The renowned Egyptian archaeologist and Egyptologist Zahi Hawass delivered a lecture at the Italian university of Perugia. The two-hour lecture was attended by around 1000 person, including famous journalists and anchors.
During his lecture, Hawass tackled the royal mummies, the story of King Tutankhamun's death and the harem conspiracy, referring to the latest archaeological discoveries and excavations in the Valley of the Kings.
He affirmed his association with the Egyptian antiquities and his love for them, pointing out that creativity has nothing to do with top colleges.
“Archaeology needs study and research,” Hawass confirmed, adding that nearly 30% of the Egyptian antiquities have been discovered so far.
Moreover, the prominent archaeologist revealed that he is currently searching for the tomb of king Tutankhamun's wife and queen Nefertiti in the Valley of the Apes.
He pointed out that a collection of King Khufu papyri, discovered at Wadi El-Jarf port, 119 km south of Suez governorate, is the most significant discovery of the 21st century, which shows in full detail the construction of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, as well as the names of the construction workers.
The papyri were discovered in 2013 by a Franco-Egyptian mission led by French Egyptologist Pierre Tallet and Egyptian Egyptologist Sayed Mahfouz. They also show that workers at Wadi El-Jarf port participated in the construction of the Great Pyramid in Giza, which indicates the highly efficient administrative system during Khufu's reign.
In addition, Hawass pointed out that King Tutankhamun was not murdered as being circulated, yet he rather died from another unknown reason at the age of 19.
Following the first CT scan of the golden pharaoh’s mummy, the laboratory test found no evidence to support the theory of King Tutankhamun’s murder. “The scientific team did not find any proof that the young king was hit on the back of his neck, nor is there any indication he had an accident that led to his death,” the Egyptologist stressed.
Concerning Ramesses III, Hawass stated that the Pharaoh, who ruled Egypt from 1186 to 1155 BC, was brutally stabbed using various weapons, which led to the cutting of his toe and his throat.
"The mummy of Pharaoh was scanned using a very sophisticated technique computed tomography (CT)," he continued.
Concluding his lecture, Hawass confirmed that Egypt is safe, inviting the attendees to visit it. He also signed his book entitled “Egyptian Pyramids Secrets”.
Contributed by Ali Abu Dashish
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