen.
It is said that the controversial mummy is Nefertiti.
She cited evidence of the presence of a Nubian wig, which was used during the Amarna period (when it is believed that Nefertiti lived), embalmed by the analysis and review of the rubble.
The theory, which aired in a documentary by Discovery Channel, was soon challenged by Zahi Hawass, who was then the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, who concluded that the mummy was actually a man of 15 years.
More questions than answers
So the mystery is likely to continue for some time. The sensitivity of the site and the fact that it’s so small considering the grave make in situ is especially challenging.
“I think that by using modern seismic technology X-ray should be possible to see through the walls and determine if there are significant anomalies or gaps in the bedrock behind those walls,” says Wilkinson .
“That kind of ground penetrating radar is well developed. It has been used in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and elsewhere,” he says.
Even if you find that this site exists and leads to a hidden inside Tutankhamen’s tomb chamber, Wilkinson argues that such a discovery would lead to an even greater debate on the best way to excavate the site without causing damage the existing grave.
“We could reach the point in a few years whether there is a camera behind those walls, but I think it will be a while before we can give out any cameras that could be there,” He says.
“But it is very tempting and it would be nice to think that in a few years we could have the final answer.”
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