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Bust of Nefertiti in Berlin (picture from 2012): New references to the burial chamber
Photo: Michael Sohn / dpa
The burial chamber of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti is shrouded in legend.
Was she hiding behind her stepson Tutankhamen's chamber?
The theory is not new.
In 2014, British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves discovered lines on the walls of the tomb that were supposed to be the outlines of two passageways into other chambers, research also suggested.
Now Reeves claims to have found new clues with the discovery of hidden hieroglyphs in Tutankhamun's tomb, as he told the Guardian.
However, the theory cannot be proven.
The researcher claims to have recognized cartouches that show the burial of Tutankhamun by his successor Ay and that were painted over cartouches that showed the burial of Nefertiti.
Cartouches are oval lines enclosing the names of rulers in ancient Egypt.
“I can now show that among the cartouches of Ay are cartouches of Tutankhamun himself, proving that this scene originally showed the burial of his predecessor Nefertiti.
This decoration would not have existed in Tutankhamun's tomb," Reeves told the newspaper.
Cartouches can be seen on the north wall, on which Ay would perform a ceremonial act: the "opening of the mouth" of the mummy, with which the senses of the deceased were to be restored.
"A closer look at the cartouches of Ay reveals clear traces of an earlier name - the name of Tutankhamen.
In its original version, this scene showed Tutankhamun performing the funeral rites for the original owner of the tomb, his immediate predecessor Nefertiti.«
»Snub nose and chubby lower chin«
According to the report, the scientist found confirmation of this in the facial profiles of the figures.
"The snub nose and chubby lower chin currently referred to as Ay closely follow the standardized facial outline adopted for official depictions of Tutankhamun at the dawn of his reign." Reeves said the mummy's face undoubtedly bears the features of Nefertiti.
As Reeves told the Guardian, the new evidence would support the theory that Tutankhamun's tomb is just the outer part of a much larger tomb.
The new arguments should also be read in the new edition of his book The Complete Tutankhamun, which will be published in October.
The child king Tutankhamun died at the age of 19 and has a conspicuously small burial chamber.
Nefertiti, on the other hand, was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and later the sole ruler of the kingdom on the Nile.
However, her final resting place was never found.
Archaeologists used radar technology to identify two cavities in Tutankhamen's tomb.
At that time, however, it remained uncertain whether these were burial chambers.
It also remained unclear whether there was a direct connection to Tutankhamun's tomb.
The theory is also supported by the unusual plan of Tutankhamun's burial chamber and by inconsistencies in the murals and burial objects.
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