British-led archaeologists have discovered a long-missing Pharaoh’s tomb belonging to Thutmose II, hiding in the depths of the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis.
The unexpected finding came as archaeologists investigated what they thought was the tomb of a Pharaoh’s wife, discovered in 2022. When they viewed the wide staircase and delicate illustrations adorning the chamber, they knew it was a royal tomb, the last remaining undiscovered Pharaoh’s tomb of ancient Egypt‘s 18th dynasty, finally identified this year.
Thutmose II
Thutmose II was an ancestor of Tutankhamun, whose Pharaoh‘s tomb was famously unearthed in 1922. Over the 3,500 years since his death, the location of Thutmose II’s original tomb was lost, although archaeologists suspected it to be on the other end of the Theban Mountain, closer to the Valley of the Kings.
Thutmose II is believed to have ruled for only four years, from about 1493 to 1479 BCE, overshadowed by his father, Thutmose I, and later, his son, Thutmose III. In his short life, he survived just long enough to father a son, Thutmose III, with his concubine Iset and a daughter, Neferure, with his half-sister and great-royal wife, Hatshepsut.
Following Thutmose II’s reign, Hatshepsut took the throne. As Thutmose III’s aunt and stepmother, Hatshepsut reigned first as regent and then as Pharaoh herself, one of the few women to hold the title. Upon her death, Thutmose III assumed the role of Pharaoh after having proven himself capable of leading Hatshepsut’s armies.
Archaeologists Happen Upon a Pharaoh’s Tomb
The mission delving into the long-lost tomb was a 12-year joint venture between Britain’s New Kingdom Research Foundation (NKRF) and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt, affiliated with the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.
Pier Litherland, an Honorary Research Associate of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University, led and directed the field, and Dr Judith Bunbury, a fellow of Wolfson College, served as co-head. The rest of the team comprised Egyptian and international experts supported by local workers.
The mission’s discovery of Thutmose II was not its first; previously, it revealed the identities of over 30 royal wives and court women from this period and unearthed 54 tombs in the western area of Luxor’s Theban mountain.
The team never expected to find Thutmose II’s tomb, believed to be over a mile away, at the other end of the mountain near the Valley of the Kings. The tomb first appeared to be that of another royal wife until a wide staircase and large doorway suggested something more grand. But first, the team had to laboriously clear flood debris and collapsed ceilings blocking their way.
Identifying a Pharaoh’s Tomb
When the team finally entered the chamber after crawling through a 32-foot-long tunnel, they were greeted by a blue ceiling decorated with yellow stars, a unique feature of royal tombs. Scenes from the Amduat, a religious text reserved for kings, adorned the chamber, solidifying the significance of what they had stumbled upon. Yet, despite the ornate decorations, the chamber was mostly empty.
Combing through the artifacts buried amongst the debris, archaeologists found the names Thutmose II and Hatshepsut carved into fragments of alabaster jars discovered in the tomb, the only known artifacts connected with Thutmose II’s burial. The tombs were empty not because of robbers but due to a hasty relocation. Before the sixth year of Thutmose III’s reign, the area was flooded by a waterfall above its location, necessitating movement to a second tomb. If it hadn’t been for workers breaking a few items during the hurried migration, the identity of the tomb’s occupant might never have been known.
A Second Pharaoh’s Tomb
As for the Pharoah’s longer-term resting place, a mummy believed to be that of Thutmose II was identified among the 50 corpses found in the Royal Cache in 1881.
Other mummies, such as Ramesses I, Seti I, and Ramesses II, were placed in this combined tomb after pillagers desecrated their initial tombs.
Little care was taken during the initial excavation and artifact removal, which has made studying the Royal Cache challenging since its discovery nearly a century and a half ago.
“Despite its poorly preserved state, and its scarcity compared with Tutankhamun’s splendorous tomb, this discovery will expand our understanding of the overlooked figure of Thutmose II,” said Anna M. Kotarba-Morley, a Senior Lecturer in Museum and Curatorial Studies at the University of Adelaide, along with Katarzyna Kapiec, an Assistant Professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences, describing the discovery for The Conversation.
Kotarba-Morley and Kapiec added that the discovery will also shed new light on “the role [Thutmose II] played in setting up the reign of Hatshepsut – arguably the most successful of the four female pharaohs.”
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.