An Ancient Egyptian Surprise

Imagine poking around in the desert, hoping for a few scraps of history, and then—boom—you unearth a royal tomb that’s been hiding for over 3,000 years. That’s precisely what’s happened in Luxor, Egypt, where archaeologists stumbled upon the final resting place of Pharaoh Thutmose II. And yes, it’s kind of a big deal because this is the first proper pharaoh’s tomb to be found since Tutankhamun’s in 1922. That’s a century of waiting for Egyptologists to finally pop open another long-lost door to the past.

Thutmose II wasn’t exactly Egypt’s most famous ruler. He’s often overshadowed by his wife, Hatshepsut, who—let’s be honest—completely stole the show by declaring herself Pharaoh after his death. But Thutmose II did rule, albeit for a short stint in the early 18th Dynasty, around 1493–1479 BCE. His reign was marked by a few military campaigns and, more memorably, his unfortunate habit of dying young. And now, centuries later, we’ve finally found the place he was originally meant to rest.

A Tomb With a Water Problem

The tomb itself, found in the Western Wadis near the famous Valley of the Kings, was not exactly in showroom condition. It turns out that building your eternal home beneath two waterfalls isn’t the smartest move. Over the millennia, flooding and time took their toll, leaving archaeologists with what can best be described as a soggy disaster zone. The walls still carry beautiful inscriptions from the Amduat, the guidebook to the afterlife reserved for royalty, but the tomb has clearly seen better days.

The Big Reveal

The archaeologists working on the site were led by Dr. Piers Litherland from Cambridge University, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The team started work in 2022, but it wasn’t until recently that they could confidently say, “Yep, we’ve got a Pharaoh on our hands.” The clincher? Artefacts bearing Thutmose II’s name, along with those handy depictions of the Amduat, confirming this was indeed a royal burial.

The Pharaoh’s Disappearing Act

If you’re wondering why Thutmose II’s mummy wasn’t found lounging in his tomb, it’s because the ancient Egyptians had a bit of a relocation issue. Tomb raiders were a major problem, and by the time later dynasties realised their predecessors’ graves were being looted left, right, and centre, they moved royal mummies to secret caches for safekeeping. That’s why Thutmose II’s body was actually found in 1881 at Deir el-Bahari, miles away from his original resting place.

The 18th Dynasty Drama

The 18th Dynasty was an all-star lineup of Egyptian rulers, and Thutmose II was smack in the middle of it. His father, Thutmose I, was a military genius, his wife Hatshepsut was one of history’s most powerful female rulers, and his son, Thutmose III, turned out to be a conqueror who expanded Egypt’s empire. And yet, Thutmose II himself always felt like more of a footnote—until now. This discovery finally puts him back in the spotlight, even if it’s taken a few millennia.

It’s easy to think, “Cool, another tomb, another dusty sarcophagus,” but this one changes a lot. For starters, it helps fill in the missing pieces of where early 18th Dynasty pharaohs were originally buried before tomb robbers and well-meaning priests started shifting them around. It also gives us fresh insights into royal burial customs—especially how grand and sophisticated these resting places were before nature (and looters) took their toll.

Archaeology With A Side of Mystery

Even with this discovery, there’s still so much we don’t know. What was originally buried with Thutmose II? Were there treasures beyond the artefacts that survived? And who made the final decision to relocate his mummy centuries after his burial? Every new find comes with a hundred new questions, which is exactly what makes Egyptology so thrilling.

The work on Thutmose II’s tomb is far from over. Archaeologists will continue exploring, restoring, and analysing what’s left, hoping to uncover more details about the life and times of this lesser-known pharaoh. And while Thutmose II’s afterlife journey has been anything but smooth, at least he’s finally getting the recognition he missed out on all those centuries ago. Better late than never, right?