A mummy found more than 100 years ago has been identified as pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut, Egyptian officials announced Wednesday. She was one of the most powerful and mysterious of all ancient rulers.
Queen Hatshepsut ruled over Egypt during the 15th century B.C. The mummy was originally discovered in 1903 but remained on site in the Valley of the Kings until two months ago, when it was transported to the Cairo Museum for DNA analysis.
The discovery is hailed as one of the most significant finds in the history of Egypt.
"I can say that this is (the) most important discovery after the discovery of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings," Egypt's secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Her reign during the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt was a prosperous one, yet mysteriously she was erased from Egyptian history.
Hatshepsut was known for dressing as a man and wearing a false beard. It's believed she stole throne from her step-son after her husband, Thutmose II, died.
She ruled for about 21 years, longer than any other Egyptian queen and seven years longer than her husband.
DNA testing
A full range of modern forensic technologies were used to identify whether DNA samples taken from the mummy's pelvic bone and femur matched the Hatshepsut clan.
Scientists compared the mummy's sample to Queen Hatshepsut's grandmother, Amos Nefreteri, and found promising results in the comparison of DNA sequences.
Also, a molar tooth found in a jar containing some of the queen's embalmed organs matched the mummy perfectly Hawass said.
"Doctor Ashraf Selim and Doctor Bahairy where able to identify that tooth with the upper part of that mummy that is in cave 60, that was removed two months ago from the Valley of the Kings," Hawass said.
"And you know about tooth and teeth, it's identified with the person and therefore that tooth exactly fits with the mummy that we found in cave 60."
The life of the Queen
Hatshepsut's funerary temple is located in ancient Thebes. It is surrounded by Valley of Kings and the Valley of the Queens, the burial places of Egypt's pharaohs and their wives.
It is believed Hatshepsut was obese, had diabetes and died of some form of cancer in her middle age. After her death, her name was obliterated from the records in what is believed to have been her stepson's revenge.
She was one of the most prolific builder pharaohs of ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper and Lower Egypt. Almost every major museum in the world today has a collection of Hatshepsut statuary.
Famed British archeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter worked on excavating the Queen's tomb before he discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in the early 1920s.
With files from the Associated Press
