Famed Archaeologist May Be Close to Finding Legendary Queen Nefertiti's Tomb

Although she is a famous Egyptian queen prized for her beauty, muchis not known about Nefertiti.

Her marriage is clear; Nefertiti "was the principal wife of the pharaoh Amenhotep IV (later Akhenaten), and lived in the 14th century BC," according to Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

However, a sparse record trail exists describing her "origins, her marriage, her family life, political status and death," the museum wrote. As a result, much of what is known about the queen is "conjecture." Finding Nefertiti's tomb would thus be a landmark discovery that could shed light on the queen's life and death. A famous archaeologist thinks he might be on the trail of finding it, although this is not certain.

The Famed Archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, Says Nefertiti Was 'the Most Important Queen of Egypt'

His name is Zahi Hawass, and Live Science Plusdescribes him as "perhaps the world's most famous archaeologist." Hawass says he "may be getting close" to discovering the location.

He opened up about the discovery in a news documentary.

"If I made this discovery, I think I would be happy to end my career with the most important discovery of the most important queen of Egypt — Queen Nefertiti," he said in the documentary The Man with the Hat, according to Live Science Plus. The documentary streams on January 20.

According to Live Science Plus, Hawass and his team are "excavating in the eastern Valley of the Kings, close to the tomb of Hatshepsut, a powerful female pharaoh who ruled between 1479 and 1458 B.C." They are hoping to find Nefertiti's tomb there also, although Hawass acknowledged to Live Science Plus that this is based on a feeling.

"There is one area now that we are working in the east valley, near the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut," Hawass told Live Science Plus. "I'm hoping that this could be the tomb of Queen Nefertiti."

According to Popular Archaeology, alternative theories exist about Nefertiti's final resting place. "Another theory suggests that Nefertiti’s mummy has already been found and is one of the unidentified female mummies (known as the 'Younger Lady') resting in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo," the site reported.

Queen Nefertiti's Cause of Death Is Not Clear

According to Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nefertiti married young and had six daughters.

Little is known about her death. "Since neither Nefertiti’s mummy nor that of her husband has yet been identified, the date and cause of her death remain unknown," the museum wrote. "Up until a few years ago, scholars believed that Nefertiti must have either died or been banished from the royal court shortly after the 12th year of Akhenaten’s reign, as her name no longer appears in later texts."

The museum added that, in 2012, "an inscription carved into a rock face was found in an ancient quarry 10 kilometres north of Amarna." It indicated that Nefertiti might have survived her husband. It's also possible that she ruled Egypt for a time herself, although this is not proven, although her power as a queen has been well-documented either way.

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