An old photograph, dating back over 70 years, may be the key to answering the long-debated question of whether an Egyptian queen once ruled as a king. Scientists are going back to a badly damaged photograph of a hieroglyphic inscription from the reign of Meretneith, a prominent female figure who ruled about 5,000 years ago. The original archaeological objects shown in the photograph are now missing. But using digital image-processing techniques, researchers say they have been able to extract details from the old image that were difficult to see when it was first published.
Their findings, published in Prague Egyptological Studies , suggest that two symbols on an ancient mud stopper may represent Meretneith. If that interpretation is correct, it would strengthen the case that she was not merely a regent for her young son but held the status of a ruler herself.
