Australian Science Illustrated — Issue 54 2017

Radar waves penetrate metres of rocky subsurface and

are reflected back by objects and structures in the

ground. As the Valley of the Kings consists of several

different rock layers, loose stones, and faults,

scientists’ data will be challenging to interpret.

Radar Nerds

Search for Nefertiti

The beautiful Queen Nefertiti’s tomb has never been

found, but a special radar could change that.

H

er name means “the beautiful

one has come”, but nobody

knows how beautiful Nefertiti really

was, as the powerful queen’s earthly

remains have never been discovered.

Italian archaeologists headed by

Professor Francesco Porcelli from the

University of Turin are going to

change that, using ground-

penetrating radar to map out the

Valley of the Kings. The Nile valley

contains 64 royal tombs from the

New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC), and

according to archaeologists, there

could be more, including Nefertiti's.

The queen was the mother or step

mother of Tutankhamun, and so, the

project began near his tomb, from

where the radar experts will cover

the 9 km^2 tomb area in an operation

that might take the rest of the year.

The Egyptian Ministry of

Antiquities has ordered Porcelli’s team

to remain silent about the project,

but the scientists use three different

radar systems, which can spot tombs

as deep as 9 m into the rocky ground.

2

Refl ecting waves reveal tombs

1 The radar sends electromagnetic

waves into the ground.

2

As the waves encounter

an object, the energy is

sent back to the surface. The

time passing from the waves

are reflected until they reach

the surface tells archaeologists

how deep insde the ground the

object is located.

The Valley of the Kings is located

800 km down the Nile near Thebes.

Nefertiti, who was

married to Pharaoh

Akhenaten, ruled Egypt

in 1353-1336 BC.

POTENTIAL: Finding the most powerful

woman in Egypt and settling her

relationship with Tutankhamun.

CHALLENGE: Complex subsurface

conditions could affect radar

measurements.

Y. ARTHUS-BERTRAND/GETTY IMAGES

W. FORMAN//GETTY IMAGES

MIKKEL JUUL JENSEN

3

The radar registers and interprets

the information. Scientists use 3D

technology to produce an image of the

objects' shapes and locations.

HISTORY EGYPT