Two scans of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun by scientists have yielded conflicting results.
The scans were carried out on the basis of the theory of the British scientist Nicholas Reeves that the tomb, discovered in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter, may have secret rooms, where, in his opinion, the mausoleum of the Pharaoh's wife is located.
On April 1, the scientific community was waiting for the publication of the results, but at the last moment the Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani only announced that more research was required. It became known that the results of two scans carried out by different groups of researchers contradict each other.
“Until now, we do not have final data,” the minister admitted, stating the need to form a special committee to develop further actions, which imply a new, more detailed scan. And it will most likely require drilling the ancient masonry of the wall.
In this regard, a dispute arose between two former ministers - Mamduh al-Damati, who initiated the study of the tomb using radar and the latest technology, and Zahi Havas, who is convinced that scientists will not find anything, and there is no point in damaging the monument included in the lists of objects. world cultural heritage.
Last fall, under the leadership of Japanese specialist Hirokatsu Watanabe, a thermographic survey of the northern wall was carried out, after which it was announced that the equipment had "recorded metal and organic objects" in the voids there. After that, the then minister declared "90 percent certain" that there could be another tomb behind the wall.
Already in March this year, under the auspices of National Geographic, another group of specialists in the field of radar research, led by Eric Berkenpass, conducted a so-called post-registration test, which was supposed to repeat the findings of Wtanabe. However, this did not happen - the equipment did not record objects, as well as the premises behind the northern wall.
“If there is masonry or even a part of the wall, the radar would have recorded it, but we do not have these images, which means there is nothing there,” Khavas said. His doubts are shared by some Egyptologists, who claim that the radar will not be able to isolate "organic objects", as well as experts in the United States and Egypt, who were able to study the data obtained. Nothing is visible in the images, they said.
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“If there were voids, it would be immediately clear in the images, but there is nothing there - they are not visible,” the scientists say, explaining that data from radar scanning is often interpreted subjectively. In their opinion, Watanabe could freely decipher the data of his research, especially since the Japanese scientist is considered a rather controversial figure in his homeland. He has been criticized more than once for using outdated technologies that were discontinued 20 years ago, which means that there is no need to talk about the accuracy of his data.
In response, Watanabe said that his 40 years of experience with radar allows you to see things that others may not notice. The Japanese refused to provide his colleagues with his data. However, Izumi Shimada, an anthropologist at the University of Illinois who has worked with Watanabe in the past, came out in his defense. “He has many successful businesses under his belt: he participated in many expeditions and found what archaeologists have been looking for for years, but could not find,” he said.