After nearly a year of silence, the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings is once again back in focus thanks to the Ministry of Antiquities granting permission to a team of Italian experts to conduct radar tests—that are currently underway. To read about previous searches for Nefertiti's tomb, go to "Lost Tombs: In Search of History's Lost Rulers." December 2018-January 2019. from 4.90. In 2015, radar specialist Hirokatsu Watanabe conducted a GPR scan of Tut’s tomb and announced startling results: evidence for hidden doorways on the north and west walls of the burial chamber. Nefertiti died a queen and would have been buried as one. The Ancient Egyptian civilization, famous for its pyramids, pharaohs, mummies, and tombs, flourished for thousands of years. Reeves’s astonishing hypothesis was that Queen Nefertiti’s tomb—long sought after but never found—is hidden within King Tutankhamun’s tomb, concealed for more than 3,000 years in a secret room behind a wall of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber. . This tomb is located on the west bank of the Nile, at the height of the current city of Luxor. (Credit: Theban Mapping Project). Grave (day trip) (From $384.62) See all Tomb of Queen Nefertari experiences on Tripadvisor But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! While the results from this most recent radar scan do not support the initial "hidden Nefertiti tomb" theory that instigated the research, Porcelli believes that the project demonstrates that GPR can provide conclusive answers. The announcement brings to a disappointing end an investigation that began three years ago, when Egyptologist and National Geographic grantee Nicholas Reeves theorized that the tomb of legendary 18th-Dynasty queen Nefertiti may be hidden behind the walls of Tut's 3,300-year-old tomb. Nefertiti's mummy was uncovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 1898, but it wasn't until 2010, via DNA evidence, that she was proven to be King Tut's biological mother. "It may be more efficient than traditional archaeology and less destructive," he adds. “If I’m wrong, I’m wrong,” Reeves told the BBC. The research teams—from the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, in partnership with the University of Turin and two private companies, Geostudi Astier and 3DGeoimaging—worked over the course of seven days and collected data equivalent to scanning 1.6 surface miles. Tantalising radar shadows have revived hopes that one of history’s most beautiful, and controversial, women — Queen Nefertiti — may indeed be buried in secret chambers within King Tut’s famous tomb. Queen Nefertari—not to be confused with Nefertiti, the powerful queen who ruled alongside her husband, King Akhenaten, in the mid-14th century B.C.—was the first and favored wife of … Published: 14:33 EST, 1 February 2018 | Updated: 09:25 EST, 2 February 2018 . Experts used ground penetrating radar (GPR) which provided "conclusive evidence of the non-existence of hidden chambers adjacent to or inside Tutankhamun's tomb… Per National Geographic, radar scans inside King Tutankhamun's tomb recently concluded that there are no burial chambers hidden behind the walls. Egyptologist Marc Gabolde of Paul Valéry University, who has been searching for Nefertiti’s tomb, thinks so. "This is the first conclusive GPR project in the Valley of the Kings,” Hiebert says. But it appears that at some points in Tut's tomb, the radar waves did not penetrate through the walls but rather traveled along the wall surfaces before returning back to the receiver. The Younger Lady is the informal name given to a mummy discovered within tomb KV35 in the Valley of the Kings by archaeologist Victor Loret in 1898. https://www.history.com/news/has-queen-nefertitis-tomb-been-found However, a second radar scan of the tomb, performed by National Geographic Society engineers in 2016, did not replicate Watanabe's results. As Reeves’ visit to Egypt draws closer, the suspense crescendoes. After the experts individually interpreted their radar data, they came together to cross-check their results. Nefertiti disappeared from the historical record with five years remaining in Akhenaten’s reign. All Rights Reserved. Diagram showing possible location of storeroom behind west wall of King Tut’s tomb. But where is her mummy now? Under normal conditions, a GPR antenna sends radar waves straight through a wall, and they bounce right back to the receiver, providing a very clear signal. May 7, 2018 at 3:57 p.m. UTC. After studying the detailed scans that revealed the texture of the tomb’s walls beneath the layers of paint, Reeves spotted what he believed to be the outlines of two doorways that had been blocked and plastered over to hide them from view. "The rock itself could have properties that cause this phenomenon," Porcelli explains. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. If her remains were discovered, it would be a significant scientific breakthrough, according to Nicholas Reeves, the British scientist who first proposed that the queen is buried near King Tut’s tomb. “The more I looked, the more information I found that I seemed to be looking at something pretty real,” he told the BBC. ... that Queen Nefertiti’s tomb could be concealed behind wall paintings in the famed boy king’s burial chamber. The question is: is it Nefertiti? It was July of last year when British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves announced his hypothesis that stunned scholars of the ancient world. A New Tomb From 10,000 BC Discovered in turkey – Amazing connection with queen Nefertiti. The culprit? In addition, the burial chamber appeared to have been built and decorated in stages, and most of the nearly 2,000 artifacts found inside seemed to have been hastily placed and intended for earlier royals. But what was its lasting impact? The badly damaged mummy of the woman nicknamed the "Younger Lady" was uncovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 1898. High-frequency radar can provide detailed results up to distances of about seven feet; lower frequencies penetrate deeper but provide coarser results. Nicolas Reeves believes Nefertiti, an Egyptian queen who reigned for 12 years before vanishing without a trace 3,000 years ago, is buried in a hidden chamber inside the tomb … Nefertiti, who ruled Egypt 3,300 years ago from 1353 to 1336 BC, was either the mother or stepmother of the boy-pharaoh King Tutankhamun. “But if I’m right, the prospects are frankly staggering. So, where is her mummy? "It's disappointing, but this is the result. They discovered several bodies in Kv21 and observed that two mummies could have been queens . The Tomb of Nefertiti. View comments. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- 62. (Nefertiti was King Tut’s stepmother.) It’s considered the most comprehensive search yet. Updated 1059 GMT (1859 HKT) May 7, 2018 The burial mask of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tomb does not contain the hidden chambers theorized about, according to experts. Porcelli suspects that previous radar anomalies detected in the pharaoh's burial chamber, which raised the exciting possibility that Nefertiti's tomb might lie beyond it, were the result of "ghost signals"—rogue radar reflections originating in front of the walls, not behind them. The verdict is in for what’s behind King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber Robin Ngo May 11, 2018 1 Comments 3773 views Share A team headed by Francesco Porcelli of the Polytechnic University of Turin conducted the third investigation into whether Queen Nefertiti’s tomb is located on the other side of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber. That thought would not occur until the king’s early and unexpected death a decade later. "The finding is that there is no evidence of doors or empty spaces beyond the funeral chamber up to four meters [13 feet]," Porcelli tells National Geographic. (Credit: CM DIxon/Print Collector/Getty Images), Reeves believes a hidden storeroom lurks behind the western wall of King Tut’s tomb, also known as “KV 62,” and that “the undisturbed burial of the tomb’s original owner—Nefertiti” lies behind the north wall, which is covered in religious frescoes. “It proves the technique, and it is proof of concept for great work that can be done in Egypt. This is conclusive in our point of view," he adds. Her mummy has proven the most elusive to archaeologists and the most notable absence from the royals of Egypt’s 18th dynasty. It was believed that Queen Nefertiti, who died in 1331 BC, was buried in a large room behind a hidden door in the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Only because of this simple fact of being situated in … The world will have become a much more interesting place—at least for Egyptologists.”. Egyptologists caution that they can’t know for sure if anything exists beyond the walls of King Tut’s tomb. NILE #17. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Ground-penetrating radar, a remote-sensing technique commonly used in prospecting for oil and gas and other minerals, is an increasingly critical tool for archaeologists. Before we get too excited about the possibility of a hidden chamber and what it may mean for the search for the lost burial of Nefertiti, we should examine the muddy history of searching for a hidden chamber at King Tut’s tomb . Any excavation would take years of planning so that it could be done without damaging King Tut’s tomb. Renowned for her beauty, the queen was more than just a pretty face. The woman who changed Egypt’s history has been missing for more than 3,300 years. Hidden doorways in the ancient Egyptian tomb of King Tutankhamun may lead to the long-lost resting place of Queen Nefertiti, a scientist has claimed. In a second radar scan in Tut's tomb in 2016, National Geographic technicians Eric Berkenpas and Alan Turchik prepare the radar unit. DECEMBER 2018-JANUARY 2019. This is especially important when many in the Egyptian archaeological community still regard the technology with skepticism, despite its proven track record at ancient sites around the world. Fredik Hiebert, National Geographic's archaeologist-in-residence, agrees. The scientific report submitted on Saturday by Porcelli to Waziri and Khaled El Enany, Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities, ends with the statement: "We conclude, with a very high level of confidence, that the hypothesis concerning the existence of hidden chambers adjacent [to] Tutankhamun’s tomb is not supported by the GPR data. The location of Nefertiti’s tomb has long been a mystery. Relief showing Akhenaten and Nefertiti under the rays of the sun-god Aten. In 2015 British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, an archaeologist with years of experience working in the Valley of the Kings, carefully examined electronic scans by Factum Arte of the walls of the ancient Eg… If the body of Nefertiti, who died around 1340 B.C., rests behind the plaster walls of King Tut’s tomb, it would solve one of Egyptology’s greatest mysteries. During her husband’s reign from 1353 to 1336 B.C., Nefertiti played an important political and religious role as co-regent during the height of ancient Egypt. A statement was released today on behalf of Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, during the fourth annual International Tutankhamun GEM Conference, held at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza. The researchers suspect that the elaborately painted plaster covering the limestone rock of the tomb may have properties that enable it to conduct electricity. Science has killed hopes for any new movies based on the mummy of Queen Nefertiti being released from her secret burial chamber in the tomb of Tutankhamun. ", "The results may be disappointing, but the science is paramount. THE ONE WITH NEFERTITI’S COFFINETTE ON THE COVER. (Nefertiti was likely King Tut’s stepmother, although some Egyptologists believe she was the boy-king’s biological mother.) Finding Nefertiti What if we told you that Nefertiti WAS buried in Tutankhamun's tomb after all? Tut's father was the pharaoh Akhenaten, who was married to Nefertiti. In a recently released paper, the University of Arizona Egyptologist claims that King Tut may not have been the tomb’s original resident and that the undisturbed resting place of the legendary Queen Nefertiti could be on the other side of the walls of the boy-king’s burial chamber. The researchers suspect that additional ghost signals may have come from Tut's massive quartzite sarcophagus, which takes up much of the central burial chamber. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamen’s nearly intact tomb in the Valley of Kings outside Luxor not only stunned the world, it puzzled archaeologists who noted that the burial chamber wasn’t exactly fit for a king. The announcement brings to a disappointing end an investigation that began three years ago, when Egyptologist and National Geographic grantee Nicholas Reeves theorized that the tomb … “I will never relinquish the head of the queen,” German dictator Adolf Hitler said of the artifact, which was hidden in a salt mine during World War II before it was recovered by the Allies’ Monuments Men in 1945. “Egyptology’s traditional reading of KV 62 as a small, private tomb subsequently enlarged to four chambers for Tutankhamun’s exclusive use has been very much in error,” Reeves writes in his paper. 8 Hour Tour to Nefertari's Tomb, King Tut's Tomb, Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut Temple, and Karnak Temples (From $300.00) Private Tour Valley of the Kings and Queens and Hatshepsut Temple (From $102.00) Nefertari, Seti I and Ramesses VI. ", SOURCES: THEBAN MAPPING PROJECT, Ministry of State for Antiquities. Scientists are investigating whether there are hidden chambers behind the north and west walls of King Tut’s tomb. The wife of pharaoh Akhenaten, Tutankhamen’s father, was one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful women. All rights reserved. Two previous tests of Reeves' theory, using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to search for hidden chambers or passages, produced contradictory results. Some Egyptologists believe she died. However, in 2018, the Ministry of Antiquities announced that the investigation, which continued for 3 years and included a radar survey of the cemetery, proved conclusively that there were no secret rooms. The Neues Museum in Berlin decided to keep its full-color scan of the Nefertiti bust under lock and key. Following a contentious discussion over the discrepancy between the results of the two scans at the 2016 International Tutankhamun GEM Conference, Minister El Enany commissioned a comprehensive "tie-breaker" radar analysis. Others theorize that she outlived her husband and ruled alongside Tutankhamen or perhaps served as pharaoh herself before King Tut assumed the throne. Valley of the Kings“. e-mail; 1.1k shares. A British archaeologist believes ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti may be buried behind a secret door inside of King Tut’s tomb. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. January 22, 2018 Nefertiti was no pharaoh, says renowned Egyptologist by Mike Addelman, University of Manchester All Giza Pyramids in one shot. Reeves spent months poring over the ultra-high-resolution images of King Tut’s tomb taken in 2009 by Factum Arte, a European specialist in art replication, as part of its construction of an exact replica of the pharaoh’s tomb now open to tourists to protect the original from damage by visitors. Is Nefertiti in Tut’s Tomb? Ever since archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the treasure-packed tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings in 1922, experts have believed the space to be strangely small for a pharaoh. Recent radar scans of Tutankhamun's tomb conclusively prove that there are no additional chambers or passages behind the walls of the famed pharaoh's burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings, Egyptian officials announced today. “Rather, the indications are that what we now know as KV 62 represents merely the outermost portion of an extended, corridor-style ‘tomb-within-a-tomb.’”. The report submitted to Egyptian officials today includes the results of three new GPR scans, conducted in February 2018 by three independent teams and each using a different frequency—high, medium, and low. The badly damaged mummy of the Younger Lady was uncovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 1898, and shown through DNA evidence in 2010, to be King Tut's biological mother. The next step for researchers is to use seismic X-ray technology and ground-penetrating radar to determine if there are any gaps in the bedrock that would indicate the presence of additional rooms. The tomb was smaller than that of other Egyptian pharaohs and oriented to the right of the entrance—a layout typical of Egyptian queens, not kings. Nefertiti was believed to … The tomb belongs to the dead Pharaoh depicted in the painting. A comprehensive series of ground-penetrating radar scans found no hidden chambers, hallways or secret passages that could contain the remains of King Tut’s stepmother. “At the time of Nefertiti’s burial within KV62 there had surely been no intention that Tutankhamun would in due course occupy this same tomb. Blue crown attracted worldwide attention and is now on display in a second radar scan Tut... Scholars of the ancient world lock and key provide coarser results theorize that she outlived her husband ruled... 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