English/Nat XFA D-N-A tests are to be carried out on two mummies at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to try to solve the centuries-old mystery of whether Egypt's King Tutankhamun was truly the rightful blood heir of the ruling pharaohs. A team of Japanese experts from Waseda University in Tokyo is due in Egypt this week to conduct tests on the mummy of King Tutankhamun for the first time since 1969. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where the golden coffin and face mask of King Tutankhamun are kept. Tutankhamun ruled Egypt 3-thousand-300 years ago, reigning from about the age of eight until his death at 17. But the mystery of whether the he was truly the rightful blood heir of the ruling pharaohs has never been solved. Now D-N-A tests will be carried out on Tutankhamun and a mummy in the Egyptian Museum, which is believed to be a close relative of the king, to try to solve the centuries-old mystery. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The Tomb of King Tut was found on November 4, 1922. It was the most important discovery at that time, but even its magic and mystery remain today. Everybody is thinking how King Tut died, who was King Tut, and the tragedy, in my opinion, is like a play." SUPER CAPTION: Dr Zahi Hawas, Head of Giza antiquities A team of Japanese experts from Waseda University in Tokyo is due in Egypt this week to conduct tests on the mummy of King Tutankhamun for the first time since 1969. The boy-king is thought to have succeeded Amenhotep IV, better-known as Akhenaten, and official policy at the time associated Tutankhamun by blood to the great pharaoh. But many Egyptologists question whether Akhenaten really did father Tutankhamun, although they widely agree that he had some sort of royal lineage. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Maybe Amenhotep is his father and King Tutankhamun is his son. A series has been written in the last 50 years on that, but nothing for sure. (cutaway) I hope to get positive results then I can say that I can have from the ancient material nuclear acids available to get the sequences we need for the examination of DNA. This is the first step. If I have it right then I can go to the second step, which is making the comparison between all these bodies." SUPER CAPTION: Dr Nasry Eskandar, General Director of the research centre at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor virtually intact by Briton Howard Carter in 1922. Its treasures provided invaluable insights into Egyptian ancient history. D-N-A testing on mummies could help answer a number of questions about ancient Egypt, proving family relations, marriage patterns and mixing of ethnic groups. But many archaeologists caution that D-N-A testing hasn't yet proven very successful in archaeology and they warn against over-reliance on it to determine historical facts. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8636aa4b428cf2b20322624bbc6f30f3 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 30 Jul 2015
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