In the previous article, we discussed the results of CT scans performed on the mummy known as the “Younger Lady,” discovered by Victor Loret in the cache of mummies within King Amenhotep II’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1898.
The CT scan results proved that the evidence previously cited as definitively identifying the mummy as Queen Nefertiti was inaccurate.
DNA samples were taken for analysis and comparison with other mummies, leading to a surprising discovery we hadn’t anticipated. However, before we reveal the surprise, another observation had led some to believe the Younger Lady mummy was Nefertiti: the lower part of her face was severely damaged.
Some suggested this reflected intense vengeance against her due to her immense power and status, along with her husband (Akhenaten).
Destroying the face was considered the ultimate form of damnatio memoriae (erasing memory) for the deceased in ancient Egypt.
I recall stating at the time that vengeance against a mummy isn’t executed by cutting off a part of the face, but rather by destroying the entire mummy. Indeed, the CT scan performed by the Egyptian team revealed tiny fragments of broken bone within the sinus cavity.
This strongly suggests that the severe facial injury occurred shortly before mummification, or more precisely, before death.
Scientific evidence, even without the CT scan results, already suggested this mummy did not belong to Queen Nefertiti.
One point against it was that the mummy’s head was shaved. Like many Egyptians of that era, this woman would have worn a wig during her lifetime. A Nubian-style wig was found inside the tomb, and while Queen Nefertiti was depicted wearing such wigs in the art of that period, many other men and women also wore them.
Therefore, its presence in the tomb didn’t automatically mean Queen Nefertiti was buried there.
Another idea used to link the mummy to Nefertiti was that its left ear was pierced twice, and Nefertiti was depicted with two ear piercings. However, this feature is also seen in numerous mummies from that period.
The age estimated by the CT scan was between 25-35 years old, which is consistent with many prominent New Kingdom women.
These pieces of evidence confirm that the English researcher’s declaration, specialized in mummy studies, was a grave error, and the book published to announce this discovery has completely lost its credibility.
The other mummy discovered inside Amenhotep II’s tomb, known as the “Elder Lady,” was found well-preserved with wavy hair. Previous studies suggested this woman died at around 50 years old, leading many scholars to believe she was Queen Tiye, King Akhenaten’s mother.
Supporting this theory were her advanced age and the royal pose of her hands, with the left arm folded across the chest and the right arm straight alongside the body.
Additionally, in 1977, American James Harris conducted a study comparing a strand of hair from the Elder Lady with a strand found in a small box inscribed with Queen Tiye’s name from Tutankhamun’s tomb. He concluded there was a match between the two strands.
Despite this, the results remain debatable, and the mummy’s identity is still unconfirmed.
Some scholars even believe the Elder Lady is Nefertiti, not Tiye! Therefore, we declare that the CT scan results neither confirmed nor rejected the identification of the mummy as Queen Tiye. The estimated age at death, based on moderate changes in the cervical vertebrae and knees, was determined to be between 40-60 years old.
It seems further studies are needed before conclusive results are obtained on this matter.
The project dedicated to studying Tutankhamun’s family is extremely important because we still don’t know the true father of the Golden King. Some scholars, including myself, believe his father was Akhenaten, while others think it was King Amenhotep III, particularly with Queen Kiya, Akhenaten’s wife, who died giving birth to King Tutankhamun.
Overall, the Royal Mummies Study Project will allow us, for the first time, to gain precise information about mummies that remain largely unknown.
This is because they weren’t found in their original tombs but were moved to other locations.
During these transfers, it is possible that errors occurred, leading to mummies being placed in the wrong coffins and subsequently misidentified.
The project’s most significant goal is to uncover the secrets of these mummies using Egyptian expertise, a task previously limited to foreign researchers.
Is Queen Nefertiti’s mummy about to be revealed? – Part 2 Egypt Independent.
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