The first infrared scans of the tomb of Tutankhamun
could indicate a hidden chamber behind a wall, Egypt’s minister of
antiquities announced this week, raising hopes that the crypt of Queen
Nefertiti could be found.
Representatives of the ministry of antiquities and a team of international archaeologists “started the first experiment using infrared thermography to map out the temperature of the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb”, minister Mamduh al-Damati said in a statement.
“The preliminary analyses have shown differences in the temperatures registered on different parts of the northern wall” of the tomb, he said.
Al-Damati added that the team would need to verify the early findings with several more tests and analyses. The first experiment kept researchers in the tomb for 24 hours; the scientists will need a week or more to confirm the results.
Temperature variations on the northern wall could indicate one or more hidden chambers, their presence reflected in the heat (or lack thereof) of pockets of air behind painted plaster. The northern wall of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber appears to show the king, who died aged 19 in 1324BC, in rituals of passage to the afterlife.
Tutankhamun ascended at nine years old, after his father Akhenaten, who was called the “heretic king” for abolishing the Egyptian pantheon in favor of a single sun deity. Tutankhamun’s mother was also his aunt – DNA analysis suggests he was a sickly king – and though not believed to be Nefertiti, her identity is unknown.
Where her tomb lies is also a mystery. In August, University of Arizona archaeologist Nicholas Reeves published a paper arguing that Tutankhamun’s tomb has two hidden doorways: one leading to a store room and the second to Nefertiti’s sarcophagus.
Reeves wrote that Tutankhamun’s small but rich chamber resembles the antechamber of some larger complex, not a major burial room itself. Given the young king’s unexpected death, he was buried in haste and in an already occupied tomb, Reeves argued, its doorways plastered shut and coated in paint.
Representatives of the ministry of antiquities and a team of international archaeologists “started the first experiment using infrared thermography to map out the temperature of the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb”, minister Mamduh al-Damati said in a statement.
“The preliminary analyses have shown differences in the temperatures registered on different parts of the northern wall” of the tomb, he said.
Al-Damati added that the team would need to verify the early findings with several more tests and analyses. The first experiment kept researchers in the tomb for 24 hours; the scientists will need a week or more to confirm the results.
Temperature variations on the northern wall could indicate one or more hidden chambers, their presence reflected in the heat (or lack thereof) of pockets of air behind painted plaster. The northern wall of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber appears to show the king, who died aged 19 in 1324BC, in rituals of passage to the afterlife.
Tutankhamun ascended at nine years old, after his father Akhenaten, who was called the “heretic king” for abolishing the Egyptian pantheon in favor of a single sun deity. Tutankhamun’s mother was also his aunt – DNA analysis suggests he was a sickly king – and though not believed to be Nefertiti, her identity is unknown.
Where her tomb lies is also a mystery. In August, University of Arizona archaeologist Nicholas Reeves published a paper arguing that Tutankhamun’s tomb has two hidden doorways: one leading to a store room and the second to Nefertiti’s sarcophagus.
Reeves wrote that Tutankhamun’s small but rich chamber resembles the antechamber of some larger complex, not a major burial room itself. Given the young king’s unexpected death, he was buried in haste and in an already occupied tomb, Reeves argued, its doorways plastered shut and coated in paint.
No comments:
Post a Comment