Tomb of Thutmose II Recognized Close to Luxor

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on February 18 that the tomb of one in every of Egypt’s most vital New Kingdom rulers, King Thutmose II, has been recognized close to the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

This discovery comes from a joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission involving the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and the New Kingdom Research Foundation at Cambridge University’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

The crew had suspected the tomb’s possession since 2022, however it was solely lately that additional evaluation confirmed the tomb belonged to Thutmose II.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy described the discover because the “first royal tomb discovered since King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.” Initially thought to belong to one in every of Thutmose II’s wives on account of its proximity to the tombs of Thutmose III and Queen Hatshepsut, the tomb was later linked to the king after inscriptions and artifacts confirmed his id.

Among the discoveries, parts of alabaster vessels bearing the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut recommend the queen’s involvement in his burial rites. Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the SCA, defined that the tomb was recognized as belonging to the “deceased king,” alongside his royal consort’s title.

However, steady flooding triggered important injury to the tomb, requiring ongoing restoration and preservation efforts, which the crew plans to proceed in future excavations.

Thutmose II’s mummified stays have been seemingly interred in Tomb 42 within the Valley of the Kings earlier than being moved to a subsequent cache in Deir el-Bahri following tomb robberies. His physique was housed within the Egyptian Museum in Cairo till 2021, when it was transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The king, who was each the half-brother and husband of Queen Hatshepsut, can also be recognized for quite a few scarabs bearing his throne title, lots of that are held within the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.