Who's buried in Tutankhamun's tomb?

We may find out within the year.

In brief, a British Egyptologist viewing hi-resolution scans of Tut's burial chamber, spotted what he thought were lines and re-plastering which might indicate two doorways which were covered up. Closer physical examination strongly appears to confirm it.

But getting there won't be easy. You can't just tear down the wall in question, as it's covered with a tomb painting (most tombs are like that). It's possible to drill a small hole and send in a tiny camera. It's also possible to remove the wall painting before removing the wall. I suppose ground-penetrating radar can also be used on the wall to try and see what's inside, though that would be very limited.

Eventually we will find out.

It's unlikely the ancients would have sealed up an empty chamber. Why not use it for King Tut, right? But it's also hard to determine the motives of people long, long dead who lived in very different cultures.

We may find Nefertiti's tomb, we may find the mysterious Smenkhare buried inside, we may find an empty chamber, too (remember Al Capone's vault!)

I'm betting on a major find. If that turns out to be the case, imagine the feelings of untold numbers of archeologists and Egyptologists who failed to notice this ever since Howard Carter found the tomb in the 1920s! Imagine hoe Carter would feel. he was a thorough professional, after all.

The latest news is the radar shows something beyond the wall.

Archaeology is slow work. It's made slower by the need to coordinate with the local experts, the authorities, etc. Also by the preparations needed to preserve the find. For example, while it would be a simple, and quick, matter to drill a hole and stick in a fiber optic camera through, the discoverer wants to make sure he can get a sample of the air inside the chamber. What for? for any data it may yield, from oxygen levels to airborne pathogens, to pollen and even dust.

A podcast, Eric's Guide to Ancient Egypt, discussed many of the possibilities of what might be found. The one I hope it's not is an embalmer's cache. That would be where whoever mummified King Tut would have stored their equipment, tools and leftover materials. It would be a valuable find, scholarly speaking, but rather unexciting and, even scholarly, rather disappointing compared with what else it might be.

Stay tuned.

Long story short:

The first radar scans were conducted by an expert who uses old equipment and claims his results can't be understood even by other experts.

That's a really bad sign.

Subsequent scans done with newer equipment reveal there's most likely nothing there. certainly no large chambers. Further, these other teams have shared much of their data for review.

So it seems a case of the media once again running away with the story without vetting it carefully (so why am I surprised?)

What worries me is this is where conspiracy theorists get to have a field day. They can claim the Abydos helicopter and the Dendera light bulb are there, and that this was suppressed by, well, whoever (does it matter?) This will be so even if, after more negative scans, they drill a small hole anyway and look with a camera and find nothing.

Perhaps Giraldo could do a TV special when they go to open it?