oyuki

Monday, June 25, 2007

Hatshepsut Found?

Stay tuned for on Wednesday our favorite Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass is going to announce if they have found Hatshepsut's mummy. Quick recap in the 18th Dynasty a Pharaoh died leaving only a minor son to follow him so Hatshepsut was made regent. Well she took up the two crowns of Egypt along with crook&flail to become the first female Pharaoh. Then rapidly after her death her successor Tuthmosis III set about wiping out all traces of her rule. The most prominent monuments left of her rule is one obelisk standing and Deir al-Bahri.

Dr. Hawass is going to comment on the mystery of the two female mummies that had been found in KV-60. KV-60 was first excavated in 1903 by Howard Carter, then again in 1906, and and again in 1989 after being re-discovered. One of the mummies is thought to be Hatshepsut's nurse - in the article she is named Sitre In while Dr. Week's Theban Mapping Project site names her Sit-Ra, possibly called In. One mummy was left in situ according to Dr. Week's while the other is in the Cairo Museum, but now it seems both are in the Cairo Museum.

It shall be interesting to see what emerges from this news conference.

Well can I saw how unimpressed I was with this 'exciting' discovery. The unknown obese mummy in KV60 is missing a molar. Examination of a molar contained in a little box with Hatshepsut's name, recovered in a cache of royal mummies in 1881, concluded it was an almost perfect match of the mummy's missing molar. Dr. Hawass, next time wait until the DNA tests are in.

2 comments:

Mike's America said...

Hawass is quite the showman... Too bad I missed this show. I'm sure they'll repeat it a couple dozen times.

Anna said...

I fear Dr. Hawass has become the PT Barnum of Egyptology and Discovery is happy to oblige.