The Long Lost Tomb of Queen Nefertiti May Have Been Found
Geophysical surveys provide new evidence that additional rooms may be concealed beyond Tutankhamun’s famous tomb discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
The tomb, which belonged to King Tutankhamun, is now considered one of the most celebrated finds in the history of archaeology. But at the time, even amid the excitement, “one thing puzzled me,” Carter wrote, “and that was the smallness of the opening in comparison with the ordinary Valley tombs.” In the years that followed, Carter and his fellow researchers would make their way to the antechamber, which was filled with hundreds of treasures, and the burial chamber, where the mummified pharaoh rested. But none of these magnificent discoveries explained the tomb’s diminutive size.
A decade ago, a new theory emerged: What if the ancient Egyptians had built the complex for Queen Nefertiti (which means "the beautiful one has come") before converting some of its outer rooms into a tomb for Tutankhamun? And if so, could her tomb be located in a still-unexplored chamber beyond the rooms excavated in the 1920s?
Now, researchers using ground-penetrating radar and microgravimetry, have provided new evidence that additional rooms may be concealed beyond Tutankhamun’s. Lead researcher Mamdouh Eldamaty, Egypt’s former antiquities minister, says that, if the team’s theory is correct, “it could potentially rank among the most transformative archaeological discoveries of the modern era.”
Unsurprisingly, the researchers want to investigate further and are now trying to get approval to drill a small hole and push cameras in. That’s the only way to know for certain what’s hidden beyond Tutankhamun’s chambers. If Egyptian authorities approve the project, drilling could start as early as November and, if so, will their cameras capture long-forgotten ancient chambers or a disappointing rocky darkness? OGN will keep you posted.
