Archaeologists have discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II in Egypt, marking the first pharaonic burial site found since Tutankhamun in 1922.
More than a century after the world was captivated by Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, archaeologists have uncovered another remarkable find – the final resting place of King Thutmose II, one of ancient Egypt’s elusive 18th Dynasty rulers.
Discovered by a joint British-Egyptian team led by Dr Piers Litherland, the tomb was hidden away in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor.
Until now, the whereabouts of Thutmose II’s original burial site had remained a mystery. While his mummified remains were uncovered two hundred years ago in the Deir el-Bahri Cache above the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the location of his tomb had been lost to history.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Court of Antiquities, said in a statement that the discovery was “one of the most significant archeological breakthroughs in recent years.”
First discovered in 2022, the tomb was originally thought to belong to one of the royal wives of the so-called Thutmosid kings, a succession of pharaohs named Thutmose who once ruled Ancient Egypt.
However, archaeological evidence eventually proved that the tomb was the resting place for Thutmose II, who died around 1479 B.C. after a relatively short reign, explained Khaled.
Studies suggest that Thutmose II died around the age of 30, after which his wife (and half-sister) Hatshepsut assumed the throne, where she ruled for about 21 years, from around 1479 B.C. to 1458 B.C.
What was discovered inside the tomb?
Inside, the archaeological team were met with the unmistakable signs of a royal tomb: inscriptions from the “Amduat”, an ancient funerary text reserved for pharaohs, fragments of alabaster jars bearing the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, and a blue-painted ceiling complete with yellow stars.
However, the tomb itself was completely empty and in very poor condition. Unlike many ancient tombs that were plundered by grave robbers, this one had been deliberately cleared. Researchers believe this was done after the tomb was hit by severe flooding, as it had been built beneath a waterfall.
“Preliminary studies suggest that the tomb’s original contents were relocated to another site during ancient times after the flooding,” Mohamed Abdel-Badii, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement.
Dr Piers Litherland said the team will “continue its work to uncover more secrets of the area and locate the final resting place of the tomb’s original contents.”
