Archaeologists Say They’ve Discovered the First Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s Tomb Since Tutankhamun’s in 1922
Researchers initially thought the tomb belonged to a royal wife. Then they unearthed fragments of alabaster jars that identified it as Thutmose II’s
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Researchers in Egypt say they’ve discovered the lost tomb of Thutmose II, a pharaoh who ruled during the 15th century B.C.E. It’s the first time archaeologists have unearthed a pharaoh’s tomb since 1922, when King Tutankhamun’s burial site was identified.
The tomb was first discovered in October 2022, according to a recent statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. But researchers couldn’t confirm who it belonged to until the 2024-25 excavation season, when they analyzed fragments of alabaster jars found at the site.
The pottery shards are inscribed with Thutmose II’s name, as well as the name of his wife and half-sister, Hatshepsut.
Researchers don’t know much about Thutmose II. Archaeologists aren’t sure how long his reign lasted, though some think it was less than five years. After his death, his son, Thumose III, succeeded him on the throne.
For the team of British and Egyptian archaeologists who excavated the site, the project has been an emotional one. Piers Litherland, an archaeologist with New Kingdom Research Foundation who served as the excavation’s field director, says he felt a mix of “turbulent” feelings while working at the site.
“When I came out, my wife was waiting outside, and the only thing I could do was burst into tears,” he says, per BBC News’ Frances Mao.
The tomb is located in Luxor roughly 1.5 miles west of the Valley of Kings. When researchers initially discovered it, they thought it belonged to a royal woman, or the wife of one of Egypt’s kings. They suspected this because it’s situated near Hatshepsut’s tomb, as well as the tombs of Thutmose III’s wives.
“The fact that the whole area where the new tomb has been found was previously only associated with royal women makes this new discovery all the more intriguing,” says Joann Fletcher, an archaeologist at the University of York, to NBC News’ Charlene Gubash and Mithil Aggarwal.
The entire tomb measures 95 feet long. Inside, it houses a burial chamber that measures 17 by 17 by 11 feet. Archaeologists found the remains of plaster fragments covered in blue inscriptions, yellow star motifs and parts of a religious funerary text.
The tomb is mostly empty. Archaeologists suspect it was flooded not long after Thutmose II was interred, so the body and grave goods were moved to a different location.
“The tomb is situated in a poorly-chosen place beneath two waterfalls and at the bottom of a slope down which water would have (and did) pour in the much wetter weather of the 18th dynasty,” Litherland tells CNN’s Rosa Rahimi.
Thutmose II’s mummified remains were discovered in a cache in 1881, along with the bodies of several other pharaohs, as Claire Isabella Gilmour, an archaeologist and anthropologist at the University of Bristol, writes in the Conversation. Thutmose II’s mummy is now housed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
However, some archaeologists remain skeptical that the newly discovered tomb belonged to Thutmose II. Thomas Schneider, an Egyptologist at the University of British Columbia, tells Live Science’s Owen Jarus that the location “would be surprising for a king’s tomb.”
“I … would need to see further details in support of such an identification,” he tells the publication.
