The discovery of Pharaoh Thutmose II’s tomb is being described as the greatest archaeological find since 1922. Credit: Pixabay Louis Redon
An Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb has been discovered, the first since Tutankhamun’s was unearthed over a century ago.
Thutmose II’s resting place was found in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, an Ancient Egyptian royal burial site near the city of Luxor. The discovery is being celebrated as one of the greatest archaeological finds in over a hundred years.
Archaeologists burrowed through a grand staircase and long descending corridor to reach the site. The team initially believed they had discovered the tomb of a royal wife, as the area excavated was known to contain the graves of royal women. However, the burial chamber’s ceiling painted blue with yellow stars indicates the tomb of a king.
Discovery of Pharaoh Thutmose II’s tomb
The excavation revealed no body, but the team found inscriptions of Thutmose II’s name on alabaster jars. Further investigation revealed that the tomb had been emptied several years after the burial, as it had been flooded by a waterfall located above it, and the pharaoh’s remains relocated. His mummified body was discovered two centuries ago and his remains are now on display in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.
Dr Piers Litherland, the field director leading the project, told the BBC: “It’s enormously exciting, these are the moments of a lifetime.” The discovery resulted from the joint efforts of the New Kingdom Research Foundation and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities over more than 12 years.
“It’s emotionally extremely turbulent really,” Dr Litherland said of the discovery. “When I came out, my wife was waiting outside and the only thing I could do was burst into tears.”
Ancestor of Egypt’s famed Tutankhamun
Thutmose II ruled as part of the 18th Egyptian dynasty around 3,500 year ago. His tomb remained the last to be discovered from this royal lineage – until now.
He is thought to have died at the age of 30 and little is known about his life. His brief reign has been overshadowed by his more famous wife Hatshepsut, one of only a few women who reigned supreme in Ancient Egypt. Thutmose II was also an ancestor of Tutankhamun, whose tomb was famously discovered by British archaeologists in 1922.
Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said: “It is an extraordinary moment for Egyptology and the broader understanding of our shared human story.”
