Early reports during the Egyptian unrest, suggesting that some of the treasures of Tutankhamun in the Museum had been damaged by intruders, had been rejected by Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. Hawass asserted then that only one Tutankhamun item had been damaged.

But an inventory just carried out has revealed something much worse. Some of the treasures are actually missing! The latest report issued by Zahi Hawass reveals that in all 18 items of Tutankhamun and Amarna objects are missing from the Museum.

Michael Ridley, The Director of the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester, said this was devastating news.

Standing in front of museum facsimiles of the treasures of Tutankhamun in the exhibition at Dorchester he said, “It was terrible to hear that some of the objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun had been damaged, for they can at least be repaired and restored. But the news that really important items from Tutankhamun’s tomb have actually been stolen is devastating”

He continued, “These treasures are unique and irreplaceable. They are priceless. We can only hope that they will be recovered. They are so well known that it would prove impossible for the thieves to sell them on the international market. This however leaves the danger that having discovered that they are impossible to dispose of the thieves may decide to destroy them. They have survived over three thousand years let’s hope they are recovered intact.”

“We have accurate museum facsimile replicas of some of the missing items in the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester, but of course nothing could possibly replace the originals.”

Alarming video and still footage on Flickr, Twitter and blogs show that some of the most famous treasures of Tutankhamun have been damaged. Looters broke into the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and inflicted significant damage to the famous standing gilt figure of Tutankhamun.

Michael Ridley, The Director of the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester, said this was a very sad day.

Standing in front of museum facsimiles of the golden statues of Tutankhamun in the exhibition at Dorchester he said “These wonderful works of art have survived over three thousand years only to be virtually destroyed in an instant by modern day political unrest”.

He continued “We do not know the full extent of the damage. I simply hope that no more wonderful treasures have been damaged or stolen. I have heard reports that the famous golden shrines of Tutankhamun have had their doors ripped off”

The mummies of Tutankhamun’s great grandparents, Thuya and Yuya also appear to have been vandalised, They appear to have been beheaded and the gilded cartonage and wrappings damaged. They are extremely important and are two of the best preserved mummies from ancient Egypt

The standing figures of Tutankhamun, one on a papyrus boat has been torn from its base, whilst another figure of the king standing on a panther has been smashed. The statues appear to be missing, but reports suggest that they may have been recovered.

The staff at the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester have been examining the footage from Al Jazeera to try and identify some of the ancient casualties, and it appears there may be even more casualties from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

It is reported that nine men were caught carrying two mummy heads and two statues — possibly the two statues (above) that are missing from the bases.

Museum replicas of the damaged statues are on view at The Tutankhamun Exhibition showing in Dorchester

The results of important DNA tests carried out in Egypt announced today have now identified Tutankhamun’s parents, but who are they? The mystery parents have been identified but have yet to be positively named by conventional archaeological means

At a momentous press conference held in Cairo this morning the17th February Dr Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the results of DNA tests on Tut’s mummy carried out by a team of Egyptian scientists from the National Research Centre, Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine and two German DNA specialists on behalf, of the Egyptian Mummy Project headed by Hawass.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association the results have produced a possible family tree that suggests that Tutankhamun was the son of the anonymous mummy in tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings.
His mother, also anonymous, was possibly buried in tomb KV35. Through the DNA testing of a group of other royal mummies it suggests that Tut’s Grandparents were the pharaoh Amenhotep (Amenophis) III and his queen Tiye. Tutankhamun’s great grand parents were Yuya and Thuya whose mummies were found in tomb KV46 in the Valley of the Kings.

Unfortunately as the mummies in KV55 and KV35 have not been positively identified by conventional archaeological means, they can only be identified by “reverse engineering”, which may suggest that Tutankhamun’s father was the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten. But while it may be possible to link Tutankhamun with the mummy in KV55 by DNA it is still not possible to be certain of the identity of the mummy. So some of the mystery still remains.

Another uncertainty is the parentage of the remains of foetus 1 and foetus 2 buried in Tutankhamun’s tomb. Only partial data was able to be recovered and a attempt to produce a sequence was not successful. The identity of their possible mother buried in tomb KV21 also remains a mystery for the same reason.

Staff at the Tutankhamun Exhibition on view in Dorchester have been eagerly awaiting the results of these momentous tests carried out on the mummy of Tutankhamun and other royal mummies.

Tim Batty, general manager of the Tutankhamun Exhibition said ” We have been preparing to display the results of the DNA tests in a special display at the exhibition in Dorchester as soon as they were announced.
It’s another piece of the great jigsaw surrounding the life and death of Tutankhamun. We are sure the public will find it enthralling”.

He continued “In addition to genetic information on Tut’s family connections the DNA tests have reveal further information such as diseases and inherited problems that may have afflicted Tutankhamun. The tests show that Tutankhamun was infected with Malaria that may have killed him. But it is also possible that he may have been infected but not to a degree that caused his death. For good measure the tests on his great grand parents Yuya and Thuya show that they too were infected with Malaria. The Malaria just adds to the many possible causes of his death.”

The results of the DNA tests will be on display at The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester from Thursday, 18th February.

Background to the tests

The results of the DNA tests were hoped by many to settle exactly how Tutankhamun fits into the picture of the Egyptian 18th Dynasty family tree.

The fact that the tests have been carried out at all is a welcome U turn by Dr Zahi Hawass who has in the past treated the idea of DNA testing with scepticism. Hawass is reported as saying “From what I understand, it is not always accurate and it cannot always be done with complete success when dealing with mummies. Until we know for sure that it is accurate, we will not use it in our research”

In December 2000 a team from Cairo’s Ein Shams University and Waseda University in Japan were given permission to take tissue samples.
However
the Egyptian Government withdrew permission at the last moment. The Supreme Council of Antiquities turned down the tests on the grounds that it was unlikely to produce results and it could damage the already fragile mummy. Hawass is on record as saying that DNA analysis would not lead to anything and therefore the tests were out of the question.

In 2003, Professor Scott Woodward, a microbiologist from Brigham Young University (USA) who had previously carried out DNA on a group of 27 royal mummies at the Cairo Museum was asked to carry out the DNA tests but then again the Egyptian Government rescinded on the grounds of “national security”.

The chances of establishing a successful DNA sequence for a mummy are not good. Professor Woodward who carried out tests on 27 royal mummies was only able to establish 12 successful sequences.

In the results of the DNA tests announced today 3 sequences could not be established, foetus 1 and 2 and the mummy in tomb KV21 thought to be their mother. Tutankhamun’s link as possible father can at present not be fully established.

The condition and treatment of the body during mummification may have a bearing on successful. DNA is fragile easily decomposes, breaking the strands of DNA into fragments, which can result in false sequencing.

Ever since Tutankhamun was discovered in his tomb in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter debate has raged as to the real identity of Tutankhamun. In recent years the advance of DNA profiling has given hope that Tut’s family connections could possibly be revealed.

Can the DNA tests really help in establishing Tut’s parentage? Well yes and no. It depends on a number of factors.

Firstly a number of very important and interesting mummies that could play a vital role in Tutankhamun’s family tree have yet to be identified. Although possible DNA relationships maybe established with known but anonymous mummies the really important ones are yet to be identified by conventional archaeological means. Any identification would be by “reverse engineering” and therefore circumstantial.

Secondly the chances of establishing a successful DNA sequence for the mummy are not good. Professor Woodward who carried out tests on 27 royal mummies was only able to establish 12 successful sequences.

The results of the DNA tests will be on display at The Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester from Thursday, 18th February.
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Tim Batty may be contacted on 01305 269741.

Digital images of the Mummy of Tutankhamun and Tutankhamun’s gold mummy mask are available on request from The Tutankhamun Exhibition, Dorchester. 01305 269741 or by contacting tim@world-heritage.org.uk

The science has already shown that in fact Rhameses II did not have arthritis of the spine, which would agree with historical evidence that he was a warrior. Tutankhamun’s body was also removed from the tomb for the very first time to be scanned by modern technology. This time it was revealed that the “blow to the back of the skull” did not exist. Instead a fracture of the left leg, just above the knee, was discovered.

The technology is further developing and 2008 saw an iCT of a wealthy Egyptian priestess performed. The iCT is an “intelligent” CT that gives 3D images allowing scientists to almost peel back the mummy layer by layer whilst leaving the actual mummy intact and untouched. Dr Rethy Chhem from the IAEA has been at the forefront of developing the use of this technology.

New scientific developments can possibly shed more light on this ancient Egyptian mystery. Professor Robert Connolly who is working as an anatomist with Egyptian authorities claims that initial tests on the mummified remains of the two children suggest that they are likely to be twins and that King Tutankhamun may have been the father of these children.

Mr Connolly says: “The work carried out by Catherine Hellier in Norway and I suggests that the two foetuses in the tomb of Tutankhamen could be twins despite their very different size and thus fit better as a single pregnancy for his young wife. This increases the likelihood of them being Tutankhamen’s children.”

Based on blood analysis carried out in the seventies and the new findings, Tutankhamun could be the father. However, to make the picture clearer it is necessary to make more tests. It is planned that both foetuses will go through CT scans and scrupulous DNA testing to determine the cause of death and to prove their hereditary relationship with Tutankhamun.

Tim Batty, the exhibition’s manager, said. “Children explore the innovative Tutankhamun Exhibition and become ‘archaeological detectives’ in a bid to solve the puzzle of the missing treasure. All those who correctly follow the clues and crack the code can enter a prize draw. One lucky person each day will win a Tutankhamun mummy case with a mummy inside. The Treasure Hunt is being held throughout the Spring Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 24th May to Monday 26th May.”

The Tutankhamun Exhibition dramatically recreates the moment of discovery of the tomb. Visitors walk through the ante-chamber filled with its treasures and enter the burial chamber to see Howard Carter raising the coffins from the sarcophagus. In the Treasury some of Tutankhamun’s greatest golden treasures including the funerary mask, the Harpooner and the throne are displayed in exact facsimile.

The Tutankhamun Exhibition is situated in the centre of historic Dorchester, Dorset’s county town, and is close to all the town centre car parks. It is open daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm. For further details phone 01305 269571.

Christine’s fascination with Egypt started at an early age. By the age of nine she had taught herself to read hieroglyphs. She liked communicating and saw teaching as a way to express this. She studied education at Manchester and Liverpool, obtaining a degree and diploma in Egyptology. She has worked in the Egyptian departments of Bolton Museum and Liverpool University Museum. In 1988 she founded the Egyptian Society based in Taunton.

Christine often brought her students to the Tutankhamun Exhibition in Dorchester and is remembered with affection by all she came in contact with.