This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but the famous tomb still divulges its secrets and stirs controversy.

A renowned British Egyptologist and former curator of the British Museum claims to have found evidence that the tomb’s royal murals and hieroglyphs may have been hastily concealed.

Nicholas Reeves has argued for years that the painting of Tutankhamun on the wall of his tomb was not actually that of the Pharaoh himself. It is often seen in the paintings of Nefertiti, who is

Therefore, before depicting the burial of a 19-year-old man, Reeves believes that paintings on the walls may show Tutankhamun burying his stepmother Nefertiti, whose mummy has never been found. I’m here. According to a new interview with Reeves, the oval glyphs above these depictions, known as cartouches, appear to have been overwritten, altering the identities of those involved in the burial ceremony.

Historically, researchers believed that the “Open Mouth” mural (below) represented a corpse being prepared for burial by Tutankhamun’s successor Ai.

However, Reeves said Ay’s facial features, such as a thick chin and a lowered nose, are reminiscent of a young Tutankhamun.

“A close examination of Ai’s cartouche reveals distinct traces underlying its former name, that of Tutankhamun,” Reeves told The Guardian.

“In the original version, this scene showed Tutankhamun performing burial ceremonies for his predecessor Nefertiti, the original owner of the tomb.”

According to Reeves, it is quite possible that Tutankhamun’s tomb was attached to what was originally Nefertiti’s tomb after the young king’s unexpected death.

If Reeves is correct, it bolsters the theory that Nefertiti may be buried nearby.

In fact, Reeves has argued for years that Tutankhamun’s tomb is more fit for a queen than a king. First of all, the tomb is unusually small, the smallest of all the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. According to Reeves, the treasure inside is also “female” in nature.

In addition, the floor plan is distorted compared to other tombs, and the murals seem to have been assembled in a hurry, and there is evidence that the paint was not yet dry when it was sealed.

Taken together, this suggests that the funeral was carried out in a hurry, which makes sense since Tutankhamun was still in his late teens when he died.

Perhaps the pharaoh’s unexpected death required some improvisation by people who lived more than 3,000 years ago. The tomb originally intended for Tutankhamun may not have been completed and may have been used for his successor Ai.

In 2015, researchers working inside Tutankhamun’s tomb discovered several structures that were barely visible to the human eye, seemingly suggesting the existence of hidden, sealed chambers nearby. I found a feature on the wall.

Reeves put together these lines of evidence and claimed that Nefertiti’s body lay in one of these rooms.

Others, such as Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Mamdouf al-Dhamati, disagree.

They argue that if the still hotly debated secret chamber does exist, it may contain the remains of Tutankhamun’s biological mother rather than Nefertiti.

In 2018, a radar scan of Tutankhamun’s tomb showed no signs of a compound chamber. However, a subsequent scan of the site in 2020 suggested the possibility of a secret enclosure nearby.

There’s only one way to know for sure. However, given the valuable nature of this site, removing some barriers is a less than acceptable proposition.

For now, Reeves’ theory remains speculation.