Tutankhamun rose to the throne of Egypt at a time of religious crisis. Tutankhamun's coffin, which was buried with him on his death in 1326BC, is on display at the Saatchi gallery Whether Ankhesenamun’s final resting place will ever be discovered remains a mystery. ‘We also suspect that the other KV 21 mummy could be of Nefertiti.’ ‘Using modern DNA techniques, we are examining the two female queen mummies found in KV 21 because one of them, the headless one, might possibly be of Ankhesenamun due to the preliminary studies,’ he said, reports the Daily Telegraph.
However, speaking in London last week he admitted that KV21 may in fact be her tomb. In 2018 Egyptian archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass started digging in a different location in the VAlley of the monkeys, next to the Valley of the Kings, claiming that this could be the location of her burial chamber. In a third twist, it could also mean that Ankhesenamun’s father was not Akhenaten. This could mean that the mummy is not Ankhesenamun but an unknown wife of Tutankhamun, or that the KV55 mummy is not Akhenaten.
However, there is a problem with this identification as the KV55 mummy she was buried with is probably not Akhenaten, as the two don’t match. In 2018, Egyptologist Zawi Hawass began digging for a royal tomb in the nearby Valley of the Monkeys, which he claimed could have belonged to AnkhesenamunĭNA tests done on two mummies found in tomb KV21 in the Valley of the Kings, which was first found in 1817, suggested that one of the two was the mother of the twins found in Tutankhamun’s tom, and therefore Ankhesenamun. General Horemheb had seized the throne and, with his new power, set about eradicating the names of all major figures associated with the dynasty she was part of. Although no official record of their marriage survives, an inscribed ring and gold foil fragment from the Valley of the Kings depicts the pair’s khartouches, or symbols, together.įour years later following Ay’s death Ankhesenamun disappears from the historical record. It is at this point that Ankhesenamun is believed to have married courtier Ay, who was able to become heir after burying Pharaoh Tutankhamun. The prince died enroute, causing further fighting between the Egyptians and the Hittites. But, when he returned the following spring with a more urgent message, they decided to send a prince. Suspecting a trap, the Hittites sent an emissary. Never shall I pick out a servant of mine and make him my husband!.I am afraid!' 'You might give me one of your sons to become my husband. 'My husband has died and I have no son. They say about you that you have many sons. Translated from a clay tablet saved by the Hittite Empire it reads, according to historian Brian Haughton who is the author of Hidden History: Their annals record the arrival of a letter from an unnamed Egyptian Queen who had been recently widowed. The pair also had twin daughters who were stillborn, their mummified remains found buried in jars inside the pharaoh’s tomb.Īfter Tutankhamun died when she was around 24 years old, Ankhesenamun is believed to have written to Egypt’s enemy, the Hittites, asking them to send a prince for her to marry. Ankhesenamun wears a white shawl as she attends her husband and half-brother King Tutankhamun, who is sitting on a chair