Does Tutankhamen's tomb hold his stepmother Queen Nefertiti's remains? New study offers tantalizing clues - Other Sciences - Archaeology

Burial Chamber (J), KV 62: north wall, showing the extensive area of Carter re-paint (highlighted in pink) on the left-hand side, restoration presumably required because of the damage caused during his physical search at this point for a possible further doorway and tomb continuation. Credit: Factum Arte/Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt, arrow added. Image from the Report.

When Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered over a century ago, it became an immediate worldwide sensation, revealing a wealth of treasures from ancient Egypt. In the decades that followed, the tomb was meticulously cleared, cataloged and studied, leading many to believe that KV 62, as it is officially known, had given up all its secrets. Yet long after its opening, the boy king's final resting place may still hold mysteries.

For decades, archaeologists have been puzzled by the tomb's unusually small size and awkward layout, which don't seem befitting of a royal pharaoh. This led to a theory that hidden chambers beyond the walls might hold the remains of Queen Nefertiti, whom many believe was Tutankhamun's stepmother.

With permission from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, a specialist team led by former Egyptian antiquities minister Dr. Mamdouh Eldamaty set out to test the theory.

Investigating the tomb

Researchers surveyed the tomb and surrounding hillside during the winter of 2023–24 using ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity tomography and microgravity measurements. Inside the tomb, team members placed noninvasive scanners directly against the decorated chamber walls, while others took readings across the surrounding rocky hillside. They also mapped the local geology and analyzed the tomb's painted walls.

What they found is detailed in a report titled "An Archaeo-Geophysical Review and Assessment of the Structure and Morphology of Tutankhamun's Tomb (KV 62) (The Burial of Nefertiti? IV)".

Scans of the west wall revealed vertical joints, stress cracks and a ceiling outline that suggest a blocked entrance. Beyond the north wall, radar detected what appears to be ancient walling material rather than solid bedrock. Outside the tomb, the microgravity survey picked up a series of rectangular underground anomalies roughly aligned with the tomb's north wall.

Possible arrangement of proposed funerary chambers and system beyond the decorated north and west walls of the KV 62 Burial Chamber. Credit: GBG Group. Image from the Report.

What lies beyond the walls?

Based on these clues, the researchers propose that Tutankhamun's tomb is part of a much larger hidden complex. They suggest a secret room or rooms may lie to the west, while a long corridor leads to five or six additional chambers, with the entire proposed complex extending roughly 25 to 30 meters (80 to 100 feet) to the north.

"The cumulative architectural, decorative, and geophysical indicators strongly suggest the existence of at least one further storage chamber beyond the Burial Chamber (J)'s west wall, and a royal funerary continuation beyond its north wall," wrote the research team.

However, they emphasize that their findings do not prove Nefertiti is buried there. Only direct physical investigation will be able to confirm what truly lies behind the walls. "With geophysical methods of charting anthropogenic structures now exhausted, the obvious next stage ... is direct investigation." 

by Paul Arnold, Phys.org

edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Robert Egan 

Source: Does Tutankhamen's tomb hold his stepmother Queen Nefertiti's remains? New study offers tantalizing clues