See it: Egypt uncovers ancient pharaoh's tomb for first time in over 100 years
For the first time in more than a century, a pharaoh's tomb has been uncovered in Egypt.
The tomb of King Thutmose II was found in a joint Egyptian-British archaeological expedition by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the New Kingdom Research Foundation.
Thutmose II was the fourth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. This discovery is the first of a royal tomb since King Tutankhamen's tomb was found in 1922, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a news release.
Archaeologists found the tomb in October 2022, and initially thought it was the tomb of one of the royal wives based on its location to the tombs of King Thutmose III's wives and Queen Hatshepsut's tomb, the ministry said.
Continued excavation of the tomb over the course of the last few years, revealed it actually belonged to Thutmose II, based on findings of pieces of alabaster jars with the pharaoh's name inscribed, identifying him as the "deceased king", the ministry said.
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Inscriptions of Queen Hatshepsut's name, Thutmose II's wife, royal consort and later a pharaoh of Egypt herself, were also found in the tomb, confirming its ownership.
The artifacts found in the tomb will help archaeologists learn more about the reign of Thutmose II and help them understand the history of the region at that time, the ministry said.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the discovery of Thutmose II's tomb is one of the most notable archaeological breakthroughs in recent years.
Archaeologists also found the first-ever funerary furniture of Thutmose II when excavating his tomb.
Remnants of plaster with blue inscriptions and yellow star motifs, as well as the Book of Amduat, a key religious text associated with royal tombs of Ancient Egypt were found as well, the ministry said.
Mohamed Abdel Badi, co-leader of the mission and head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said in the release that the tomb flooded shortly after the king died, leaving it in a poor state of preservation.
Extensive restoration was done by the archaeological team to recover fallen plaster pieces from the tomb, as seen in the above photo shared by the ministry.
Piers Latherland, head of the British side of the mission, said the tomb's simple architectural design served as a prototype for later royal tombs of Dynasty 18.
The tomb features a plastered corridor leading to the burial chamber, with the floor of the corridor elevated about 1.4 meters above the burial chamber's floor, the release said.
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It's believed that the original contents of King Thutmose II's tomb were removed to another location after the flooding happened, the ministry said in the release.
The ministry said the elevated corridor of the tomb is likely how the tomb's contents, including the mummy of the pharaoh, were relocated after the flooding.
Latherland said in the release that the team will continue its work to "uncover more secrets of the area" and find the final resting place of the tomb's original contents.Original article source: See it: Egypt uncovers ancient pharaoh's tomb for first time in over 100 years
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