Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb discovered for first time since Tutankhamun

The abandoned tomb appears to have undergone a catastrophic flood, leading archaeologists to believe its contents – and mummy – were moved to a new, undiscovered crypt, nearby.

Archaeologists discovered a raised plaster-lined passage which may have been used to transport the mummy and grave goods to their final resting place after the original tomb was submerged.

Mohsen Kamel, the assistant field director of the excavation, said: “The possible existence of a second, and most likely intact, tomb of Thutmose II is an astonishing possibility.”

There has never been an intact tomb of a pharaoh discovered, with even the burial chamber of Tutankhamun showing evidence of robbery.

Robbers entered the tomb twice in the years immediately following the burial, but Tutankhamun’s mummy and most of the burial goods remained intact.

The tomb was famously found by British archaeologist Howard Carter, who said upon looking into the boy-king’s chamber that he saw “wonderful things”.

The notorious curse was first fuelled by the death of Lord Carnarvon, his wealthy English patron, soon after the discovery, which sparked a global frenzy for ancient Egypt that rages to this day.

Experts are now searching for the final resting place of Thutmose II and the tomb’s original contents.

If a new tomb and mummy are discovered, it would also clear up an argument that has raged since 1881, when Gaston Maspero, the French Egyptologist, claimed to have found Thutmose II in a royal cache alongside eight other pharaohs as it had a strong familial resemblance to the mummy of Thutmose I, his father.

However, the “Thutmose II” in the cache was aged over 30 when he died, tests revealed, and the pharaoh is thought to have been far younger at the time of his death.

The pharaoh is described in ancient inscriptions as “the falcon in the nest” when he came to the throne, and may have reigned for just three years, living just long enough to father Thutmose III.

The tomb of Thutmose II – the four-times great-grandfather of Tutankhamun – was the only burial chamber still missing out of the 18th-dynasty kings.

Archaeologists originally believed they had found the tomb of one of the royal wives because it was located near to the original tomb of Hatshepsut and the graves of Thutmose III’s wives.

Hatshepsut – who later became a pharaoh in her own right, dressing as a king and wearing a false beard – prepared a tomb for herself when consort, but later constructed a cliff tomb near the Valley of the Kings to mimic her male counterparts.

The new tomb was first discovered in 2022, but extensive water damage meant experts spent the subsequent time recovering fallen plaster fragments, and cleaning alabaster fragments.

When hieroglyphs on the fragments were finally translated, they revealed the name of Thutmose II, and identified him as the “deceased king”.

Remnants of plaster were also discovered with blue inscriptions, yellow star motifs, and portions of the Book of Amduat, a key religious text associated with royal tombs of ancient Egypt.

“Initially, we thought we might have found the tomb of a royal wife, but the wide staircase and the large doorway suggested something more important,” said Piers Litherland, of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.

“The discovery that the burial chamber had been decorated with scenes from the Amduat, a religious text which is reserved for kings, was immensely exciting and was the first indication that this was a king’s tomb.”

The tomb was not found until now because it was believed to be at the other end of the mountain, near the Valley of the Kings.

“This is the first royal tomb to be discovered since the ground-breaking find of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in 1922,” said Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

“It is an extraordinary moment for Egyptology and the broader understanding of our shared human story.”