The bust of Nefertiti is one of the best known Egyptian sculptures. Despite its 3,500 years old, it retains the original colors. But little is known of his death. Or where it is buried. As a result, multiple theories emerged. One of them said that she was surely buried near her son. Is Nefertiti buried next to Tutankhamen? A study revives that theory.
The secret passage
An investigation led by archaeologist Mamdouh Eldamaty identified an unpublished passage until now. It is a few meters from the burial chamber of the tomb of Tutankhamen.
The study was performed using a georradar. He was referred to the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. Resurrect the theory that the legendary Nefertiti is buried next to the pharaoh boy.
This hypothesis was formulated in 2015 by the British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves. He suggested that the tomb of the queen could be hidden behind the north and west walls of the burial chamber of Tutankhamen. This specialist claimed that the burial discovered in 1922 was unusually small for a burial of a pharaoh. He interpreted that a fissure in the north wall of the grave of the child pharaoh was a sealed door. Maybe it led to a possible hidden camera, maybe Nefertiti's lost resting place.
Queen?
Some Egyptologists believe that immediately before the reign of Tutankhamen in the fourteenth century BC. C., Nefertiti, whose daughter was married to the pharaoh boy, ruled briefly. But his grave has never been found in the Valley of the Kings.
After this report, Eldamaty, as minister of antiquities, supervised two investigations with GPR of the walls of the tombs with contradictory results. One, made by a team from Japan, seemed to confirm the existence of hidden rooms. But a second American team could not confirm these results.
Other research has rejected its existence, such as that carried out by scientists from the Polytechnic University of Turin. Directed by Dr. Francesco Porcelli, they used a high-precision radar that showed that there are no discontinuities in the tomb wall.
Nor did he find evidence of the existence of jambs or door lintels. Neither of "flat reflectors", which could indicate the existence of walls of a burial chamber or empty areas hidden behind the frescoes that adorn the walls of the tomb.
A hope
The team led by Eldamaty has now detected a long space in the foundations. It is located a few meters east of the burial chamber of Tutankhamen and at the same depth. Two meters wide and ten meters long, its layout is parallel to the entrance hall of the burial chamber.
It is unknown if this space is linked to the tomb of Tutankhamen or if it is part of another nearby chamber. “The researchers argue that their orientation, perpendicular to the main axis of KV62, suggests that there is a connection. Unconnected graves tend to be aligned at different angles, ”says Nature.
We may soon know if Nefertiti is buried next to Tutankhamen. Meanwhile, we will continue to admire the beauty of its imperishable features.
