When Howard Carter cracked open Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the world thought ancient Egypt had given up its last great secret. For a hundred years, not a single royal tomb of that magnitude was found. That just changed.
Scottish Egyptologist Piers Litherland led a British team to an astonishing discovery—the long-lost tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, hidden in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis. This was the last missing tomb of the 18th Dynasty’s kings, a mystery that had puzzled historians for generations.
Thutmose II, ruler of Egypt 3,500 years ago, vanished from history in more ways than one. His tomb was never found, and scholars debated its location for centuries. Many assumed it lay somewhere near the Valley of the Kings. They were wrong.
The breakthrough happened in October 2022. At first, the team believed they had uncovered the resting place of a royal wife or princess. But the tomb’s design told a different story. A wide staircase, an imposing entrance—this was no minor noble’s grave.
Then came the real confirmation. Inside the burial chamber, researchers found inscriptions from the Amduat, a sacred text reserved strictly for pharaohs. That’s when it hit them—they had just uncovered the tomb of a king.
Thutmose II ruled Egypt as both husband and half-brother to Hatshepsut, one of history’s most formidable female pharaohs. While Hatshepsut’s legacy is well-documented, Thutmose II remained a shadowy figure. His tomb’s discovery is rewriting history.
Among the most compelling finds were alabaster jar fragments inscribed with the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut. This wasn’t just circumstantial evidence—it was a direct link to the long-lost king.
For a century, modern archaeology searched for another royal burial on par with Tutankhamun’s. It took a Scotsman and his team to finally deliver.
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Five Fast Facts
- Thutmose II’s reign is believed to have been cut short by illness, possibly leading to his early death.
- Hatshepsut, his wife and successor, later erased many records of Thutmose II to solidify her own rule.
- The Amduat, found in his tomb, was an exclusive religious text guiding pharaohs through the afterlife.
- Theban Necropolis, where his tomb was discovered, also houses the famous mortuary temple of Hatshepsut.
- Despite decades of searching, many Egyptian royal tombs likely remain undiscovered beneath the desert sands.
