DISCOVERY CHANNEL EXPEDITION UNCOVERS MUMMY THAT COULD BE THE FAMED EGYPTIAN, NEFERTITI

- Egyptologist Dr. Joann Fletcher leads expedition team to the long-lost mummy of one of ancient Egypt's most intriguing figures --

Monday June 9, 2003:  The Discovery Channel announced today Egyptologist Dr. Joann Fletcher’s possible discovery and identification of the mummy believed to be that of Nefertiti, the long-lost Egyptian ruler of the controversial Amarna Period, wife and co-ruler with the so-called heretic pharaoh Akhenaten.  The Discovery Channel funded Fletcher’s expedition, which blended archaeology and state-of-the-art digital technology to try to find and identify Nefertiti.  The story will be fully told in a special film presentation, Nefertiti Revealed, airing on the Discovery Channel exclusively on the Showtime network in the Middle East later this year.  
 
The first stage of the expedition took place in June 2002, when Dr. Fletcher, field director of the University of York’s Mummy Research Team, first visited the secret side chamber in tomb KV35 in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, the ancient royal burial ground.  An expert in mummification, specializing in the study of ancient Egyptian hair, Dr. Fletcher was drawn to the tomb by her identification of a forgotten Nubian-style wig favored by royal women in the XVIIIth dynasty during the reign of Akhenaten, which had been found near three unidentified mummies.  The Discovery Channel and London-based Atlantic Productions filmed Dr. Fletcher as she examined the mummies, one of who still bore a striking profile and swan-like neck comparable to the famed beauty Nefertiti, despite disfiguring post-mortem blows to her face. 
 
On the June 2002 expedition, Dr. Stephen Buckley, one of the world’s leading archaeological chemists and specialist in mummification techniques, conducted a visual inspection of the embalming methods and materials used on the three unnamed mummies, which placed them in Egypt’s late XVIIIth dynasty – again, the time of Nefertiti and the notorious Amarna period.  Anthropologist Dr. Samia El-Merghani from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo later confirmed these findings.  Dr. Fletcher found other physical links to the late queen, including the clear impression of the tight-fitting brow-band she once wore (which identifies this individual as royalty), a double-pierced ear lobe, shaved head, and physical damage echoing the attacks on her statues and other representations.  In addition, it was unusual for royal mummies not to bear identifying marks, suggesting that these mummies, although royal in status, were intentionally deprived of ways to enter afterlife according to Egyptian belief.  That would fit historical knowledge about Nefertiti’s role in the Amarna period’s religious revolution, later overturned by the powerful, traditional priesthood.
 
In February 2003, a multidisciplinary team of scientists – funded by the Discovery Channel – returned to KV35.  They further studied the methods used to embalm the mummies, examined the mummies and discovered a removed right arm, positioned in pharaonic style with its fingers still clutching a long-vanished royal scepter.  They also used cutting-edge Canon digital X-ray machinery to examine the mummies on the spot.  The evidence, including jewellery within the smashed-in chest cavity, appeared to confirm Dr. Fletcher’s original assessment of the identity of one of the two adult female mummies (the third is of a young boy).
 
“I couldn’t believe it, that moment when I first saw her,” said Dr. Fletcher, a leading expert in ancient Egyptian history.   “After 12 years of searching for Nefertiti, it was probably the most amazing experience of my life.  It certainly has some wide-ranging implications for Egyptology.”
 
Nefertiti’s beautiful likeness was sculpted in a celebrated limestone bust, one of the most well-known icons in Egyptian history, now in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.  Known for little more than her profile, Nefertiti has been shrouded in mystery for more than 3,000 years. 
 
Nefertiti (whose name means, “the beautiful or perfect one has come”) and several of her six daughters achieved unusually high status during the reign of her husband and co-ruler, Akhenaten, during the 14^th Century B.C.  They were depicted prominently on royal buildings, and shown taking the leading role in religious ceremonies, including ritual executions – a duty once performed only by the pharaoh.  Nefertiti may well have strongly influenced Akhenaten’s support of the Aten religion and persecution of the traditional priesthood.  And like her husband, Nefertiti’s name was erased from the historical record and her likeness defaced after her death. 
 
Later this year in September, the Discovery Channel will present a two-hour special chronicling the expedition, including the discovery of the mummy, and telling the compelling story of one of the great figures in Egyptian history. 
 
-Ends-
 
Note to editors:
In the Middle East, Showtime is the trading name of Gulf DTH which is a joint media venture between the Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) and Viacom Inc.
 
Discovery Channel and Discovery Civilisation are exclusively available on the Showtime network in the Middle East.  Showtime also carries Animal Planet, the Discovery Network’s joint venture channel with the BBC.
 
Discovery  Networks Europe (DNE) operates nine channels on twelve networks; Discovery Channel,  Discovery  Home & Leisure, Discovery Health, Discovery Animal Planet, Discovery Civilisation, Discovery Sci-Trek, Discovery Travel & Adventure, Discovery Kids, Discovery Wings.
 
Since launching in 1989, DNE's European subscriber base has risen to over 94 million subscribers channel by channel.  Its channels are now available in 51 countries and territories across Europe, the Middle East and South Africa, customised into 20 languages, via 34 feeds.   Please see www.discoveryeurope.com for more information.
 
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                                                                        E:            Moustafa.alhamwi@dubai.mslpr.com

© Press Release 2003