Searching for the tomb of Tutankhamun's wife Ankhesenamun

The area around the Valley of the Kings may contain more tombs, and Zahi Hawass believes he has found what may be the tomb of Ankhsenamun, who was daughter (and wife?) to Akhenaten, wife to Tutankhamen, and finally wife to Ay (possibly her grandfather?), who succeeded Tutankhamen.

An Egyptian archaeological mission led by renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass began excavation work in the Valley of the Monkeys, a section of the Valley of the Kings on Luxor’s west bank, to search for an 18th Dynasty tomb “probably” of the wife of the boy king Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun.
Mostafa Wazir, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities told Ahram Online that the team is working in the area near the tomb of king Ay, the successor of king Tutankhamun, in search of a yet unidentified 18th Dynasty tomb.
source

There's a lot more support for a tomb of Ankhsenamun being in this area - they've found "foundation deposits" - groups of sacred objects that were buried under or near buildings of significance (temples, mainly) If these are her caches, then they would have been placed after her tomb was finished (while she was still alive) but before her mortuary temple was constructed.

Radar indicates some sort of cavity in the area, which might be the tomb.

From a different story:

But the dig might be a dead end for the archaeologists, as Ankhesenamun was never mentioned again in records after her death and it was never revealed where she was buried. It was also common for Egyptian pharoahs to have multiple wives, some that were not recorded.

source

A rather breathless version of the same announcement from the Daily Mail pulls out all the stops... "tragic teenage wife", etc, etc.

Wikipedia gives a nice rundown of her life. The summary paragraphs from Wikipedia:

Ankhesenamun (ˁnḫ-s-n-imn, "Her Life Is of Amun"; c. 1348 – after 1322 BC) was a queen of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Born as Ankhesenpaaten, she was the third of six known daughters of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti, and became the Great Royal Wife of her half-brother Tutankhamun.[1] The change in her name reflects the changes in Ancient Egyptian religion during her lifetime after her father's death. Her youth is well documented in the ancient reliefs and paintings of the reign of her parents. Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun shared the same father but Tutankhamun's mother has recently been established by genetic evidence as one of Akhenaten's sisters, a daughter (so far unidentified) of Amenhotep III.

She was most likely born in year 4 of Akhenaten's reign and by year 12 of her father's reign she was joined by her three younger sisters. He possibly made his wife his co-regent and had his family portrayed in a realistic style in all official artwork.

Ankhesenamun was definitely married to one king; she was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. It is also possible that she was briefly married to Tutankhamun's successor, Ay, believed by some to be her maternal grandfather.[2] It has also been posited that she may have been the Great Royal Wife of her father, Akhenaten, after the possible death of her mother, and co-regent of Akhenaten's immediate successor, Smenkhkare.

Recent DNA tests released in February 2010 have also speculated that one of two late 18th dynasty queens buried in KV21 could be her mummy. Both mummies are thought, because of DNA, to be members of the ruling house.[3]
Wikipedia on Anksenamun

I hope they find her tomb intact. It would be highly significant - we haven't found an intact queen's burial and the goods there would help answer some of the confusion about the Amarna timeline.

edit on 18-1-2018 by Byrd because: (no reason given)

a reply to: Byrd

Very cool...

wasn't Akhenaten sort of erased from history for the most part?

IF they found his wife maybe it will have things related to said disappearing Pharaoh?

Thanks I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, interested in Akhenaten I am.

a reply to: Akragon

Yah I think the Egyptian priesthood killed him because they wanted to return to their pantheism of gods instead of the monotheistic Aten. So they wiped away most of his history.

originally posted by: SkeptiSchism
a reply to: Akragon

Yah I think the Egyptian priesthood killed him because they wanted to return to their pantheism of gods instead of the monotheistic Aten. So they wiped away most of his history.

Yes. In fact, they drowned him.

a reply to: AgarthaSeed

Yah history doesn't really record the extent of their power, they held almost as much power as the pharaohs.

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Byrd

Very cool...

wasn't Akhenaten sort of erased from history for the most part?

IF they found his wife maybe it will have things related to said disappearing Pharaoh?

Ah yes, and thereby hangs quite a tale. We're not sure of what all happened, but we do know that Akhenaten died, someone named Semenkare succeeded him for about a year or so, followed by "Neferneferuaten (who *MAY* be Nefertiti. The evidence is scanty and conflicting)... and then Tutankamun. Under Tut, the power of the Atenists waned quickly and the land went back to its former gods. Horemheb, Tut's general of the armies (and successor if there were no living children of his) was sent off to the Sinai to fight, and Tut died and Ay became king and the process of eliminating Akhenaten began (but not before Tut had his father's body moved to the Valley of the Kings.)

When Ay died, Horemheb succeeded to the throne and started wiping out all trace of the family (he was mightily peeved. He had Ay's tomb desecrated and his sarcophagus smashed to pieces.

originally posted by: SkeptiSchism
a reply to: Akragon

Yah I think the Egyptian priesthood killed him because they wanted to return to their pantheism of gods instead of the monotheistic Aten. So they wiped away most of his history.

They weren't that powerful until much later, and he was well guarded. They were not the ones who tried to wipe out his memory... it was Horemheb, who SHOULD have been the successor to Tutankamun (but was away fighting on a distant frontier when Tut died and the throne was essentially stolen from him.)

We do have what is believed to be Akhenaten's mummy (buried in KV 55)

originally posted by: SkeptiSchism
a reply to: AgarthaSeed

Yah history doesn't really record the extent of their power, they held almost as much power as the pharaohs.

Actually, we have a good picture of the power of Egyptian priesthood. By the 25th dynasty they become the kingmakers of the empire and hold so much power that they make and control policy. The pharaohs retaliated by forcing them to accept a member of the royal family as "the God's Wife of Amun" and these women eventually become some of the most powerful people in all of Egypt.

a reply to: Byrd
Thanks for sharing.

Why is Zahi Hawass back in the spotlight? I thought he was replaced as head honcho? Shouldn't he be chillin' out at the Alexandria beach sippin' non-alcoholic fruity beverages with tiny umbrellas in it?

Just marking.

Good find! Ancient Egypt is my favorite subject.

I’m an avid ancient Egytian researcher. The last 20 years, I have seen well over 100 hours of video with Zahi Hawass. How have they allowed this man to continue to excavate? Zahi is one of the most pompous suppressors of archeological knowledge that our planet holds. I celebrated when he was removed as Minister of Antiquities.

Although this find is about Tutankhamun’s wife, I would never want Hawass heading any archeological dig, regarding anything to do with Akhenaten’s legacy. Akhenaten’s legend / history is shrouded in mystery. If Hawass were to uncover any truths regarding Akhenaten’s reign, or post reign — you can guarantee that he would Supress it, for the sake of his own dogmatic religious beliefs. Just recently, Hawass was asked on his thoughts about Gobekli Tepe. He had no idea what it was. Convenient for a man that believes our history dates back only 6k years.😏

Hawass is a leader of a multi layered generational class of archeologists that need to retire... and never be heard from again.

Regardless, I hope someone finds this tomb in tact and shares EVERYTHING found to the public. Thanks for the post!

a reply to: MaxTamesSiva

He should be, but just because he lost his last job doesn't mean that he's still not an archaeologist.

a reply to: SlapMonkey
I'm not suggesting for Zahi Hawass to sunbathe all day and drink beverages at Alexandria beach for the rest of his life and not participate or even lead a dig.

How would you feel if you're in the shoes of the current Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities if you read the article that Byrd linked? Petty? Yes, but I'm just curious. Whatever happened to a little sense of academic courtesy? Doesn't he trust his own colleagues and protégés and try to keep a low profile? Is Zahi Hawass so highly respected in the academia?

Why is the article written that way? To announce that he's back?... How about:

Mostafa Wazir, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities told Ahram Online that a team of archaeological mission led by renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is working in the area near the tomb of king Ay, the successor of king Tutankhamun, in search of a yet unidentified 18th Dynasty tomb.

Is it better even if it was all Hawass that was quoted in the short article?

Forgive my pettiness, I'm not also a fan of the guy.

originally posted by: MaxTamesSiva
a reply to: Byrd
Thanks for sharing.

Why is Zahi Hawass back in the spotlight? I thought he was replaced as head honcho? Shouldn't he be chillin' out at the Alexandria beach sippin' non-alcoholic fruity beverages with tiny umbrellas in it?

He's an archaeologist. He's been doing lectures for awhile, but he has also been doing some research and trying to shepherd the new Cairo Museum into existence (and they need it badly. The current museum's collections and displays are a real mess - and I say this as someone who's been there and tried to find items in their collection.)

He applied for the "firman" (permission to dig) and got together a team. He was granted the firman.

This is not terribly unusual. The Egyptian government, in an effort to encourage the people of Egypt to take an interest in their heritage and preserve rather than destroy or sell, gives preference to teams headed by Egyptians or teams where Egyptian archaeologists are part of the professional staff.

originally posted by: KKLOCO
If Hawass were to uncover any truths regarding Akhenaten’s reign, or post reign — you can guarantee that he would Supress it, for the sake of his own dogmatic religious beliefs.

Are you kidding? He loves attention. He'd be the first to announce anything verifiable. This is one of the most contested periods of Egyptian history, and therefore discoveries made about the time period would be of intense interest to everyone. If there's anything to be found, he'll announce it.

Just recently, Hawass was asked on his thoughts about Gobekli Tepe. He had no idea what it was. Convenient for a man that believes our history dates back only 6k years.😏

Just because someone's an archaeologist it doesn't mean that they know everything about ancient history. His specialty is Egyptian history (only) and in particular the New Kingdom era. He doesn't know anything about Puma Punku, Gobekli Tepe, Stonehenge, or anything else. Likewise, archaeologists who are expert in Incan or Aztec architecture don't know a blessed thing about Gobekli Tepe, Amarna, Giza, etc.

The reason for this is that there is so much (and we're talking libraries full of detailed information) to learn that they don't have time to focus on things not related to their fields. Think of the medical field... how we have specialists (cardiologists, etc)... or physics (you no longer have general physicists but particle physicists and thermodynamics physicists and physicists who study optics and so forth.

Lord lets hope they dont find that chick shes like into her Mummy's
and they are into world destruction .

a reply to: Byrd

I couldn’t agree with you more about Hawass loving attention. My thought is, would he present — whatever he found — with an open mind. Particularly if it goes against the grain of his religious beliefs. He has an intense way of denying / shutting someone down, if anything is suggested otherwise.

That is why I brought up Gobekli Tepe (GT). I don’t believe he doesn’t know what it is. I believe he can’t understand it. So he discards it as to not have to confront the glaring issue of its age.

Your point on Hawass and GT makes sense though. I can only imagine the amount of info there is to retain on Egypt alone. I am sure you have spent years studying and retaining knowledge on Egypt. I have been on ATS for 9 years, reading your threads Byrd. I appreciate them wholeheartedly. It’s been a pleasure having your expertise here!

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: Byrd

I couldn’t agree with you more about Hawass loving attention. My thought is, would he present — whatever he found — with an open mind. Particularly if it goes against the grain of his religious beliefs. He has an intense way of denying / shutting someone down, if anything is suggested otherwise.

Eh, that's partly because of his background. I don't see any sign that he's particularly religious (one of the things you look for is that among Muslim men in Egypt, the very devout will have a slight discoloration/callus on their foreheads from touching the ground during prayers. I've seen the mark on others. I did not see it on him (I sat at the same dinner table with him.)

That is why I brought up Gobekli Tepe (GT). I don’t believe he doesn’t know what it is. I believe he can’t understand it. So he discards it as to not have to confront the glaring issue of its age.

Heck, I wouldn't know about it if I hadn't been reading about it here on ATS. It wasn't covered in my archaeology courses (which dealt with the archaeology of Texas) and it wasn't in my Egyptology courses (too early to be relateable to Egyptian archaeology.)

A similar example would be someone who's a top-notch racing car mechanic. They might not even know about early steam engine tricycles.

Your point on Hawass and GT makes sense though. I can only imagine the amount of info there is to retain on Egypt alone. I am sure you have spent years studying and retaining knowledge on Egypt. I have been on ATS for 9 years, reading your threads Byrd. I appreciate them wholeheartedly. It’s been a pleasure having your expertise here!

Thank you. I'm still learning. I have a 3 year degree in Egyptology but that only shows me how darn little I know.

Considering there never was a Tomb for Tut I wouldnt get too excited about modern day "discoveries". The field hasn't gotten any more honest over time



And yes you need to watch this.