Discovery of Pharaoh Thutmose II’s Tomb Stuns Archaeologists.

For over a hundred years, archaeologists have been searching for lost royal tombs in Egypt, wondering if there were any major discoveries left to make. Now, a British-Egyptian team has achieved what seemed almost impossible, the first discovery of a pharaoh’s tomb since Tutankhamun’s burial chamber was unearthed in 1922. The tomb, belonging to Pharaoh Thutmose II, has been found in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis near Luxor, an area where researchers previously thought only queens and royal women were buried.

Dr Piers Litherland, field director of the mission, described the moment of discovery to BBC’s Newshour Programme as “emotionally overwhelming”, saying that stepping into the chamber was a shock.

“The emotion of getting into these things is just one of extraordinary bewilderment,” he told the BBC. “When you come across something you’re not expecting to find, it’s emotionally extremely turbulent really. And when I came out, my wife was waiting outside and the only thing I could do was burst into tears.”

The Unexpected Discovery: A Pharaoh Among Queens

The tomb was initially assumed to belong to a royal woman, given its location among other burials of queens and court women from Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. But when the team squeezed through a narrow 40cm-wide gap and into the burial chamber, they made a crucial observation—part of the ceiling was still intact, painted deep blue with golden stars.

Dr Litherland immediately recognised its significance. “Blue-painted ceilings with yellow stars are only found in kings’ tombs,” he explained.

This wasn’t just another noblewoman’s burial site. They had found a pharaoh’s final resting place.

Thutmose II, who ruled Egypt around 1493 to 1479 BC, was an ancestor of Tutankhamun and the husband of one of Egypt’s most famous rulers—Queen Hatshepsut. Despite his short reign, he played a key role in Egypt’s political landscape, and his tomb’s location had been a mystery until now.

The Tomb Was Empty—But Not Robbed

Expecting to find remnants of a burial, the team began carefully clearing the flood debris that had filled the chamber over the centuries. But instead of an intact burial, they found nothing.

“The tomb turned out to be completely empty,” Dr Litherland said. “Not because it was robbed, but because it had been deliberately emptied.”

Centuries ago, the tomb had been built under what was essentially a waterfall, and flooding had destroyed much of its structure. Ancient Egyptians, recognising the risk, removed the king’s remains and relocated them to a safer location.

Even though the chamber was bare, archaeologists managed to recover key clues to the tomb’s owner. Among the limestone rubble, they found fragments of alabaster jars inscribed with the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, small but vital pieces of evidence.

“And thank goodness they actually did break one or two things,” Dr Litherland noted, “because that’s how we found out whose tomb it was.”

A Lost King and the Future of Egyptian Archaeology

The discovery of Thutmose II’s tomb is a historic breakthrough, not just because it solves a mystery that has baffled Egyptologists for decades, but because it changes our understanding of early 18th Dynasty royal burials.

For years, scholars believed that the tombs of Egypt’s early 18th Dynasty pharaohs were located more than 2km away, closer to the Valley of the Kings. This new find suggests that some of the earliest burials of the dynasty’s kings may still be hidden in the Western Valleys, a region that has largely remained unexplored.

The discovery of Pharaoh Thutmose II’s tomb is a major breakthrough in Egyptology, shedding new light on the burial practices of the 18th Dynasty. According to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which houses many of Egypt’s royal mummies, understanding where and how these pharaohs were buried helps researchers piece together the history of ancient Egyptian rule.

The team now has a strong lead on a second tomb, which they believe could be intact and still filled with treasures.

“We have a rough idea of where the second tomb is,” Dr Litherland said. “If it is intact, it could contain the missing burial goods of Thutmose II, giving us a completely new look at Egyptian royal burial practices.”

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, called the discovery “a once-in-a-century moment”, adding that it “expands our understanding of Egypt’s royal history and burial traditions in ways we never expected.”

More Than a Century After Tutankhamun, a New Era of Discoveries

This is the first time in over 100 years that a pharaoh’s tomb has been found in Egypt, and it highlights just how much is still hidden beneath the sands. It took the team over 12 years of excavation to reach this moment, and their work in the Theban Necropolis has already uncovered over 50 tombs belonging to queens and royal women.

With more discoveries likely on the horizon, this could be the beginning of a new golden age of Egyptology.

For more updates on groundbreaking discoveries and further insights into ancient history, visit EyeOnLondon. Let us know what you think in the comments—could this lead to even more lost royal tombs?

[Image Credit: New Kingdom Research Foundation]

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