Lost tomb of pharaoh Thutmose II unearthed in Egypt's Valley
This discovery is as significant as that of Tutankhamun. Archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II along with burial pottery. The find was made to the west of the Valley of the Kings by a joint Egyptian-British team of archaeologists.
A remarkable find in Egypt: the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, who ruled about 3,500 years ago, has been discovered. It was hidden within the rock. This represents the first discovery of a pharaoh's tomb since that of Tutankhamun in 1922, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a statement. Thutmose II's name was found on pottery at the burial site, which enabled archaeologists to identify the tomb.
Thutmose II is perhaps best known for being married to his half-sister, Hatshepsut. After his death, Hatshepsut ascended to the throne as pharaoh. However, unlike Tutankhamun's burial, the newly discovered tomb is almost empty and contains no body. Archaeologists determined that the tomb was flooded soon after Thutmose II's burial, prompting the relocation of funerary items. His mummy was found in the 19th century in an underground cache near Hatshepsut's temple, along with many other royal mummies. It is currently housed in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.
The tomb was discovered earlier
The discoverers report that the tomb is about 95 feet long and includes a burial chamber measuring approximately 17 by 17 by 11 feet. "The entire contents of the tomb had been removed. The tomb was not robbed," said Piers Litherland, an Egyptologist from the University of Cambridge and one of the team leaders, to the Live Science portal.
Archaeologists first discovered the tomb in October 2022. However, it was only at the end of the 2024 excavation season and the beginning of 2025, after analyzing pottery bearing Thutmose II's name, that researchers identified the burial site as the pharaoh's tomb. One piece of pottery "bore a label indicating it contained natron which was used for embalming," Litherland noted. "This confirms that a burial did initially take place in the tomb."
Litherland suggested there might be yet another undiscovered tomb where items were moved after the flooding. The mummy reburied in the cache at Deir el-Bahari, a nearby location, has been identified by some Egyptologists as Thutmose II. However, this mummy might be too old—possibly around 40 years at the time of death—to be Thutmose II, indicating his mummy and another tomb may lie undisturbed elsewhere, he added.
Who was Thutmose II?
Little is known about the reign of Thutmose II. There is debate over how long he ruled, but it may have been less than five years, according to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. However, some researchers believe his reign lasted much longer, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York estimating he ruled from about 1492 to 1479 BCE.
Thutmose II was a pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty, ruling from about 1492 to 1479 BCE. He was married to Queen Hatshepsut, who later ascended to the throne herself. Although his reign is poorly documented, he is known for suppressing a rebellion in Nubia, a region that today lies in southern Egypt and northern Sudan and was then under Egyptian control. Historical records also indicate he conducted military campaigns in the eastern Mediterranean, reaching as far as modern Syria. After his death, Hatshepsut became one of the most renowned pharaohs in Egyptian history.
