New Scans May Show Hidden Chambers Near Tutankhamun

A new geophysical survey of Tutankhamun’s tomb has revived one of Egyptology’s most contested theories, the idea that hidden rooms, possibly including the burial place of Queen Nefertiti, lie just beyond its walls. The evidence is genuinely new, but so is the caution surrounding it.

A Decade-Old Theory Gets New Data

The debate traces back to 2015, when British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves first proposed that Tutankhamun’s tomb, known as KV62, could conceal further chambers. Reeves pointed to cracks and lines on the north wall of the burial chamber, along with alterations to its ancient paintings, as possible evidence of a hidden doorway. His theory held that KV62 originally formed part of a much larger royal tomb, with sections sealed off after Tutankhamun’s unexpectedly early death. Since then, geophysical surveys attempting to test the idea have produced mixed and often contradictory results.

A Corridor Earlier Surveys May Have Missed

A new study, published online on September 17 in the Occasional Papers of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project, presents fresh data from Mamdouh Eldamaty, an archaeologist at Ain Shams University and Egypt’s former antiquities minister, alongside structural engineer and geophysicist George Ballard. The team combined ground-penetrating radar conducted from inside the tomb with a microgravity survey of the surrounding ground, taking more than 1,200 measurements across roughly 35 square meters. Ballard says the data show what appears to be a two-meter-wide corridor packed with rubble extending from the burial chamber, a feature he believes earlier surveys missed because they were searching for a large empty void rather than a filled passage.

Anomaly 7

The microgravity data also revealed several low-density, right-angled structures running parallel to the tomb’s north wall, patterns Ballard says are consistent with man-made spaces. One feature in particular, which the team labeled Anomaly 7, consists of a mostly low-density zone containing a roughly square area of higher density. Ballard has suggested this could represent a chamber holding objects, though he acknowledges the measurements sit at the edge of what the technology can reliably detect. A separate 2017 survey using electrical-resistivity tomography had detected anomalies in similar locations, though researchers dismissed them at the time as unrelated to the tomb.

Independent Experts Urge Caution

Outside specialists remain unconvinced that the case is closed. Christopher Gaffney, a ground-penetrating radar specialist at the University of Bradford, described the new research as fascinating but said the published information isn’t sufficient to reach a definitive conclusion, calling himself pretty ambivalent about the results. Geophysicist Peter Styles of Keele University said the microgravity evidence makes the presence of chambers seem plausible, while also asking for more detailed data before drawing firm conclusions. Even if hidden rooms are eventually confirmed, archaeologists caution there is no guarantee they contain Nefertiti’s burial. The spaces could instead be storerooms, another part of an earlier funerary complex, or chambers damaged by flash flooding that periodically affects the Valley of the Kings.

What Happens Next

Researchers have proposed drilling several small holes, roughly seven to eight centimeters wide, toward one of the strongest low-density anomalies located a few meters north of the burial chamber. Remote-controlled miniature vehicles fitted with 360-degree cameras are already being tested and could potentially explore any spaces the drilling reveals. Any such excavation requires approval from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, and if that permission is granted, Ballard says exploratory work could begin as early as November.

Sources

This report draws on original reporting by Jo Marchant for Nature, published September 17, 2026.