Posted on 06/02/2006 4:46:30 PM PDT by wagglebee
LONDON: It has been 84 years since Egypt's famed Valley of the Kings revealed its last great riches – the fabulous gold of Tutankhamen's tomb.
Now archaeologists believe they have stumbled across one final secret: The mummified remains of the boy king's widow buried 3000 years ago.
In a mysterious shaft less than 15m from Tutankhamen's burial ground, US archaeologists found seven coffins.
They believe one they have not yet been able to open may contain the remains of Queen Ankhesenpaaten.
The tomb – found by accident by Memphis University team leader Dr Otto Schaden – contained seven coffins stacked closely together and ringed by 28 clay jars, each decorated with a beautiful face mask. The coffins were buried about 1320BC.
A child-sized coffin – one of five so far raised – contained a small gilded ornamental sarcophagus of a quality that was usually buried only with royalty.
Ankhesenpaaten's link to the tomb was further underlined when a coffin seal was found with part of her name on it.
"I think there is a 70 per cent chance that Ankhesenpaaten's mummy is in that last coffin," Egyptian antiquities head Dr Mansour Boraik said.
"If she is, it will be a major find because very little is known about her."
GGG Ping.
Wow!
Pictures? ;)
There weren't any with the article.
Tut may not have known either...
/sarc
Here's a link with a picture and video.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2029521&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Ankhesenamen is not only Tutankhamen's wife but evidence also strongly indicates she was his half-sister as well. The article calls her Ankhesenpaaten but her name was later changed to Ankhesenamen after Egypt shifted back to the old religious practices which are oriented towards the worship of Amen instead of Aten.
I couldnt' get the video to work but I'll be on the lookout for the Discovery Channel documentary airing on Sunday.
Thank you!!
Very exciting find!
Is that how she really looked?
Very beautiful.
No, I don't think that's a real pic of the Egyptian chick. :P
Send Geraldo.
wow! very cool!
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider is on as I read this. One of those funny koinkydinks online.
"Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia, King Tut!"
Seriously, Tutankhamen was always shown as married in funerary depictions. Died at eighteen, poor kid.
The word "sister" as used in ancient amorous poetry did not necessarily imply incest, but simply that another female had replaced one's actual sister as an ideal object of love and devotion. Read the Song of Songs.
"Had a Condo made o' Stona"
/wonder if the impeached ex president clinton has heard this, he had a thing for mummies..
"clinton has heard this, he had a thing for mummies.."
Hah!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.