Wall decorations seem to have underlying traces of Tutankhamun performing a funerary ritual for Nefertiti, who was possibly the original owner of the tomb. Source: Egisto Sani, Flickr.
Hidden hieroglyphics found in Tutankhamun’s tomb support a theory that Queen Nefertiti lies in a hidden chamber right next to her stepson.
It has still not been proven but Egyptologist and a former curator in the British Museum, Nicholas Reeves says the recent discovery of the hieroglyphics adds more weight to the theory.
He realised that cartouches (oval carvings with an enclosed group of hieroglyphs) in Tutankhamun’s tomb showing him being buried by his successor Ay, were painted over cartouches of him burying Nefertiti.
“I can now show that, under the cartouches of Ay, are cartouches of Tutankhamun himself, proving that that scene originally showed Tutankhamun burying his predecessor, Nefertiti,” Reeves said to the Guardian.
“You would not have had that decoration in the tomb of Tutankhamun.”
On the north wall decoration, cartouches show Ay performing a ritual to restore the deceased Tutankhamun’s five senses. Reeves says close inspection reveals underlying traces of Tutankhamun’s name and the original version was a scene of Tutankhamun doing the funerary ritual for who he believes is the original owner of the tomb, his predecessor Nefertiti.
Back in 2015, Reeves said high-resolution images of the tomb indicate there are unexplored sealed doors inside. He argued the images showed lines underneath the plastered surface of painted walls, though other experts thought the scans were inconclusive.
He says the newest evidence of the cartouches supports the theory that Tutankhamun’s tomb is only the outer section of a much larger tomb still occupied by the remains of Nefertiti, the famous queen of Egypt.
“We’ve always been puzzled by Tutankhamun’s tomb because of its strange shape. It’s very small, and not what we’d expect of a king.”
He argues that the unexpected death of the young Tutankhamun less than a decade into his rule meant his burial was hurried.
Reeves said in 2015 when he first posited the theory, “if I’m wrong I’m wrong… we move on, but I think it’s something that we can’t just ignore because if I happen to be right, it will change everything.”
