Scientists Discovered Mummified Limbs, May Belong To Ramesses The Great's Wife

Years ago, when experts opened the tomb of Queen Nefertari, they found a once- luxurious burial place that had been looted in antiquity. Among the many objects they have found were three portions of mummified legs, believed to belong to the queen.

According to Science Alert, the mummified limbs have been on display in an Italian museum for decades. After extensive new analysis, researchers conclude that a pair of 3,200-year-old limbs could well belong to Queen Nefertari, one of ancient Egypt's most famed beauties and one of the royal wives of Ramesses II, or Ramesses the Great. Ramesses II ruled Egypt from around 1279 to 1213 B.C., during Egypt's 19th Dynasty.

The researchers' findings "strongly speak in favor" of the remains belonging to Queen Nefertari, they report. That is not a complete surprise, as they were discovered in her tomb in 1904, but this is the first time they had actual scientific evidence.

It was also found that between Nefertari's death -- estimated to be around 1255 B.C.E. -- and the discovery of the tomb in 1904, it was extensively looted, with the mummy itself ripped up and thrown around by robbers. To make the identification even more complicated, there has been a suspicion that remains from older tombs could have been washed into QV66 by rain and mudslides.

The fragments eventually retrieved and now analyzed by archaeologists included parts of a thigh bone, a kneecap and a proximal tibia, the part just below the knee. The new research reported that the pair of limbs belonged to a middle-aged or older woman who stood around 5 feet 5 inches (165 centimeters) tall and may have had a touch of arthritis. The findings suggest that the legs were indeed Nefertari's, researchers reported Nov. 30 in the journal PLOS ONE.

An article published in Live Science, other clues included traces of the artery condition arteriosclerosis discovered via X-ray, suggesting someone between 40 and 60 years old, and embalming fluids consistent with those believed to have been used during the Ramesside period.

A pair of good quality sandals had also been left behind with 34 wooden "shabtis," or figurines meant to provide the deceased with manual labor in the afterlife, engraved with the queen's name, according to researchers led by Frank Rühli, the director of the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich.

However, not all tests done were successful. DNA testing gave an inconclusive result because of contamination. It was also believed that together with the disturbed burial site, experts are not certain that these are Queen Nefertari's remains, just that there is a high possibility that it is.

It is also important to note that the radiocarbon dating was off by about 200 years, too, although the researchers think this might be because they have got the timings of the ancient Egyptian dynasties wrong and point out in their paper that embalming agents or even the Queen's diet could have caused inaccuracies.

"The most likely scenario is that the mummified knees truly belong to Queen Nefertari," Habicht told Seeker. "We have the fact that the remains were found in her tomb, together with objects naming her alone and no one else."