Where's Nefertiti?

In short order, Susan E.And by putting out in the popular media what is considered by most scholars to be an unsound theory, Dr.Fletcher broke the bond made by York University with the Egyptian authorities.We grant concessions to any scholar affiliate to a scientific or educational institution, 

and it has long been accepted code of ethics that any discovery made during excavations should first be reported to the SCA.James--who had earlier proposed another mummy might be Nefertiti--picked apart Fletcher's evidence in the pages of the journal KMT (fall 2003 issue).By going first to the press with what might be considered a great discovery, Dr.

According to a Washington Post article, 5 million viewers tuned in to the documentary when it aired August 17, 2003, putting it in the top ten programs ever for the cable channel.It surely reached new heights--or depths--of misinformation, 

sensationalism and really tacky costuming.Worse was to come.95) is the American edition of a companion book to the documentary.Due out in October, The Search for Nefertiti: The True Story of an Amazing Discovery (William Morrow & Co.And there are other gaps, of which the most important are 1) little is said of results from her team's studies, and 2) the lack of acknowledgment of earlier work by other scholars.While studying Egyptian royal wigs, she read a brief mention of an unidentified and mummified body, discovered long ago and believed to belong to an Egyptian of little importance.Zahi Hawass, 

secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) labeled the idea "pure fiction.Few Egyptologists accepted that the mummy, found in a sideroom of the tomb of Amenhotep II is that of Nefertiti, the wife of the late 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten.The discussions will surely continue to rage, but there can be no doubt in the mind of any Egyptologist or educated Egyptology buff that the identification of the mummy in question as Nefertiti is balderdash (good manners prevent me from using a stronger term).Queen Nefertiti.

This action was attacked in a London Times article, prompting another response by Hawass in which serious questions were raised concerning Fletcher's training.Last year, the public was hit by a media barrage touting an amazing Egyptological find: a long-neglected mummy was none other than the famous queen Nefertiti.The criticisms and omissions are discussed below, 

but the quick take is that while The Search for Nefertiti will likely be a commercial success, it cannot be recommended.And, following the broadcast, Barbara Mertz wrote to the same journal (winter 2003-2004) about "the notorious television special which should have been titled 'Nefertiti Re-invented.That was all a year ago, but in the forthcoming Search for Nefertiti Fletcher does nothing to address the criticisms leveled at her identification, as presented in the documentary,

or discuss the controversy it generated.Joann Fletcher has answered the questions countless researchers before her could not.Moreover, he disinvited Fletcher from future work in Egypt.Susan James's article in the fall issue was a good summary of the evidence, most of which flat-out contradicts the conclusions drawn by Dr.Here's how the publisher sums it up: "After years of intense research, 

Dr.Hawass explained this action in an article in the newspaper Al-Ahram: "There are more than 300 foreign expeditions currently working in Egypt, and they all follow the same guidelines.The identification was promoted in the Discovery Channel's two-hour documentary "Nefertiti Resurrected.Author Joann Fletcher's identification probably did astonish her colleagues when it was announced in a June 9, 2003, Discovery Channel press release.Fletcher.Fletcher has broken the rules and therefore, at least until we have reviewed the situation with her university, she must be banned from working in Egypt.