The Tomb number 55 in the Valley of the Kings
Tomb number 55 in the Valley of the Kings is a mysterious tomb. Inside, in fact, lies a sarcophagus with a still uncertain identity...
Tomb number 55 in the Valley of the Kings is a mysterious tomb.
Inside it, in fact, is a sarcophagus whose identity is still uncertain. Such a sarcophagus, according to the latest speculation, seems to have been built for a woman, probably Queen Teie wife of Amenhotep III. It was later adapted to the body of a ruler as confirmed by the uraeus, false beard, scepter and flagellum.
The mummy contained within, first recognized as that of a woman, is actually that of a young man, who probably died around the age of 25 (Joyce Filer). Some scholars identify the body with Pharaoh Smenkhara, Akhenaten's co-regent in the last two years of his reign.
The reasons why Smenkhara was buried in Thebes lie in a possible attempt to reconcile with the clergy of Thebes after Akhenaten's controversial religious reform. Evidence, though not conclusive, that the tomb was Smenkhara's is provided by Connelly, a famous radiologist. He, after examining the body found surprising analogies between the corpse in tomb 55 and Tutankhamun. In fact, the AZ and MN elements found in the blood are common to both mummies, and a computer reconstruction of the face reveals an amazing similarity.
The cartouches on the sarcophagus have been carefully erased, while the funerary mask, from which the identity of the corpse could perhaps have been recognized, was removed for some mysterious reason. The numerous objects found in the tomb unquestionably place it in the Amarnian period.
Some researchers hypothesize that the deceased might have been Akhenaten himself (who, however, died around the age of 40) whose cartouches were destroyed and the sarcophagus ruined as a sign of contempt for his anti-Theban policy, as indeed was the case with all evidence of his reign.
Story of a discovery
After discussions with Davis, Ayrton obtained permission to begin excavations south of the tomb of Ramesses IX. It is January 1, 1907 when the excavations begin.
Ayrton first finds vases and then discovers a set of steps leading to the entrance of a tomb. The seals on the door prove unequivocally that this was a royal tomb. After careful examination, Chief Inspector Arthur Weigall, who arrived on the scene as soon as he received the news, concludes that the wall was erected after the construction of the tomb, which therefore must have already been ransacked.
A corridor is opened, but progress is made difficult by the presence of much rubble. At the end of the corridor, a wooden panel with a gold leaf depicted is discovered. The panel is cracked and has allowed rainwater to seep through. The tomb promises to be very interesting, but also very delicate.
Photographers and restorers are called in to try to witness and safeguard the integrity of the tomb. On the right side of the passage to enter the tomb a name is noticed: Teie. Teie is the bride of Amenhotep III and the mother of Akhenaten.
Davis gets carried away and decides to advance quickly toward the burial chamber. An unadorned room opens to him with pieces of wood, bits of gold leaf and other objects on the floor. In the center is a beautiful sarcophagus made partly of gold and filled with more or less precious stones. It is the sarcophagus of Queen Teie.
Other objects are then found such as canopic jars, a panel depicting Akhenaten worshipping the god Aton. The face of the sarcophagus is a mysteriously torn gold mask having a wooden base. Only an eyebrow and part of the right eye remain.
Exacerbating the tomb's already precarious condition is Davis's expedition, which without any precautions even ruins the mummy. By 1907 the tomb is completely emptied by thieves and by Davis himself.
The mummy is further damaged by Davis who knocks out its teeth. The body, in a queen's position with the right arm along the side and the left arm folded across the chest, is examined. The bones are also examined. There seems to be no doubt: the corpse belongs to a woman.
Other examinations are later carried out, however, which prove that the corpse is that of a man who died between the ages of 20 and 30. Some Egyptologists claim that that was Akhenaten's tomb offered to him by his mother Teie. The sarcophagus, originally built for Nefertiti, was adopted by Akhenaten, who assumed the female position to symbolize the royal couple. Author of the transfer of Akhenaten's corpse from Tell-El-Amarna would have been his heir Tutankhamun.
Other scholars claim that those are the remains of Smenkhara, Akhenaten's co-regent during his last two years of reign. He would have replaced the now deceased figure of Nefertiti.
To this day the authorship of the tomb and the mummy remains shrouded in mystery. There has been too much looting and damage to establish with certainty its ownership.
