Friday, March 18, 2016

Two hidden chambers in Tut's tomb?

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: Scans of King Tut's Tomb Reveal Evidence of Hidden Chambers. Excited by the new find, Egyptologists say they may have finally found the remains of famed Queen Nefertiti; 'it could be the discovery of the century' (Brian Rohan Mar/AP). Mamdouh el-Damaty, the Egyptian antiquities minister, continues to promote the possibility that there are hidden chambers in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. At the end of November, in a story I missed, it was reported that scans made by a Japanese team seemed to indicate this ("90%") and that they were being subjected to further analysis. That said, Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawass was very skeptical. It seems that the analysis has come back, and it reportedly indicates that there are two hidden chambers in the tomb and that they may contain metal and organic material.

This is potentially exciting, but I want to see the results published in a peer-review journal before I take it too seriously. As I said a few posts back on this story: "I am unqualified to evaluate the usefulness of the various technologies currently being applied to the question of hidden chambers in Tut's tomb, and I have no opinion about the question. Time and further testing will tell. I am following the reports to highlight that we're not at the point where technology allows us to have the conversation at all."

Background here and links.