Egyptologists refute British theory doubting King Tut’s mask
A British Egyptologist argues that the famous King Tut’s mask might not have belonged to the young ruler but rather to a woman, which could be Queen Nefertiti — a theory that was refuted by Egyptian Egyptologists and archaeologists.
CAIRO — British newspaper Express published July 16 an article quoting a passage from the book of “The Valley of Kings: The Egyptian Golden Age,” by English Egyptologist professor Joann Fletcher.
In a detailed account, Fletcher argues that the famed mask of Tutankhamun was originally made for another famous ruler, and it may have belonged to a woman, which was Queen Nefertiti.
Fletcher based her theory on the examination of photographs and records of the excavation and the discovery of King Tut’s intact tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. According to her, the mask shows a pharaoh with pierced ears. Meanwhile, when he died at the age 20, Tut “would not have been portrayed with pierced ears,” Fletcher said.
“This mask was not made for an adult male pharaoh — when the gold was compared, [they found] the face is made of completely different gold to the rest. Evidence of soldering is clearly visible on the mask. It now seems as if Tutankhamun's own face was effectively grafted onto the mask of the previous ruler,” she explained.
