Posted for Tim Sands
At the risk of turning The Great Beyond into a celebrity gossip sheet, which extravagantly-masked leader is currently having paternity tests conducted on two children suspected of being his offspring?
This is the widely reported news that Egyptian scientists are conducting DNA paternity tests on two foetuses found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The stillborn foetuses were found by Howard Carter when he discovered the tomb in 1922 and have remained in storage ever since, having never been put on display or studied (AP).
It has always been assumed that the children were his, DNA testing should settle matter (and lay to rest questions over his fertility).
The testing is part of a larger program to test the relations between hundreds of Egyptian mummies. This is of immense interest to Egyptologists as the precise identity of Tutankhamun’s parentage is unclear.
Agence France-Presse quotes the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass: “The study aims at identifying the lineage and the family of king Tutankhamun, particularly his parents. The DNA test and the CT scan may also help to identify the foetuses’ mother.” (AFP.)
It is believed that the mother may be Tutankhamun’s wife Ankhesenamun. Ankhesenamun was the daughter of Queen Nefertiti, whose mummy has never been identified. If these are King Tut’s children then it may allow archaeologists to use genetics to identify Nefertiti among the dozens of mummies that are due to be tested. Just to clarify family relations here, Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun both share the same father and are possibly both Nefertiti’s children too.
If the children are unrelated to Tutankhamun, one theory is that the foetuses were placed in his tomb to allow him to “live as a newborn in the afterlife”, according to the Supreme Council of Antiquities (PA).
Ashraf Selim, a radiologist on the team said, “We want to find out the truth and facts relevant to the history of these kings.”
What? Do they mean The Mummy is not historically accurate?
There is no news yet as to when the tests will be complete and there is some doubt as to whether the tests will produce the desired results. Hawass’ predecessor Abdel-Halim Nour el-Deen pointed to difficulties with DNA testing on mummies: “It is doubtful that it could produce a scientific result to determine such important issues such as the lineage of pharaohs.” (AP.) It is Hawass’ policy to only allow Egyptians to conduct the tests, so it is unclear whether the results, when they arrive, will be verified by other labs.
And finally, a big collective groan for CBC’s headline, “Was mummy a daddy?”
Image: Jon Bodsworth