CAIRO: There are clues that point to the possibility that King Akhenaton and Amenhotep III shared rule discovered in a tomb in Luxor, Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement on Thursday.
The Egyptian-Spanish Mission discovered remains of walls and columns with paintings of King Akhenaten and King Amenhotep III in the tomb of the influential minister of Amenhotep II, Amenhotep son of Hapu.
The paintings depicted both kings together and their names were discovered in two cartouches next to each other, suggesting that the two kings shared the rule of Egypt in the era of the 18th Dynasty (1569-1315 BC), the minister said.
The remains date back to the year King Amenhotep III celebrated his re-coronation after 30 years ruling Egypt to prove to his people he was still able protect the country. This further indicates that he shared the crown with King Akhenaton, according to Ibrahim.
Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector Ali al-Asfar said the discovery of inscriptions and writings requires more study and scrutiny to reach more historical facts.
Head of the Egyptian-Spanish Mission Francisco Martin said they have been working in the tomb since 2009 and have since found a number of ceramic objects in addition to their most recent discovery.
