Wednesday, July 19, 2017

To History Reader who reviewed KV62B book on Amazon...

This is a very strange book. KV62 is the very real tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. For several years now there has been speculation among archaeologists that there may be another tomb behind Tutankhamun's. The biggest question beyond whether it exists or not is who might be buried in it. The leading contenders are Queen Nefertiti, secondary wife Kiya, one or more of the daughters of Pharaoh Akhenaton and Queen Nefertiti. Usually NOT considered is Tutankhamun's wife, Queen Ankhesenamon, because she is believed to have outlived him, and whomever is buried in the back tomb would have to have died BEFORE Tutankhamun.

The author's rather convoluted theory is that Queen Ankhesenamon wrote to Egypt's great rival the Hittites and told them Tutankhamon was dead. Tutankhamun found out and she was eliminated. However since the Hittites thought he was dead Tutankhamon changed his name and ruled as King Aye (who really did succeed Tutankhamun as King). There is a great deal of supposed name changing and people masquerading as other people when a simpler explanation would be that the supposed burial cannot be Queen Ankhesenomon
A second part of the book is a suggested plan for a modern government. I am in no way qualified to comment on MR. Costa's ideas about a new government.


(History Reader, comment on KV62B)...

In answering your comment,

1. If Ankhesenamon wrote to the Hittites saying her husband died, why send Horemhab (the heir to the throne) to intercept the Hittite Prince? There would be no one to rule Egypt.  Egyptians kept copies of letters sent to the other nations, as with the Amarna Letters.  Tutankhamon would have found a copy, and ordered Horemhab to find the Hittite Prince.  If Ay was the replacement for Tut as written by Ankhesenamon, Tut would arrest Ay and then impersonate him until Horemhab returned to Egypt.  The reason for impersonation is because the Hittites already heard that Tut was "dead."  That kind of news doesn't remain a secret.
2. Tutankhamon was originally buried elsewhere, not in KV62. When found in 1922, the yellow quartzite Sarcophagus had a red granite lid, broken in 2 parts (The Complete Tutankhamun, by Nicholas Reeves, 1990) and repaired in ancient times.  The matching red granite sarcophagus was found in King Ay's tomb (WV23/KV23), and was repaired in modern times after discovering it was smashed in pieces when found.
3. The items in KV62 do not all belong to Tutankhamon.  The Canopic Shrine goddesses resemble Ankhesenamon, just as the Shrine statues in Akhenaton's original tomb resemble Nefertiti.  The jar stoppers have no False Beard of a King. The tomb KV62 was meant for a female occupant. 
4. The false wall in Horemhab's tomb was opened on discovery. The last time KV62 was opened was during Horemhab's reign.  Where do you suppose Horemhab gained that idea?
5. By becoming King Ay, Tut remained married to Ankhesenamon and could continue the war against the Hittites and his own deification in Nubia.  If his remains are of "age 19" according to wine tags in the tomb, then he became Pharaoh at age 5, ruled as Tut until 15, then as King Ay for 4 more years to age 19. King Pepi was Pharaoh at age 5, for example. 
6. Tut would have committed suicide by Asp, which is "royal tradition to unite with Ra."
7. Tut's original burial was violated (robbed, broken into) so he was reburied in KV62, blocking the entrance to the rest of the tomb where Ankhesenamon and Ay may be buried. His mummy was burnt by robbers and cut up as they looked for treasure.  Then rewrapped in ancient times.  Ankh's tomb may have been discovered recently according to Dr. Zahi Hawass, though he said the same for KV63 and KV64. 

- Mike Costa, Archaeologist/Author.
7-19-2017.




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