KV35YL

The Younger Lady mummy from KV35

Key People

Most likely a wife - possibly Queen Kiya - of Akhenaten and the mother of King Tut.

Key People:

Kiya

Akhenaten

Tutankhamun

The mummy, found lying on the floor next to the Elder Lady in a side chamber of KV35 (Amenhotep II's tomb), is badly damaged, its right arm has been ripped off. CT-scans have suggested an age range between 25 and 35.

The Younger Lady, in June 2003, was controversially claimed to be Queen Nefertiti by British Egyptologist Joann Fletcher, whereas Egypologist Zahi Hawass believed it to be Kiya, another wife of Akhenaten who is believed by some to be the birth mother of Tutankhamun. Some believed this mummy to be a male.

Recently, with DNA testing, this mummy was shown in February 2010 to be a woman, possibly the mother of King Tut, the daughter of Amenhotep III and possibly Tiye (which would make her both the sister and wife of Akhenaten). Her name, however, remains unknown, leaving open the possibility that she is Kiya or another, unknown wife of Akhenaten.

As far as we know, Nefertiti only had daughters, which further debunks Joann Fletcher's claim.

Images

Put your Flickr photos of this object into the Heritage Key group, and tag them with keyobject-8369, to see them here!

KV35 (Tomb of Amenhotep II)

A mummy from the Tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35). Image Credit - Sandro Vannini.

Attribution:

Sandro Vannini

Key Dates

Discovered in 1898 by Victor Loret.

Key People

Tomb KV35 was later used as a mummy cache, storing the mummies of Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Merenptah, Seti II, Siptah, Ramesses IV, Ramesses V, Ramesses VI, an anonymous female known as 'Elder Woman', another anonymous female known as 'Younger Lady' and a mummy possibly belonging to Setnakht.

Amenhotep II

Amenhotep III

Thutmose IV

Merneptah I

Ramesses VI

Tiye

Discovered in March 1898, KV35 is the Tomb of Amenhotep II who was found in his original sarcophagus in the burial chamber. The burial chamber is notable as a structure which had both an upper and lower pillared section, which would become the typical style for future royal tombs.

During the Third Intermediate Period, the tomb became a mummy cache, in which the mummified corpses of several prominent kings were relocated here and are identifed by inscriptions on the burial wrappings.

Three 18th dynasty mummies found in KV35 are of great importance in the current research into King Tut's lineage: