The mummy was discovered as early as 1898, but only recently has it been re-examined * A dispute between British and Egyptian researchers on the question of whether a mummy discovered about a century ago is of a man or a woman, which may be Queen Nefertiti
Scientists hoped that the mummy they discovered was that of Queen Nefertiti, but Egyptian archaeologists announced that the skeleton was actually that of a man. "The tests revealed that it was the body of a man, between the ages of 16 and 19," said the spokesman for Egypt's Antiquities Authority, Hassan Nasrallah. "The width of the hips," he said, "indicates that the mummy is of a man, not a woman."
The mummy was shown on the American Discovery Channel in June. Archaeologist Joan Fletcher from the University of York said there was a "high probability" that the mummy was that of the beautiful Egyptian queen. Nefertiti, whose name means "the beautiful woman has arrived", was the consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned between 1379-1362 BC. The mummy was found more than a century ago in a tomb, along with several other mummies in the "Valley of the Kings" near Luxor. Fletcher's interest in the tomb was renewed after she discovered a royal fairy in it. In the show on the Discovery Channel, it was said that the ear of the mummy was pierced in two places, and her arms were placed in a regal position.
The mummy also had a "swan neck that fits the description of Nefertiti". However, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority said that there is no point in comparing the mummy to the statue, because in the 18th pharaonic dynasty idealistic and not realistic sculpture was accepted.
Even after the Egyptian announcement, the University of York believes that there is reason to believe that the mummy is Nefertiti's after all. Researcher Steven Beckley told the Associated Press that the pelvic and chest bones indicate that the mummy is of a woman between the ages of 18 and 30 (Nefertiti probably died at about age 30). According to him, upon the discovery of the mummy in 1898, it was believed that the mummy belonged to a man, but in 1912 the anatomical researcher Sir Grafton Elliott Smith stated that "it does not take much knowledge of anatomy to see clearly that the mummy is that of a woman."
The remains of Egyptian queen Nefertiti may have been found
Yuval Dror
11/6/2003
For hundreds of years, researchers of the pharaonic era have tried to find the remains of Nefertiti, the queen of Egypt. Nefertiti is one of the well-known figures in Egyptian culture, but information about her is relatively scarce. Now the British archaeologist, Joan Fletcher from the University of York, claims to have been able to identify the queen's mummy that so many were looking for.
In 1898, a team of French archaeologists found three mummies in the Luxor Valley in Egypt. They were laid on the floor in a side room called "KV35" near the burial chamber of King Amenhotep II. Two mummies were found in good condition compared to the third mummy, so the researchers assumed that it was not an important figure. In 1907 the three mummies were photographed, the wall of the room was sealed and has not been opened since. The mummy, whose condition was precarious, was named "The Young Woman". The other mummies were called "the old woman" and "the child".
Among the findings discovered in the room were the remains of a wig, which had been lost for many years. A few years ago, the remains of the wig were discovered in Egypt and examined by Fletcher, who is considered an expert in embalming techniques. After examining the remains, she came to the conclusion that it was an item worn by royalty. Following this, Fletcher decided to re-examine the mummies found in the room. In June 2002, accompanied by a camera crew from the "Discovery" channel (which is producing a film about the discovery), she entered a room that had been sealed for 95 years for a cursory examination of the mummies.
According to her, she was able to identify additional signs that the "young woman" belongs to the royal family. For example, she discovered that the mummy's head was shaved. "Think of the blue crown seen on Nefertiti's head in the famous statue in the Berlin museum," said Fletcher. "Such a crown could only fit a shaved head. In addition, it is possible to identify traces of a narrow strip that was pasted over the mummy's brow - something that was customary among rulers in Egypt. The mummy also had two holes in her earlobe, this one
A rare fashion statement for its time."
In February 2003, the team returned to the room and discovered that the fingers of the mummy's hand were holding a royal scepter. According to Fletcher, x-rays and other findings found at the site will confirm that the third mummy is indeed Nefertiti. "I couldn't believe it," said Fletcher, "after 12 years of searching for Nefertiti, this was the most exciting moment of my life."
Nefertiti was the wife of King Akhenaten, who ascended the throne of Egypt in 1379 BC. The period of Akhenaten's reign is considered turbulent in pharaonic history, as he instituted a religious reform in Egypt within the framework of which all the worship of the gods was abolished and the worship of a single god - the sun god Aten - was established. Akhenaten's actions are considered the first evidence of a government trying to dominate a religious-monotheistic belief.
According to Dr. Yoram Mittal, a senior lecturer at Ben Gurion University who specializes in modern Egypt, Nefertiti was considered by some researchers to have influenced Akhenaten's innovative worldview and was known in Egypt as a woman of honor. "In every culture there is a figure that is looked up to with admiration as a figure that carries the perfect beauty. Nefertiti, whose name means 'a beautiful woman appeared', is this figure in Egyptian culture," Mittal said. "From the records that exist from that period, we learn that, apparently, she was not a member of the royal family, but a scion of another privileged family. As unexpectedly as she appeared in the records, so she disappeared. No one knows what happened to her."
According to Mittal, even if it finally turns out to be Nefertiti's remains, there will still remain a mystery surrounding her figure. "Every few years we find a piece of thread that is claimed to solve the riddle of Nefertiti," he said. "In my estimation, the riddle will continue to accompany us for a long time."
