Dr. Zahi Hawass, Head of Egypt′s Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced that he believes tomb KV63 - first discovered in the Valley of the Kings in February - belongs to Queen Kiya, mother of King Tutankhamun. A result of thorough investigations, an extensive battery of scientific tests and a comprehensive timeline analysis, the tomb′s identity was revealed at a press conference in Luxor, Egypt.
"Eighty-three years, three months, and six days exactly to Howard Carter′s discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun, I announce today my belief that KV63 is indeed the tomb of King Tutankhamun′s mother, Queen Kiya," stated Dr. Zahi Hawass. "The identification of KV63 as the final resting place of Queen Kiya helps to solve the riddle of the location of King Tutankhamun′s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. KV63 faces KV62, making it clear that the tomb was for someone near and dear to King Tutankhamun."
KING TUT′S MYSTERY TOMB OPENED is the second program following the groundbreaking discoveries being made by Dr. Hawass and Dr. Otto Schaden, head of the University of Memphis archaeological team, who originally uncovered KV63. This one-hour exclusive special tracks the intense emotional and scientific investigation into the identity of the first tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings in more than 80 years.
"The unveiling of KV63 is an important moment in history, and being able to chronicle such an amazing find on film makes this one of the most significant Discovery Quest projects to date," said Jane Root, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Discovery Channel, The Science Channel, Military Channel and Discovery Times Channel, U.S.
Historical evidence shows that Queen Kiya died giving birth to King Tutankhamun in Amarna. Dr. Hawass and Dr. Schaden theorize that the boy pharaoh secretly ordered his mother′s tomb be moved from Amarna to the Valley of the Kings, and that prior to his death, King Tutankhamun requested to be buried near his mother.
Dr. Hawass′ announcement is based on initial findings that include:
* A coffin that contained gilded collars ornamented with flowers like those placed on the deceased, sticks, golden shreds, clay fragments and a number of linen pieces, unlike other linen scraps previously discovered
* The face depicted on one of the wooden sarcophagi in KV63, which closely resembles the face on King Tutankhamun′s coffin, especially in the nose and cheeks
* Seals and inscriptions that include "PA-ATEN," which an Egyptian expert believes is part of the former name given to Tutankhamun′s wife, and point directly to the time of King Tutankhamun
* A ceremonial bowl and additional pottery shards that exactly match those found in King Tutankhamun′s tomb, including identical hieroglyphics messages.
Discovery Channel will present KING TUT′S MYSTERY TOMB OPENED Sunday, July 9 at 9 PM ET/PT.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, was recently named one of Time Magazine′s "100 Most Influential People." Dr. Hawass is the most influential archaeologist in Egypt, responsible for supervising his own excavations as well as the work of foreign expeditions to all of the sites under his jurisdiction. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, has taught at the University of California in Los Angeles, Cairo University, and the American University in Cairo, and lectures widely throughout the world.
