Scientific research confirms art-scientific image analysis - A relief from the Egyptian Museum Berlin and the current DNA analysis of the mummy of Tutankhamun
Press release from 02/17/2010
The results of the DNA analysis of Tutankhamun's mummy just published by Zahi Hawass, Director General of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, have a direct connection to the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection in Berlin.
One of the most famous exhibits is the relief "Walk in the Garden", c. 1330 BC, which is presented in a central location in the Neues Museum, Museum Island Berlin, near the bust of Nefertiti. The colourfully painted limestone relief (inv. 15000, height 25 cm) shows the royal couple Tutankhamun and Anches-en-Amun, one of the daughters of Nefertiti and Akhenaten. An art-scientific analysis of the painting first published in 1980 by Dietrich Wildung (Egyptian Museum) pointed to a clinical picture of Tutankhamun, which has now been confirmed by the DNA analysis of the mummy published today. Particular attention was paid to the posture of the king in the relief. He is leaning on a stick and has one leg powerlessly folded under him - an indication of a leg injury.
The DNA analysis of the mummy now makes it clear that Tutankhamun was extremely weak and unable to walk due to a deformity in his left foot. Everything points to the fact that he was in pain and walked with a cane. The Berlin relief "Walk in the Garden" is the authentic contemporary depiction of this finding. However, the Egyptian artist has depicted the clinical picture in such a discreet and aesthetically pleasing way that the shocking content of the picture does not immediately catch the eye.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and archaeologist, says: "This case once again illustrates the ideal way in which the methods of the humanities and natural sciences intertwine. For archaeologists, art historians and historians, collaboration with
scientific experts is becoming increasingly fruitful. We can expect many more exciting results."
The question of the identity of the mummies from tombs 55 and 35 in the Valley of the Kings remains unanswered. They have been proven by DNA analysis to be Tutankhamun's parents and siblings. However, there is no clear evidence that they could have been identical with
Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The DNA analysis represents a challenge for historians to revisit the issue of Tutankhamun's parents in the light of current research findings.