The event was sold out, with a massive queue snaking around the Dome.
I was one of the minority with a reserved seat in the front stalls - all the people around me were expecting something a bit more academic.
We were treated to a video about Hatchepsut (edited highlights from the recent documentary), and then another general one of Hawass "highlights" before the man himself came to the podium.
Zahi is a fast talker! He managed to pitch things just about right - there were a lot of kids in the audience and I gather a lot of people with just a general interest in AE. He gave enough away to make it worthwhile for those who are committed to detail, but frustratingly one lady dominated the Q&A session, which he cut short.
New information:
Zahi and the team he first worked with at
The second tomb entrance is of 18th Dynasty style. I expected him to mention Tuthmosis II but he said he is expecting it to be someone related to Tut or Nefertiti. Some debris found in the clearance included mention of a queen so far not known to Egyptology (so he said!). A slide was VERY briefly shown of a fragment of something beige in colour with glphs on it. I meant to ask Zahi for the name of this queen (which he deliberately did not mention I'm sure) but did not have the chance. He said (as he has in prior interviews) that there are many tombs so far not identified - where are the
The implication was that Zahi's team think they have something new as the 21st Dynasty tomb restorers would not have been able to get to the tombs under the debris (some slides of massive boulders being moved were shown). Another slide showed a badly eroded staircase going down a slope; he used the phrase "up down" - KV65 is the tomb he is talking about in the guardians.net interview - the wording implies that there may be a third tomb - there is not. I think he means it is up the other side of the Valley and the stairs go down the Valley side.
Confusing. Graffitio and fragments have been found dating that site to Dynasty 18; the location and style of stairs indicate late Dynasty 18.
DNA Testing:
Of the fetuses he said one may be male - results to be published soon.
A lady in the audience was very persisitent asking detailed questions about the DNA testing - but nothing really new was forthcoming except that Zahi said they are working with definite identities (Yuya and Tuya plus Tut and AIII) and are filling in the gaps. The fetuses are crucial in this; in theory they should have some DNA from all, plus Nefertiti and Akhensamun. Apparently no question that Tut and Amenhotep III are closely related; this was interesting to me as I thought there was some doubt that his mummy had been correctly identified.
Tuthmosis 1st - definitely not the mummy that most have thought it was. Waiting for confirmation but Zahi believes Tuthmosis I to be the unidentified mummy with the very deformed face (been trying to find an image - he looks like a mummified caricature of Jimmy Hill with a very bad skin condition - almost looks like he's made of stone). Zahi said the mummy was found near the tomb of Seti II or Siptah, then corrected himself (and I can't now remember which way round it was).
Paul added that much of what he talked about was on his site already, in the interview on Hawass’s own site at:
http://guardians.net/spotlite/spotlite-hawass-2008.htm
Paul also says that thread below at Glyphdoctors shows where KV65 is being excavated. It's an old thread but the photos are worth another look considering what Dr. Hawass has talked about in the last few weeks. You will need to register for Glyphdoctors to read this thread if you are not already registered:
http://www.glyphdoctors.com/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=2156
2 comments:
Wow, the KV55 mummy may not be Akhenaten? Smenkhkare is the next likely suspect there, right? Very, very strange.
I think we are in for some surprises in the next few months! I think it's looking likely that Smenkhare was a male (and was in KV55) but that there was a female ruler Neferneferuaten also before Tutankhamun. We shall have to wait and see!
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