Tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II Discovered in Egypt

The tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Thutmose II has been discovered in Egypt. According to the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, this previously thought lost burial is the first royal tomb discovered in the last hundred years - since 1922, when the intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun was found in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

The discovery was made by a joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission west of Luxor. The tomb is located about 2.5 km from the Valley of the Kings. The entrance and main passage to the tomb were discovered back in 2022, and since then archaeologists have continued their research until they found confirmation that the tomb belongs to King Thutmose II (who ruled approximately in 1492-1479 BC).

According to the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Muhammad Ismail Khaled, the parts of the alabaster vessels found in the tomb bear inscriptions with the name of King Thutmose II as "the late king", as well as the name of his chief royal wife and half-sister, Queen Hatshepsut, who was responsible for the burial of the pharaoh.

For the first time, the pharaoh's burial furniture was discovered - until now it has not been represented in any museum in the world. Among other artifacts found are fragments of jewelry. On the preserved remains of colored plaster in the form of a starry sky, scientists found inscriptions that are excerpts from Am-Duat, one of the most important funerary texts of Ancient Egypt.

The head of the British archaeological expedition, Piers Litherland, said that the tomb has a simple architectural design, it consists of a corridor that leads to a burial chamber located in the main corridor of the tomb. There, the floor level is about 1.4 meters higher than the floor of the chamber itself. It is assumed that the corridor was used for transportation to a safe place after the contents of the main tomb were flooded, including the body of Thutmose II.

Archaeological excavations will continue in order to determine the place of reburial of the pharaoh.