Researchers from the
Archaeo-Physics department of the Turin Polytechnic have been
authorized by the Egyptian government almost a year after they
made the request to conduct geo-radar studies inside
Tutankhamen's tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings.
The Polytechnic noted that, according to a theory by the
British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, the burial place of the
pharaoh - known especially for the funerary treasure buried with
him including a mask that has gained iconic status - could be
part of a larger tomb possibly belonging to Nefertiti, an
Egyptian queen whose semblance is preserved in a bust exhibited
in Berlin.
Measurements will be taken from January 31 to February 6 to
"determine whether there are empty spaces and/or halls hidden
behind the walls of Tutankhamen's funerary chamber", which the
specialist refer to using the code KV62.
The coordinator of the research group, Franco Porcelli, said
that advanced radar systems would be used to find out with 99%
accuracy whether "hidden structures of archaeological importance
are next to Tutankhamen's tomb".
The measurements will be then be looked at alongside the
presence of suspected cavities in the rock face a few meters
from KV6, a cavity that "were found by the research group in May
of last year using a different, non-invasive technique outside
Tutankhamen's tomb, based on the three-dimensional mapping of
electrical resistance levels of the underground".
However, the geo-radar measurements that will be taken in
February will show whether the suspected cavities are connected
with KV62, the statement noted.
The team of experts belongs to two departments of the
Piedmont region state polytechnic: the Applied Sciences and
Technology Department and the Environmental, Territorial and
Infrastructure Engineering Department, in "collaboration with
personnel from the University of Turin's Earth Sciences
Department".
The collaboration also includes two Italian private
companies: Turin-based 3DGeoimaging and Livorno-headquartered
Geostudi Astier, as well as the UK's Terravision and - as
Egyptology consultant - the Italian Archaeological Center of
Cairo.
Experts from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities will also
be helping out under former minister Mamdouh Eldamaty.
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