Who’s Buried in King Tut's Tomb?

For more than a year, technicians equipped with lasers and radar scanners have been exploring Egypt’s most famous tomb. They’re on a mission to unravel a mystery: Did the mummy of Tutankhamen (too-tong-KAH-mun), also known as King Tut, have company in his tomb? 

A prominent archaeologist thinks so. He theorizes that the mummy of another legendary figure, Queen Nefertiti, lies hidden behind one wall of Tut’s final resting place.

The possibility has shaken the world of Egyptology. “It could be the discovery of the century,” said Mamdouh el-Damaty, a former government official in charge of guarding Egypt’s antiquities. Such a find could also provide a much-needed tourism boost to a country plagued by political instability and terrorism in recent years.

British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves proposed the theory last year after studying new laser scans of Tut’s burial chamber—one of four rooms in the 3,300-year-old tomb, which is located in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. On two walls, Reeves noticed faint lines and other clues that could indicate doors to two other rooms. One of them, he says, may lead to the burial chamber of Nefertiti, who is thought to be Tut’s stepmother. It might even be that the tomb itself was originally the queen’s.

Though tantalizing, Reeves’s theory has its doubters. This past spring, a conference on Tutankhamen in Cairo, Egypt’s capital, turned into a debate over the idea that Nefertiti could be buried with him.

The fact that this tomb has become the source of such controversy nearly a century after its discovery reflects the world’s fascination with ancient Egypt—and, in particular, with Tut and Nefertiti. 

For more than a year, technicians equipped with lasers and radar scanners have been exploring Egypt’s most famous tomb. They’re on a mission to unravel a mystery: Did the mummy of Tutankhamen (too-tong-KAH-mun), also known as King Tut, have company in his tomb?

A leading archaeologist thinks so. He believes the mummy of Queen Nefertiti lies hidden behind one wall of Tut’s tomb. Queen Nefertiti is another legendary figure.

The possibility has shaken the world of Egyptology. “It could be the discovery of the century,” said Mamdouh el-Damaty. He is a former government official in charge of guarding Egypt’s antiquities. Such a find could also provide a much-needed tourism boost to the country. (Egypt has been affected by political instability in recent years.)

British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves proposed the theory last year after studying new laser scans of Tut’s burial chamber. The burial chamber is one of four rooms in the 3,300-year-old tomb. The tomb is located in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. On two walls, Reeves noticed faint lines and other clues that could indicate doors to two other rooms. One of them may lead to the burial chamber of Nefertiti, he says. Nefertiti is thought to be Tut’s stepmother. It might even be that the tomb itself was originally the queen’s.

Though exciting, Reeves’s theory has its doubters. In spring 2016, there was a conference on King Tut in Cairo. That is Egypt’s capital. The conference turned into a debate over the idea that Nefertiti could have been buried with Tut.

The tomb has become the source of great controversy nearly a century after its discovery. This reflects the world’s fascination with ancient Egypt—and, in particular, with Tut and Nefertiti. 

History records little about King Tutankhamen. Experts think he took the throne around 1333 B.C., at age 9, and died just 10 years later at 19. Tut ruled shortly after the pharaoh Akhenaton, who was probably his father. Nefertiti, Akhenaton’s main wife, was likely his stepmother. Tut’s birth mother may have been his father’s sister, now known only as the Younger Lady.

Or not. Little about Tutankhamen is known for sure, including what might have killed him at such a young age. In fact, Tut might be completely unknown if not for the discovery of his treasure-filled tomb 94 years ago. 

From about 1500 B.C. to 1000 B.C., Egypt’s rulers were buried in the remote Valley of the Kings. Their tombs were tunneled deep into the valley’s limestone cliffs, with the entrances hidden to keep out thieves. But that didn’t stop tomb raiders through the ages from seeking the riches buried with  the royal families. By the time archaeologists began excavating the graves in the 19th century, they found that they had all been disturbed. 

Then in 1922, after years of searching, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered Tut’s tomb. Hidden by thick sediment from floods and the debris from other excavations, it had remained untouched. 

Carter was amazed by what he found there. “The glint of gold” was everywhere—in the form of statues, a mask, jewelry, a throne, and even a coffin. Many other items, including games and chariots, had been left for the king to use in the afterlife. 

It was, Carter wrote, like looking into the storage room of “a vanished civilization.” It would take him six years to catalog about 5,000 items. (Scientists are still learning new things about them—they recently discovered that an iron dagger buried with Tut was likely made from a meteorite.)

As breathless news reports followed the tomb opening, people around the world were swept up in “Tut-mania.” In the U.S., they went wild for everything—jewelry, clothes, hairstyles, even songs—that had anything to do with Tut or Egypt. 

Carter became famous, the Indiana Jones of his day. So did his profession. Generations of archaeologists since have owed their calling to ­Carter’s dramatic discovery.

History records little about King Tutankhamen. Experts think he took the throne around 1333 B.C., at age 9. They estimate he died just 10 years later at age 19. Tut ruled shortly after the pharaoh Akhenaton, who was probably his father. Nefertiti, Akhenaton’s main wife, was likely his stepmother. Tut’s birth mother may have been his father’s sister. She is now known only as the Younger Lady.

Or not. Little about Tutankhamen is known for sure. What might have killed him at such a young age remains unknown. In fact, Tut might be completely unknown if not for the discovery of his treasure-filled tomb 94 years ago.

From about 1500 B.C. to 1000 B.C., Egypt’s rulers were buried in the remote Valley of the Kings. Their tombs were tunneled deep into the valley’s limestone cliffs. The entrances were hidden to keep out thieves. But that didn’t stop tomb raiders through the ages from seeking the riches buried with the royal families. By the time archaeologists began exploring the graves in the 19th century, they found that they had all been disturbed.

Then in 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered Tut’s tomb. It was hidden by thick sediment from floods and the debris from other excavations. The tomb had remained untouched.

Carter was amazed by what he found there. “The glint of gold” was everywhere. It was seen in the form of statues, a mask, jewelry, a throne, and even a coffin. Many other items, including games and chariots, had been left for the king to use in the afterlife.

Carter wrote that it was like looking into the storage room of “a vanished civilization.” It would take him six years to catalog about 5,000 items. (Scientists are still learning new things about them. They recently discovered that an iron dagger buried with Tut was likely made from a meteorite.)

News reports followed the tomb opening. People around the world were swept up in “Tut-mania.” In the U.S., they went wild for everything that had anything to do with Tut or Egypt. That included jewelry, clothes, hairstyles, and even songs.

Carter quickly became famous. So did his profession. Generations of archaeologists since have owed their calling to Carter’s dramatic discovery.

For Egyptologists today, finding Nefertiti’s mummy would be just as important as the discovery of Tut’s tomb. It would be good news for Egypt as well. The nation has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. It is also reeling from a series of terrorist attacks, including the downing of a Russian airliner by ISIS over the Sinai Peninsula last October, which killed 224 people. A major archaeological find might help rescue Egypt’s tourism industry, which has been devastated by the instability. 

Queen Nefertiti, whose name means “the beautiful one has come,” was married to King Akhenaton (reigned 1353 B.C. to 1336 B.C.). He created a major upheaval by switching worship from Egypt’s main god, Amon, to Aton, god of the sun. Nefertiti played a key role in the new religion, serving as a priest along with her husband.

But after having six daughters, the queen disappeared from history. Where did she go? According to one theory, Nefertiti was a co-ruler with her husband late in his life. Then, when Akhenaton died, she took a man’s name and briefly served as sole pharaoh. Historians seem to agree that Nefertiti had died by ­1333 B.C., when Tut became pharaoh. 

Nicholas Reeves theorizes that after Nefertiti died, she was interred in the tomb now known as Tut’s. When Tut died suddenly a decade later, it’s possible that a tomb hadn’t been built for him yet. The royal court may have dealt with the problem by walling off Nefertiti’s burial chamber and placing Tutankhamen in an outer room. 

As evidence, Reeves notes that Tut’s four-room tomb is smaller than that of other kings. He also points to details of the painted scenes on the burial chamber wall that show a pharaoh making his journey to the afterworld. Perhaps this journey was originally Nefertiti’s, Reeves says, but was altered to make it look like Tut’s. 

For Egyptologists today, finding Nefertiti’s mummy would be just as important as the discovery of Tut’s tomb. It would be good news for Egypt as well. The nation has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. It is also reeling from a series of terrorist attacks. These include the downing of a Russian airliner by ISIS over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015. That attack killed 224 people. Egypt’s tourism industry has been devastated by the instability. A major archaeological find might help rescue the industry.

Queen Nefertiti’s name means “the beautiful one has come.” She was married to King Akhenaton. He ruled from 1353 B.C. to 1336 B.C. Akhenaton created a major upheaval by switching worship from Egypt’s main god, Amon, to Aton. Aton is the god of the sun. Nefertiti played a key role in the new religion. She served as a priest along with her husband.

But after having six daughters, the queen disappeared from history. Where did she go? According to one theory, Nefertiti was a co-ruler with her husband late in his life. When Akhenaton died, she took a man’s name. She briefly served as sole pharaoh. Historians seem to agree that Nefertiti had died by 1333 B.C., when Tut became pharaoh.

Reeves believes that after Nefertiti died, she was buried in the tomb now known as Tut’s. When Tut died suddenly a decade later, it’s possible that a tomb hadn’t been built for him yet. The royal court may have dealt with the problem by walling off Nefertiti’s burial chamber and placing Tutankhamen in an outer room.

As evidence, Reeves notes that Tut’s four-room tomb is smaller than that of other kings. He also points to details of the painted scenes on the burial chamber wall. They show a pharaoh making his journey to the afterworld. Reeves says that perhaps this journey was originally Nefertiti’s. But it was altered to make it look like Tut’s. 

So far, tests to confirm Reeves’s ­theory have proved inconclusive. Two separate radar scans of Tut’s burial chamber walls contradict each other about whether there could be additional rooms behind them.

Before officials make a move, they “will have to do far more scanning,” says Joyce Tyldesley, an Egyptologist from the United Kingdom. “If there is good evidence to suggest that there is indeed a chamber,” she says, “they will have to consider drilling a small hole and inserting a camera.”

That’s not likely to happen soon. Egypt’s antiquities minister has called for a commission to study the situation. He’s under a great deal of pressure to avoid damage to a 3,300-year-old World Heritage Site.

Meanwhile, many experts remain doubtful about Reeves’s theory. Tyldesley believes it’s likely that Tut’s tomb was meant to be larger. But “I would be very surprised if there was a complete burial chamber hidden behind the wall,” she says, “and even more surprised if it held Nefertiti.”

Other Egyptologists, such as John Darnell of Yale University in Connecticut, are eager to investigate. He says there’s evidence that Tut moved the body of Akhenaton to the Valley of the Kings from another location. Perhaps Tut did the same with his stepmother, placing her in what would later become his own tomb. 

“Reeves’s suggestion that Nefertiti might be behind [the wall of the burial chamber] is not so random as one might think,” says Darnell.

For his part, Reeves has taken the debate over his theory in stride. “If I’m wrong, I’m wrong,” he told the BBC. “But if I’m right, the prospects are frankly staggering.”

So far, tests to confirm Reeves’s theory have proved inconclusive. Two separate radar scans of Tut’s burial chamber walls were performed. They contradict each other about whether there could be additional rooms behind them.

Before officials make a move, they “will have to do far more scanning,” says Joyce Tyldesley. She is an Egyptologist from the United Kingdom. “If there is good evidence to suggest that there is indeed a chamber,” she says, “they will have to consider drilling a small hole and inserting a camera.”

That’s not likely to happen soon. Egypt’s antiquities minister has called for a study of the situation. He’s under a great deal of pressure to avoid damage to a 3,300-year-old World Heritage Site.

Meanwhile, many experts remain doubtful about Reeves’s theory. Tyldesley believes it’s likely that Tut’s tomb was meant to be larger. But “I would be very surprised if there was a complete burial chamber hidden behind the wall,” she says. “And even more surprised if it held Nefertiti.”

Other Egyptologists are eager to investigate. One is John Darnell of Yale University in Connecticut. He says there’s evidence that Tut moved the body of Akhenaton to the Valley of the Kings from another location. Perhaps Tut did the same with his stepmother. He may have placed her in what would later become his own tomb.

“Reeves’s suggestion that Nefertiti might be behind [the wall of the burial chamber] is not so random as one might think,” says Darnell.

For his part, Reeves has taken the debate over his theory in stride. “If I’m wrong, I’m wrong,” he told the BBC. “But if I’m right, the prospects are frankly staggering.”