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The
bust of Nefertiti located in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, Germany
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The mummy of Queen Nefertiti, wife of Amenhotep IV
(Akhenaton) and stepmother to Tutankhamen, has been claimed to have been
identified by Joanne Fletcher, a mummification expert from the University of
York in England. The mummy is one of the 11 mummies that had been discovered by
French Egyptologist Victor Loret in 1898, when he unearthed the tomb of
Amenhoteb II in the Valley of the Kings.
This
tomb was a remarkable finding as it was the first time that a Pharaoh had been
found still lying in his initial resting place. The other mummies were found in
a secret chamber within the tomb, 9 of which belonged to the royal family. The
mummies were all transferred to the Cairo museum with the exception of three of
them due to their poor condition.
The three mummies left behind were those of a boy and two women. The one thought
to be that of Queen Nefertiti was photographed in 1907 and was cataloged as
Mummy 61072. It was only referred to as ‘The Younger Lady’ and some
Egyptologists think this mummy may have either belonged to Queen Nefertiti or to
Princess Sitamun, who was Amenhotep III’s daughter and whom also may have been
his wife.
The
Basis of the Claim
Fletcher’s
claim that the ‘Younger Lady’s’ mummy might be that of Nefertiti came from
certain findings such as a Nubian-style wig that was found near the three
mummies. Such wigs were traditionally worn by women of the royal family during
the period in which Akhenaton ruled.
Other
findings used as evidence for Fletcher’s claim include the double-piercing
seen on the mummy’s left earlobe. Such double piercings have also been found
on busts made of Nefertiti and her daughter, and are thought to have been a rare
fashion statement at the time. The mummy also shows evidence that a tight
brow-band was worn, such as those worn by the pharaoh and his queen during this
era. She also has a shaved head that was necessary to allow the tight-fitting
crown to stay in place such as the one seen on the limestone bust of Nefertiti
at the Berlin Museum.
Cannon
digital X-rays used to examine the mummy showed the presence of jewelry in the
mummy’s abdomen. The mummy also has a swanlike neck that resembles that of the
limestone bust of the queen.
The
mummy was badly mutilated having a large hole in the face and chest and her
right arm had been ripped off, however two incomplete arms had been found in the
tomb and one of these arms was bent at the elbow in the royal fashion with the
hand clutched as if it were holding a royal scepter, another reason why Fletcher
believes this may be Nefertiti.
The
Controversy
Several
Egyptologists however are against this claim. One of these is Zahi Hawass, the
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). Mr. Hawass
explained his skepticism of Fletcher’s claim to Al-Ahram Weekly saying that
X-ray examination of the mummy that was carried out by himself and another
Egyptologist showed the body of the mummy to be that of a 16 year old, whereas
Nefertiti is thought to have died in her 30s. He also denies the swan-like neck
of the mummy to be evidence "because all the statues of the Amarna era have
the same characteristics. Amarna art was idealistic and not realistic," he
explains (Al-Ahram Weekly).
Other
Egyptologists such as Lisa Sabbahy also challenge Fletcher’s claim by stating
that the Nubian-style wig found near the mummy did not necessarily belong to it.
Other
Egyptologists say that without comparative DNA studies it would be very
difficult to identify a particular mummy. Another Egyptologist, Kent Weeks was
quoted as saying, "If the mummy is female and if it is royal, then you
still do not necessarily have Nefertiti"(Time).
DNA
Use in Identification of Mummies
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11
mummies were discovered in the tomb of Amenhotep II, one of which is believed to
be that of Queen Nefertiti
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The
advances made in DNA technology over the past few years have been extremely
useful in criminal forensics. It is also now being used as a means of
identifying ancient Egyptian mummies. In the past, before the advent of
polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a method that allows large copies to
be made of even a single fragment of DNA, it was almost impossible to use DNA
analysis to identify mummies. This was due to the fact that the DNA molecules in
mummies are usually very few and fragmented. Preserved soft tissues are also
very rare in mummies.
With
the advent of PCR and the success in recovering DNA from preserved hard tissue
samples, such as bones and teeth that tend to be resilient, these problems have
been overcome.
The DNA extracted from the mummy is about an inch long and carries all the
genetic information or the ‘blueprint’ for each individual. After the DNA is
amplified i.e. copies are made, it can be read and analyzed. Information that
can be obtained from this process includes family relations, ethnicity, genetic
traits, disease and cultural customs.
DNA analysis may be able to answer several unknowns in ancient Egyptian history
such as the nature of the relation between King Tutankhamun and the two infants
that were found buried within his tomb and whether he had been married to his
sister as is suspected. It could also answer the question of which of the two
18th-Dynasty kings, Akhenaten or Amenhotep III, was his father. Besides the
identification of unnamed mummies, other questions such as whether royalty was
inherited in ancient Egypt through maternal or paternal lines may also be
answered (DNA Foundation).
Other
Techniques in Mummy Examination
There
are several non-invasive techniques that are also used in the examination of
mummies. This is very important as it allows Egyptologists and other scientists
to obtain valuable information without causing any damage to the painted
cartonnage case or linen wrappings.
X-rays
have been used on mummies since 1967 and much information has been revealed by
them such as physical trauma and diseases suffered by the individual and their
medical treatment. Some of the diseases that ancient Egyptians were found to
have suffered from include leprosy, tuberculosis, cancer such as leukemia,
ankylosing spondylitis and spina bifida.
Studies
of bone X-rays has also revealed average heights of the individuals during their
lifetime and their age at death. In children and adolescents age can be
determined by examining the ends of bones at areas called the epiphyses. These
areas allow the aging of a person up till the age of 25 after which the
epiphyses calcify and stop growing. X-rays of bones can also reveal if the
person suffered any fractures during their lifetime. The nature of the
person’s profession may also become evident. For example, the builders of the
great Pyramids at Giza showed evidence of carrying heavy objects by examining
the vertebrae in their lower backs. The cause of death may also sometimes be
predicted by examining X-rays of the mummy’s bones.
Computerized
Axial Topography, or CAT scans, allow the reconstruction of facial features and
the production of a 3-dimensional image of the body, while samples taken from
around the mummy such as the linen wrappings, dust and plaster can be
carbon-dated to provide information on the time period that the mummy lived in.
This also helps in the identification of the mummies.
The
recent developments in technology will allow archeologists and Egyptologists to
unveil many mysteries lying behind the linen wrappings of the ancient Egyptian
mummies just waiting to be uncovered.
Sources:
Aisha
El-Awady has a bachelor’s degree in medicine from Cairo University and is currently preparing her MA and working as instructor of Parasitology in the Faculty of Medicine. She may be contacted at:
aawady@islam-online.net.
