Egyptian officials finally know what lies behind the walls of King Tut’s tomb -- absolutely nothing.
Officials had been confident, 90 percent sure, that there was a hidden room behind the plastered walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Some theorized that it was the Queen Nefertiti’s burial chamber, but now new research shows that there is no chamber, multiple media outlets are reporting.
It all started when archeologist Nicholas Reeves looked at scans that showed what he believed were faint signs of a door beneath the thousands-of-years-old plaster, the BBC reported.
In his paper, "The Burial of Nefertiti," Reeves wrote that Tutankhamun's tomb was originally designed for the queen -- who some believe was his mother and that that woman whose bust is known the world over -- and she was simply interred in an undiscovered area of the burial site.
Not only do some scholars of ancient Egyptian history believe that Nefertiti was Tut’s mother, some go as far as believing that she served as pharaoh after her husband, the Pharaoh Akhenaten -- also known as Amenhotep the IV prior to taking the throne and father to Tutankhamun -- died during his reign.
Italian researchers from the University of Turin have been scanning Tut's burial chamber in light of Reeves' discoveries and they say that their results show that there is no extra chamber, NBC News reported.
"It is maybe a little bit disappointing that there is nothing behind the walls of Tutankhamun's tomb, but I think on the other hand that this is good science," Francesco Porcelli told the BBC.
Porcelli said that the team looked at three sets of radar data and cross-checked them to make sure their findings were accurate.
Other scans conducted by scientists from Japan and the United States had proved inclusive, NBC News reported.
The Egyptian government has accepted the latest results as it prepares to open a new museum that will highlight more than 43,200 ancient artifacts, with more than 4,500 coming from Tut. The opening is planned for 2022, NBC News reported.
About the Author
