First Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb found in more than a century

King Thutmose II’s tomb has been found in Egypt – the first tomb found since 1922 when archaeologists uncovered the resting place of Tutankhamun.

It is the last missing royal tomb from the 18th dynasty of Egyptian kings.

Thutmose died before the age of 30 in 1479 BCE. It is not clear if he ruled for 13 years, or just 3.

The tomb’s discovery was announced by the Egyptian State Information Service this week. The excavations by a joint team of British and Egyptian archaeologists were conducted in the west of the Valley of the Kings – outside the city of Luxor.

Archaeologists involved in the dig say it is the most significant find in decades.

“This is the first time funerary furniture belonging to Thutmose II has been discovered, as no such items exist in museums worldwide,” the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, tells Egyptian daily Ahram.

“Despite its significance, the tomb was found in poor condition, flooded in antiquity shortly after the king’s death,” says Mohamed Abdel Badei, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector and Egyptian head of the mission, quoted in the same arrticle.

“Water damage caused severe deterioration, leading to the loss of many original contents, which are believed to have been relocated during ancient times.”

They determined that Queen Hatshepsut, wife and half-sister of Thutmose II, oversaw his burial.

Excavations began in 2022 when a when the entrance and main corridor of the tomb were found. It was first thought to be a robber’s tunnel because of its simple plan.