Tomb of King Tut’s wife may emerge in 2011
By ANITuesday, January 4, 2011
WASHINGTON - The tomb of King Tut’s wife, a buried pyramid, and the final resting place of Cleopatra are some of the potential discoveries of 2011, according to a prominent Egyptologist.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has dedicated years to solving the mystery behind the Great Pyramid’s secret doors and Cleopatra’s burial place.
He has recently focused his attention on a new tomb in the Valley of the Kings and a buried pyramid in the Dashur area of Egypt.
“We took satellite images over an area in Dashur and we could see that a pyramid is buried underneath the ground. Right now we are excavating this pyramid,” Hawass told Discovery News in an exclusive interview at an exhibition of images from ancient Egypt.
He believes that the buried pyramid might have belonged to a king of the 13th Dynasty (1782-1650 BC), a period marked by rivalry over the throne, with many kings reigning for a short time.
“We do not know the name of the king yet. There are many missing kings in the 13th Dynasty,” he said.
Hawass is currently concentrating on another find in the Valley of the Kings, which could shed further light on the lineage of King Tut.
With already 63 tombs discovered, he hopes to soon uncover a 64th, named KV64 and believed to be the burial place of Tut’s wife, Queen Ankhesenamun.
Born as Ankhesenpaaten around 1348 BC, she was the third daughter of the Pharaoh Akhenatan and Nefertiti.
She probably changed her name into Ankhesenamun when she wed her half-brother Tutankhamun and became his Great Royal Wife at the age of 13.
“We found some indication that this tomb could be for Ankhesenamun, the Queen of Tutankhamun,” said Hawass.I hope this will be an intact tomb for Queen Ankhesenamun,” he added.
Recent DNA testing established that two female fetuses buried Tutankhamun’s tomb were most likely his offspring-but no mother has yet been genetically identified. (ANI)
