Archaeologists from York believe they may have found the final resting place of one of the most legendary beauties of the ancient world.

They claim a tattered and neglected mummy found in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings is probably Queen Nefertiti, stepmother of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun.

The discovery follows 12 years of research and a breakthrough when Egyptian authorities allowed the 3,500-year-old body to be examined for the first time.

Joann Fletcher, a member of a research team from the University of York, said: "It's a royal woman of the late 18th dynasty who wielded tremendous power. There are not many that fit that description.

"We can never have cast-iron certainty that it is Nefertiti, but we have narrowed it right down."

The York team's decision follows the extended study of clues, including fragments of wig and the piercing of the mummy's ears.

When the body was examined researchers found a broken-off arm under a pile of ancient linen that was bent in a way only permitted if the dead person was a pharaoh or queen.

Ms Fletcher first took an interest in the mummy when she noticed a picture of it taken in 1907 resembled a Nefertiti bust on display in Germany.

Ms Fletcher said: "Nefertiti is the big name. She is such a phenomenally important Egyptian figure and she is an icon because of that bust in Berlin."

The bust shows a woman with a long neck, high cheekbones sand a slender nose and has become a global image of Ancient Egypt.

The mummy was first found walled up in a side chamber of the tomb of King Amenhotep II in 1898 by a team of French explorers.

Its poor condition meant it drew little attention and it was photographed only once before the chamber was walled-up again.

Updated: 10:38 Monday, June 09, 2003