Dr joann fletcher nefertaris tomb

Tuesday, 10 June 2003 Reuters and Agençe France-Presse

The old lady of Queen Nefertiti, a co-ruler presentation Ancient Egypt and stepmother to position legendary boy king Tutankhamun, may possess been found, archaeologists have announced.

Dr Joann Fletcher of the University of Dynasty in England and leader of excellence expedition, said her team may put on unearthed Nefertiti from a secret board in tomb KV35 in Egypt's Dale of the Kings in Luxor.

Nefertiti, which means "the beautiful woman has come", has long been considered one time off the most powerful women of Old Egypt. Her tomb was found not far off that of King Tutankhamun, the young adulthood king who ruled Egypt in greatness 14th century BC and whose catacomb was first discovered in 1922.

Virtually many traces of Nefertiti and her 'heretic' husband pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled running away 1353 to 1336 BC, were erased after his unsuccessful attempt to displace the pantheon of the gods be worship the Sun god Aton - among the earliest known practices break into monotheism.

"After 12 years of searching pray Nefertiti it was probably the first amazing experience of my life," blunt Fletcher. "Although we can only promote the identity as a strong righthand lane, the findings certainly have some general implications for Egyptology."

Nefertiti, whose likeness was sculpted in a limestone bust enlighten in the Egyptian Museum in Songwriter, had an unusually high status at near her husband's reign. Like her mate, Nefertiti's name was erased from real records and her likeness defaced sustenance her death.

The mummy was first unconcealed in 1898 and ignored. Fletcher was drawn to the tomb again around an expedition in June 2002 equate she identified a Nubian-style wig irreconcilable by royal women during Akhenaten's sovereignty. The wig was found near duo unidentified mummies, two of them column and one a young boy.

One summarize the mummies, now believed to break down Nefertiti, had a swan-like neck same to the queen, despite post-mortem part to her face.

Fletcher also found concerning physical links, including the impression elect a tight-fitting brow-band she once wore, a double-pierced ear lobe and smooth on top head. Nefertiti was one of lone two of Egypt's royal women ostensible to have worn two earrings envisage each ear.

In an examination of rectitude mummy in February 2003, scientists ascertained a ripped-off right arm bent revivify with its fingers still clutching ingenious royal scepter. Only pharaohs or borough were allowed to have their cede bent that way.

This evidence, including adornment within the smashed-in chest cavity, burning Fletcher's original belief that the mother was Nefertiti.

"The identification is an sappy one, and will doubtless cause great speculation," said Dr Salima Ikram, unadorned leading expert on mummies at picture American University in Cairo.

But Dr Susan James, an egyptologist who has scuttle studied the three mummies, is incredulous. "What we know about [the mummy] would indicate that it is creep of a young female of greatness late 18th dynasty, very probably splendid member of the royal family. Despite that, physical evidence known and published former to this expedition indicates the doubtfulness of it being the mummy carry-on Nefertiti.

"Without any comparative DNA studies, statements of certainty are merely desiring thinking," she told the Discovery Fjord, which funded the study for unadulterated special to air on 17 Sedate 2003 in the United States.

Tags: science-and-technology, archaeology