Tomb of ancient Egyptian King unearthed in ‘remarkable’ discovery

The mummy of Thutmose II illustrated in the book "From Pharaoh to Fellah" in 1888. (Glasshouse Images/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource)

A royal tomb belonging to an ancient Egyptian King has been unearthed, in what has been called a “remarkable” discovery by officials.

A joint Egyptian-British archeological mission identified the tomb as belonging to King Thutmose II, an ancient Egyptian King who reigned sometime between 2000 and 1001 BCE, the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a press release Tuesday.

Initially identified as just “Tomb C4,” the site is located about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) west of the Valley of Kings in Egypt’s Luxor region, the ministry said.

When the archeological team first discovered the entrance and main corridor of the tomb in 2022, they believed it belonged to one of the wives of the Kings. This was based on its proximity to Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb and the tombs of King Thutmose III’s wives, explained Mohammad Ismail Khaled, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, in the release.

But over the years, the joint mission, led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the New Kingdom Research Foundation, revealed another story: the tomb actually belonged to Thutmose II.

Piers Litherland, field director at the New Kingdom Research Foundation, said his team was surprised by the discovery.

“We, like many others, thought this was a wadi (valley) associated with royal women,” Litherland told CNN Wednesday.

The tomb’s location is also very unusual for a King.

“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,” he said.

Among the evidence pointing to Thutmose II were fragments of alabaster jars found inscribed with his name, identifying him as the “deceased King” as well as inscriptions with the name of his wife and half-sister, Queen Hatshepsut.

The discovery marks one of the most significant archeological breakthroughs in recent years, according to Khaled, who added that artefacts found in the tomb will provide critical insight into the history of the region and the King’s reign.

Little is known about Thutmose II. Scholars even debate the length of his reign, which could have been as little as three or four years, or more than 14.

“It does not, so far, tell us much about his life,” said Litherland about the tomb’s discovery. “However, it does tell us that he was buried by Hatshepsut and not by his son, the infant Thutmose III. It was the duty of Kings to bury their predecessors.”

Litherland believes this could explain why the younger Thutmose was “so keen” to disassociate himself from Hatshepsut, and to “emphasize his connections with his father and grandfather.”

The tomb was found in a poor state of preservation, due to flooding that would have happened shortly after the King’s death, according to Mohamed Abdel Badi, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector and co-leader of the mission. Water damaged the interior of the tomb, with preliminary studies suggesting its original contents were likely relocated to another site.

However, the archeological team was able to restore fallen plaster fragments in the tomb. Among them were remnants of plaster featuring blue inscriptions, yellow star motifs, and portions of the Book of Amduat, a religious text associated with ancient Egyptian royal tombs.

Litherland noted that the tomb’s simple architectural design served as a prototype for later royal tombs of the 18th dynasty. He added that the mission will continue its work to uncover more secrets of the area and locate the final resting place of the tomb’s original contents.