Hatshepsut Found: The Biggest Egyptology Discovery Since King Tutankhamen

Those interested in ancient Egyptian history will be delighted at the latest news in the field of Egyptology. Experts carrying out work in Egypt believe they have discovered the mummy of the legendary Hatshepsut, the most well known female pharaoh, reports the BBC.

If Egyptologists are correct their discovery will be the most impressive and celebrated find since the tomb of the famous Tutankhamen was discovered 85 years ago.

Dr. Zahi Hawass made the announcement about the discovery of Hatshepsut to a room full of excited journalists in Cairo. Hawass is the head of antiquities in Egypt.

For many years there has been numerous discussion about the mystery of Hatshepsut. Experts was been searching for the mummy in hopes that is would give them clues to how the female pharaoh died and why she disappeared. This discovery is extremely significant to finding more pieces of the puzzle.

Dr. Hawass told ITV news, "The discovery of the Hatshepsut mummy is one of the most important finds in the history of Egypt. Her reign during the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt was a prosperous one, yet mysteriously she was erased from Egyptian history. Our hope is that this mummy will help she light on this mystery and one the mysterious nature of her death."

History says that Hatshepsut was the second female pharaoh to have ruled Egypt. It is thought that her reign lasted for around 15 years, from 1473 to 1458 BC. Her rise to power was the result of her husband and also her half-brother, Tuthmosis II's death. The baby son of Tuthmosis II, Tuthmosis III, was next in line to rule but was still far to young. As a result Hatshepsut took the role of regent and managed to become pharaoh herself.

The mystery begins with her death and the heir, Tuthmosis III. Experts believe that Tuthmosis III wanted to eliminate any evidence that the male line of heirs was broken so when Hatshepsut died, Tuthmosis III tried to get rid of any evidence that she ever existed. Steps to achieve this included removing her name from records and taking statues of her down. Tuthmosis III even went as far as hiding Hatshepsut's mummy. Another piece of the mystery is how this legendary female pharaoh died.

Researchers have spent years searching for the mummy of Hatshepsut. They searched through thousands of unidentified mummies being kept at the Cairo Museum as well as in vast crypts around Egypt.

The search led Egyptologists to a tomb that was originally found in 1903 by Howard Carter, the man that found King Tutankhamun's tomb. Inside this tomb two female mummies were found. It was found that one of the mummies was a wet nurse of Hatshepsut's. The other mummy remained unidentified.

Carter, had a year before, found the tomb that had been built for Hatchepsut and her father, however when the tomb was explored some years later no remains were found inside.

The tomb where the wet nurse and unidentified mummy were found was left relatively unexplored as it was not a royal tomb. However, Hawass decided to pick up the search for Hatchepsut and went back to the tomb and took a close look at the unidentified mummy.

Scans on the mummy revealed that the woman was suffering an number of health problems including obesity, cancer and dental problems. It is thought that the mummy was between 45 to 60 years old when she died.

The biggest and most important piece of proof was one tooth. The tooth was found that was a perfect match for the mummy. Teeth are unique to each person and the all important tooth was found in a box. Other clues that made researchers think they had the right mummy was Hetchepsut's royal seal on a box containing a liver and the mummy's arm folded into a position used for royals

Sources

BBC report about Hatchepsut mummy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6244516.stm

ITV News report on this significant discouver
http://www.itv.com/news/world_1272e968d0228329628d53866310d706.html

Guardian report about the clue that revealed the truth about the muumy now thought to be Hetchepsut
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,2112583,00.html