A team of Egyptian and British archaeologists has confirmed the discovery of Pharaoh Thutmose II's tomb, the fourth monarch of Egypt's 18th Dynasty.
This discovery, announced by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, is the first of its kind since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 and marks the end of the search for the last lost burial of the pharaohs of this dynasty.
A historic discovery in the Valley of the Kings
The entrance to the tomb, identified as C4, was discovered in October 2022 in Wadi Gabbanat el-Qurud, west of Luxor, 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from the Valley of the Kings. The project was led by the New Kingdom Research Foundation (NKRF) in conjunction with Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who have worked for two years at the site.
Initially, the archaeologists thought the tomb belonged to a queen of the Thutmosid dynasty, given its proximity to the tombs of Thutmose III's wives and Queen Hatshepsut, who was the wife and successor of Thutmose II. However, new evidence has confirmed that the tomb belongs to the pharaoh himself.
Who was Thutmose II?
Thutmose II, also called Aajeperenra, ruled Egypt between 1493 B.C. and 1479 B.C. He was the son of Thutmose I and half-brother of Hatshepsut, who would later become one of the most influential rulers of the New Kingdom.
The pharaoh died before reaching 40 years old, and his mummy was found in 1881 in Deir el-Bahari, along with the remains of other monarchs like Ramses II and Seti I. However, until now, the location of his original tomb was unknown.
Evidence that confirmed the identity of Thutmose II
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, explained that inside the tomb, fragments of alabaster vessels were found with inscriptions mentioning Thutmose II as the "deceased king". Additionally, texts were found referring to his wife, Queen Hatshepsut, who oversaw the preparations for his burial.
