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Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's wet nurse might have been his sister
Guardian UK ^
| Sunday, December20 , 2015
| Staff and agencies; Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
Posted on 12/22/2015 3:12:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The identity of his mother has long been a mystery, although she is not believed to be Akhenaten's Queen Nefertiti. Some theories suggest the boy king's mother was one of his aunts.
"Maia is none other than princess Meritaten, the sister or half-sister of Tutankhamun and the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti," Zivie said.
He said his conclusion was based on the carvings of Tutankhamun and Maia on the walls of Maia's tomb.
"The extraordinary thing is that they are very similar. They have the same chin, the eyes, the family traits," he said.
"The carvings show Maia sitting on the royal throne and he is sitting on her", said Zivie, director of the French Archaeological Mission of Bubasteion.
Similar carvings were in Akhenaten's tomb at the Tel el-Amarna archaeological site in modern-day Minya province where the pharaoh had his capital city, he said.
A DNA analysis in 2010 revealed that Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten, who temporarily converted ancient Egypt to monotheism by imposing the cult of sun god Aton.
The tomb of Akhenaten has carvings showing the death of princess Maketaten -- the second daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, Zivie said.
"In these scenes there is a woman who is breast-feeding a baby, and this woman shown as a wet nurse is princess Meritaten, the eldest daughter of Akhenaten," he said.
The mummy of Meritaten has not been found, but antiquities minister Mamduh al-Damati said on Sunday it could be in a secret chamber in Tutankhamun's tomb.
Archaeologists are currently scanning Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of Kings after British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves claimed that it has a secret chamber.
Reeves says the chamber could be the burial site of Nefertiti, whose mummy also has not been found.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: 18thdynasty; akhenaten; amarna; ancientegypt; consanguinous; egypt; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; inbred; incest; kingtut; maia; maketaten; meritaten; nefertiti; newkingdom; nicholasreeves; saqqara; tutankhamun
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The tomb, belonging to Maia, who nursed the famous Tutankhamun, will be opened to the public for the first time since its discovery in 1996.
![Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/46e8970f6cbe2f5c217a5a30cea1a51b7ea66b70/0_71_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?w=300&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=ebbf156e60f7e66566ab7d86065f135a) |
Archaeologists believe Maia's tomb it could lead to new revelations about the boy king.
![Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9026cd0887a212870aff4f54767f78663f019add/0_126_3500_2100/master/3500.jpg?w=300&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=ab6ba81213fd2aac5db052a45bd10f2f) |
1
posted on
12/22/2015 3:12:43 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
2
posted on
12/22/2015 3:13:35 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
3
posted on
12/22/2015 3:18:40 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
To: SunkenCiv
Egypt, the West Virginia of the Middle East.
4
posted on
12/22/2015 3:20:35 PM PST
by
MuttTheHoople
(Yes, Liberals, I question your patriotism)
To: SunkenCiv
To: MuttTheHoople
I was just about to say that Tutankhamun married his half sister Ankhesenamun when you just had to through West Virginia under the bus! Why not throw Arkansas they gave us the clintons!
6
posted on
12/22/2015 3:31:24 PM PST
by
Morgana
( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
To: SunkenCiv
Guess I should be revolted and scandalized but why?
Mother and son share DNA just like brother and sister.
There's no progeny from breast feeding so it's really not incest. It's not sexual at all, according to the La Leche League.
But I wouldn't recommend asking your sister.
7
posted on
12/22/2015 3:35:07 PM PST
by
ZOOKER
(Until further notice the /s is implied...)
To: Morgana
Why not throw Arkansas they gave us the clintons!Them too.
8
posted on
12/22/2015 3:44:41 PM PST
by
MuttTheHoople
(Yes, Liberals, I question your patriotism)
To: MuttTheHoople
"Dang it, get off yer sister, Tut. Yer crushin' her smokes."
![Cletus Spuckler photo: Cletus Spuckler Cletus.jpg](http://i1105.photobucket.com/albums/h347/dlehouillier/Cletus.jpg)
Pharoah Kletus I
9
posted on
12/22/2015 3:46:06 PM PST
by
tumblindice
(America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives.)
To: ZOOKER
The pharaohs in general, but particularly the tail end of the 18th Dynasty, has a family tree you don't wanna climb.
10
posted on
12/22/2015 3:46:34 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Here's to the day the forensics people scrape what's left of Putin off the ceiling of his limo.)
To: SunkenCiv
The pharaohs in general, but particularly the tail end of the 18th Dynasty, has a family tree you don't wanna climb.Climb it? Heck, it's more like pole dancing.
To: SunkenCiv
A moose once bit my sister...
To: SunkenCiv
Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's wet nurse might have been his sister Don't tell me... Let me guess who "researched" this...
A transexual pervert?
13
posted on
12/22/2015 4:12:32 PM PST
by
publius911
(IMPEACH HIM NOW! evil ignorant stupid or crazy-doesn't matter!)
To: SunkenCiv
14
posted on
12/22/2015 4:13:36 PM PST
by
jmacusa
("Dats all I can stands 'cuz I can't stands no more!''-- Popeye The Sailorman.)
To: SunkenCiv
![](http://www.collectoons.com/imgtoon/701/702/20100101_121507chode.gif)
that family tree looks like a mobius strip...
15
posted on
12/22/2015 4:45:43 PM PST
by
Chode
(Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - Luke, 22:36)
To: SunkenCiv
Obummer`s wet nurse was a goat.
ther fixed it
16
posted on
12/22/2015 5:04:52 PM PST
by
bunkerhill7
((("The Second Amendment has no limits on firepower"-NY State Senator Kathleen A. Marchione."))))))
To: SunkenCiv
Reads just like the script of the new Star Wars movie. And just as confusing.
17
posted on
12/22/2015 5:43:30 PM PST
by
UCANSEE2
(Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
To: Chode
18
posted on
12/22/2015 5:47:07 PM PST
by
UCANSEE2
(Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
To: UCANSEE2
![](http://www.collectoons.com/imgtoon/701/702/20100101_121507chode.gif)
LOL!!!
19
posted on
12/22/2015 6:53:53 PM PST
by
Chode
(Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -w- NO Pity for the LAZY - Luke, 22:36)
To: SunkenCiv
20
posted on
12/22/2015 7:12:27 PM PST
by
SteveH
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