BIA

JANVIER 2015
stones. The emblems — on the forehead, a
vulture and a cobra, and on the shoulders,
falcon heads — depict the symbols of the Two
Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt and of divine
authority. The vulture Nekhbet and the cobra
Wadjet were thought to protect the pharaoh.
(Nevine El-Aref, “‘Cover-up’ claims denied”, Al-
Ahram Weekly, January 29, 2015. Voir
également Husâm al-Mahmûd, « Le masque de
Toutankhamon abîmé au Musée Égyptien », al-
‘Arabî al-Gadîd, 18 janvier ; AP, “Beard of
Egypt’s King Tut hastily glued back on with
epoxy”, Ahram Online, January 21 ; Nevine El-
Aref, “Archaeological committee to inspect
'glued' Tutankhamun’s gold mask and beard”,
Ahram Online, January 22 ; Fâtima Zaydân,
« La restauration erronée défigure le masque
de Toutankhamon », al-Masrî al-Yawm, 23
janvier ; Dîna ‘Abd al-‘Alîm, « Les restaurateurs
de Toutankhamon déférés devant le Parquet »,
al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 24 janvier ; Ahmad Mansûr,
« Le ministère de l’Archéologie organise une
conférence de presse sur la crise de
Toutankhamon », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 24 janvier ;
« Le ministre de l’Archéologie reconnaît la
détérioration du masque de Toutankhamon »,
al-‘Arabî al-Gadîd, 24 janvier ; Muna Yâsîn,
« Crime au Musée Égyptien », al-Masrî al-
Yawm, 25 janvier ; Nevine, El-Aref, “International
museum body demands answers over
Tutankhamen damage”, Ahram Online, January
25 ; Alâ’ ‘Uthmân, « Les restaurateurs du
ministère de l’Archéologie : le produit utilisé
pour coller la barbe de Toutankhamon est
légal », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 25 janvier ; Reuters,
« L’ICOM est disposé à participer à la
restauration du masque de Toutankhamon »,
al-Shurûq, 25 janvier ; Muhammad ‘Abd al-Mu‘tî,
« Intervention internationale urgente pour
sauver le masque de Toutankhamon », al-
Ahrâm, 26 janvier ; Ahmad Mansûr, « al-Damâtî
limoge la directrice du service de restauration
du Musée Égyptien après le scandale de
Toutankhamon », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 26 janvier ;
Nasma Réda, « Masque de Toutankhamon : La
polémique bat son plein », Al-Ahram Hebdo du
28 janvier ; Muhammad ‘Abd al-Mu‘tî, « IRM et
cellule de crise autour du masque de
Toutankhamon », al-Ahrâm, 29 janvier ; Muna
Yâsîn, « L’expert chargé d’examiner le masque
de Toutankhamon : la restauration a été
réalisée par des sagouins ! », al-Masrî al-Yawm,
29 janvier).
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In 1905-1906, US archaeologist Edward
AYRTON, who was sponsored by the American
millionaire Theodore DAVIS, found six tombs in
the Valley of the Kings, KV48 to 53. The first
five tombs contained animal bones, and it was
therefore believed that these tombs were built
for the pharaoh Amenhotep II’s pets.
Over time, sand covered some of the
tombs, including KV53, and they were lost.
However, an Egyptian expedition led by the
present writer was later able to relocate KV53
during a search for lost tombs in the Valley of
the Kings.
The square shaft of the tomb leads to a
relatively small rectangular chamber. In his
original account, AYRTON wrote that the tomb
had been robbed. The only object of note
found was a piece of stone bearing the name
of a man called Huri, who was the “overseer of
scribes in the palace of justice,” meaning the
royal Theban necropolis.
This might have indicated that Huri was the
tomb’s owner. Archaeologist Nicholas REEVES
writes that a stela for the goddess Meretseger
was also found in KV53. Our team found other
objects in the tomb, including pottery shards,
fragments of linen and pieces of wood that
might have been part of a coffin.
The Egyptian expedition also found four
wonderful canopic jar lids. The lids were in the
form of human heads with eyebrows and eyes
in black paint and a hieroglyphic sign engraved
on the top of each head in order to identify it.
A v-shaped object made of gold was also
found in the tomb, together with an amphora
dating back to 1400-1300 BCE.
However, the most important discovery in
KV53 was the human remains: bones and three
human skulls were found in the burial chamber.
Study of the remains showed that three people
were buried in KV53: a man aged 45 at the
time of his death, a second man who died at
the age of 20, and a woman who died at 23.
We believe that the older man is the owner
of the tomb, while the young man and woman
could be his son and daughter. However, the
identity of those buried in KV53 is still the
subject of debate. The tomb is dated to the
18 th Dynasty. (Zâhî Hawwâs, “The rediscovery of
KV53”, Al-Ahram Weekly, January 29, 2015).
BIA LI — Janvier/Juin 2015 30