To our surprise, in addition to what appeared to be the remains of a human internal organ, the bundle in the box contained a molar tooth, to which a single root was still attached.

I immediately asked for it to be brought into the lab and scanned. Although I did not know how, I felt certain that the box would help lead us to the mummy of the queen. I suddenly remembered a small, wooden box that had been discovered in the DB320 mummy cache – this box was inscribed with the cartouches of Hatshepsut, and contained a small bundle that might have been a mummified internal organ. I considered possible places where we could search for clues that would shed light on the identity of the mummies that we were studying. One evening, I was sitting alone in the Egyptian Museum, where the CT machine is kept. Let’s read about that Eureka moment in his own words: He went over the evidence again, looking for that one clue that would break the case wide open. 2Īfter searching through other tombs, Hawass did what all great detectives do. The only evidence provided by that mummy was that she appeared to have been obese. In KV20 Carter found two mummies-one determined to be Hatshepsut’s wet nurse Sitre-In as indicated by an inscription on her coffin, the other an unknown, laying exposed on the floor of the tomb. She had originally been buried in the Valley of the Kings in the tomb labeled KV20, which had been cleared in 1903 by Howard Carter, later the discoverer of King Tutankhamun’s tomb. He began searching in various tombs seeking clues to the location of her mummy. The Discovery Channel later contacted him about appearing in a documentary on Queen Hatshepsut, hopefully to find her remains. In 2005 he was asked to be part of the National Geographic Society’s Egyptian Mummy Project. Zahi Hawass, a well-known Egyptologist and archaeologist.

Further complicating the situation was the disappearance Hatshepsut’s mummy when her tomb was looted centuries ago.Įnter Dr. Until the cause of her death was found, the mystery would remain. It was assumed that her stepson Thutmose III had resented her appropriation of the throne and had her killed in order to ascend in his own right. Written records were destroyed as were monuments to her rule. However, when she passed away, all evidence of her reign was, for some unknown reason, erased. Hatshepsut ruled during a period of great peace and prosperity in Egypt, expanding trade and launching massive building projects of grand design. While speculation has swirled through the centuries that they were romantically involved, there is no evidence to substantiate this. Most prominent among these was Senenmut, overseer of royal works and Neferure’s tutor. It is known that surrounding her were a group of loyalists controlling key positions in her government. She surely would have had to get the support of the ruling elite. There is no explanation as to how Hatshepsut succeeded in changing roles and assuming the throne. Kneeling Statue of Senenmut, Chief Steward of Queen Hatshepsut, Armant, Egypt, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Hatshepsut, c.

It is a story of untimely death, dynastic ambitions, eradicated memory and an historic injustice that rivals today’s bestselling detective novels. To illustrate this point, let’s go back 3,500 years to discover how a single mummy’s tooth solved one of the greatest mysteries of ancient Egypt and, along with the unearthing of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, became one of the most remarkable finds of modern times. Identification of individuals, ancestry, race, ethnicity, diets, prevailing diseases, causes of death, environmental surroundings, migratory patterns, cultural habits and behaviors-all can theoretically be determined by a single tooth. The study of dental evidence is a form of storytelling, revealing characters, settings, even plotlines of lives. What is it about teeth that render them such intimate scribes of a person’s time on earth? These dental spelunkers examine teeth as a way to decipher a whole range of defining elements of a people and the times in which they lived. Ironically, despite having toothpaste and dental procedures, it seemed that the Egyptians suffered a great deal of tooth discomfort, which was apparent from the formulas for pain potions found recorded on papyrus and in the condition of the teeth of many mummies.ĭental anthropology is a part of bioarchaeology, the study of human remains in historical settings.

Drilling, implants and tooth bling were some long ago procedures with fascinating modern day correlations. In Ancient Dentistry Part 1: Drills, Gemstones and Toothpaste!, we looked at how dentistry was practiced millennia ago in Pakistan, Slovenia, Algeria, France, North America and Egypt. An example of ancient Egyptian dentistry.

Teeth gems ancient