Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Search for Nefertiti

Aired August 31, 2003 - 10:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most famous artifacts of ancient Egypt is the bust of Queen Nefertiti. Now, scientists are using new technology to try to identify the original.
CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva unravels the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over: She lived a glamorous life more than 3,000 years ago. But what happened to the legendary Egyptian Queen Nefertiti after death has remained a mystery. Now a team of British archaeologists thinks it may have solved the puzzle with the help of modern x-ray equipment allowing them to take the x-ray machine to the mummy in a tomb instead of the mummy to the x-ray machine in a hospital.

JAMES LEIPNIK, CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CORPORATE RELATIONS, CANON EUROPE: Our equipment is small and portable. And what they're looking for is to identify Nefertiti precisely. And within three seconds of taking the x-ray that process could begin.

VASSILEVA: Earlier this summer, British scientists had found a wig and other evidence indicating the mummy could be Nefertiti. This time, using the mobile x-ray unit, it's a rare gold bead embedded in Nefertiti's broken chest cavity. It's shape associated with royalty and Nefertiti herself.

The x-rays have also helped scientists forensic scientists reconstruct the mummy's face, finding a striking resemblance to images of the powerful Egyptian queen. Some archaeologists say the mummy's smashed bones are consistent with the general hatred for Nefertiti and her husband, who tried to enforce monotheistic religion in ancient Egypt.

Despite the British teams claims and growing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) clues, Egyptian and other archaeologists disagree on whether all this proves this is the Nefertiti mummy. Some say there is physical evidence proving this is not Nefertiti. But DNA tests, not x-rays, are needed before a definite conclusion can be drawn. Modern technology appears to have given scientists more information, but they still disagree if this mummy is indeed the glamorous and powerful Nefertiti.

Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 31, 2003 - 10:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most famous artifacts of ancient Egypt is the bust of Queen Nefertiti. Now, scientists are using new technology to try to identify the original.
CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva unravels the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over: She lived a glamorous life more than 3,000 years ago. But what happened to the legendary Egyptian Queen Nefertiti after death has remained a mystery. Now a team of British archaeologists thinks it may have solved the puzzle with the help of modern x-ray equipment allowing them to take the x-ray machine to the mummy in a tomb instead of the mummy to the x-ray machine in a hospital.

JAMES LEIPNIK, CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CORPORATE RELATIONS, CANON EUROPE: Our equipment is small and portable. And what they're looking for is to identify Nefertiti precisely. And within three seconds of taking the x-ray that process could begin.

VASSILEVA: Earlier this summer, British scientists had found a wig and other evidence indicating the mummy could be Nefertiti. This time, using the mobile x-ray unit, it's a rare gold bead embedded in Nefertiti's broken chest cavity. It's shape associated with royalty and Nefertiti herself.

The x-rays have also helped scientists forensic scientists reconstruct the mummy's face, finding a striking resemblance to images of the powerful Egyptian queen. Some archaeologists say the mummy's smashed bones are consistent with the general hatred for Nefertiti and her husband, who tried to enforce monotheistic religion in ancient Egypt.

Despite the British teams claims and growing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) clues, Egyptian and other archaeologists disagree on whether all this proves this is the Nefertiti mummy. Some say there is physical evidence proving this is not Nefertiti. But DNA tests, not x-rays, are needed before a definite conclusion can be drawn. Modern technology appears to have given scientists more information, but they still disagree if this mummy is indeed the glamorous and powerful Nefertiti.

Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com