A joint Egyptian-British archaeological project near Luxor found the tomb of Thutmose II, making it the first royal tomb to be unearthed since the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1922.
When British archaeologist Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, he would have been shocked to learn that another royal tomb wouldn’t be discovered for over 100 years—but that’s exactly what happened. Now, archaeologists in Egypt have officially announced the discovery of the long-lost tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II, making it the first royal burial site found in quite some time.
Thutmose II was the son of pharaoh Thutmose I and Mutnefret, one of his father’s minor wives. Thutmose I is perhaps best known for marriage to his half-sister Hatshepsut, and probably ruled for less than five years, according to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Though the tomb (labeled C4) was first discovered in 2022, the latest investigation indicated the tomb belonged to a pharaoh—making it the first royal Ancient Egyptian tomb found since that of Tutankhamun.
According to an Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities release, the tomb flooded shortly after Thutmose II’s death, leaving it in a poor state of preservation. The team believes that the tomb’s original contents were moved after the flooding. It wouldn’t be the only Thutmose whose legacy was obscured by water—if we’re permitting clunky transitions—as last year, a different team of archaeologists found large inscriptions dedicated to Thutmose IV in the Nile River.
According to the National Museum, Thutmose II’s reign ended with the pharaoh’s death around the age of 30. Thutmose II died around 1480 BCE—more than a century before Tutankhamun.
Howard Carter’s team found Tutankhamun’s tomb filled with Ancient Egyptian luxury goods, deposited in the tomb for the Boy King to make use of in the afterlife. C4, which is in Luxor’s C Valley, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) west of the Valley of the Kings, was not found in such a resplendent state.
But there were some goods in the tomb: The researchers found alabaster jars naming Thutmose II and referring to him as the “deceased king”—a firm indicator that the pharaoh was laid to rest in the space. Hatshepsut was also named as the pharaoh’s royal consort. The expedition also found funerary furniture—according to the ministry release, the first-ever found to belong to the late pharaoh.
The pharaoh’s mummy was not in the tomb — it was discovered in 1881 in the Deir El-Bahari cache, also known as the “Royal Cache,” where several mummies from the Valley of the Kings were reburied.
After Thutmose’s death, Hatshepsut stepped up, ultimately becoming one of the most renowned pharaohs despite attempts by her nephew to destroy her legacy after her death.
The discovery is also a reminder of how archaeologists are tirelessly revealing new details of the past; last year, another group of researchers found part of Ramesses II’s original sarcophagus under a building in Abydos. Thutmose II’s tomb adds to a growing list of recent discoveries, suggesting 2025 could bring even more intriguing insights into the Ancient Egyptians and their remarkable civilization.