Archaeologists Found the Long-Lost Tomb of Egypt’s Missing Pharaoh

Bright Side

Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery—the first royal tomb found in Egypt since King Tut’s was uncovered over 100 years ago! This newly found tomb belongs to King Thutmose II, who ruled Egypt about 3,500 years ago. It was found in the famous Valley of the Kings in Luxor, the same place where Tutankhamun was buried in 1922. The entrance was first spotted in 2022, but more digging led experts to confirm it was the resting place of Thutmose II. Over time, the tomb had suffered heavy damage, likely from ancient floods and tomb robbers. Now, researchers are carefully studying it, hoping to learn more secrets about this forgotten pharaoh!

Transcript

00:00Miles and miles of yellow sand, treeless mountain ridges, and scorching hot sun over your head.

00:08And suddenly, something you'd never expect to come across in a barren desert.

00:12A small group of overexcited people.

00:15They're as happy as you would be if you'd won a lottery.

00:18They've just found an ancient tomb, once flooded with its walls in bad shape.

00:23But the stuff they discovered inside proves that this is the burial site of one of Egypt's most mysterious pharaohs.

00:31Historians have been hunting for his tomb for years, but no one expected it to hide ancient treasures.

00:39Fast forward.

00:40After careful examination of the site, Egyptian officials have announced the discovery of the tomb of King Thutmose II.

00:48It's the last missing tomb from Egypt's 18th dynasty.

00:51And this is also the first royal tomb found since King Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, in more than 100 years.

01:01A team of Egyptian and British archaeologists found the tomb in the Theban Mountains area, west of Luxor, near the famous Valley of the Kings.

01:10Before this, the site was only known as Tomb C-4.

01:14But during their excavation, the team found clear evidence proving it belonged to King Thutmose II.

01:21Archaeologists actually found the entrance and main tunnel leading to the tomb in 2022.

01:27But at first, they thought it belonged to a queen because it was near the graves of Thutmose III's wives.

01:33It was also close to Queen Hatshepsut's tomb.

01:36Originally, it was prepared for her when she was just a royal wife.

01:40But everything changed when she became pharaoh.

01:43But we'll talk about this twist of fate a little later.

01:46But soon, they realized that their discovery was much more significant.

01:52They found alabaster jars with Thutmose II's name and the words, Deceased King, written on them.

01:59That's when they realized that the tomb was actually his final resting place.

02:04Sadly, Thutmose II's tomb has seen better days.

02:08According to the head of Egypt's antiquity sector and the leader of the Egyptian excavation team,

02:14the tomb suffered major damage from ancient floods not long after the pharaoh's death.

02:20Water swept through the burial chamber, likely destroying or displacing many of the original artifacts.

02:26Much of what had been once inside the tomb was moved elsewhere in an attempt to salvage it.

02:32The researchers found out that the tomb had a basic design, with an entrance, a sloping main corridor, and a burial chamber.

02:40The corridor was coated in white plaster and rose about 4 and a half feet above the floor of the burial chamber.

02:47A large staircase and a very large descending corridor of the tomb indicated its grandeur.

02:53It took the team a long time to navigate through, though, as the tomb was blocked by flood debris and collapsed ceilings.

03:00Only after crawling through a 32-foot passageway with a small 16-inch gap at the top,

03:07the worst nightmare for those of us with claustrophobia, were they able to reach the burial chamber.

03:12There, they were in for another surprise.

03:16They cleared the debris, expecting to find the crushed remains of a burial beneath.

03:21But the tomb turned out to be completely empty.

03:24And it was not due to robbery.

03:26It had been deliberately empty.

03:28The researchers soon realized that the tomb had been flooded, since it had been built underneath a waterfall.

03:34It happened just a few years after the king's burial.

03:37So the contents of the tomb were moved to another location.

03:41That's why there was a second corridor in the tomb.

03:44It was most likely made to help remove King Thutmose II's body from his flooded tomb.

03:49Despite the damage, the excavation team made some really exciting discoveries.

03:56They found traces of mortar decorated with blue inscriptions, yellow stars, and fragments from the Book of Amduat,

04:03one of the most significant funerary texts in ancient Egypt.

04:06The book was meant to guide the deceased through the underworld, ensuring a safe journey to the afterlife.

04:12Now, how about we sneak a peek at ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty?

04:18It was all about conquering lands, expanding the empire, and building jaw-dropping monuments.

04:23Some of the biggest names from that era are Thutmose I and Thutmose III,

04:28both legendary warrior kings who left their mark in history.

04:31Thutmose I was a fierce fighter who led major military campaigns,

04:38pushing Egypt's border further south than ever before, all the way to the fourth cataract of the Nile.

04:44His victories gave Egypt access to new trade routes, stronger political ties, and more wealth.

04:51His conquests were so significant that they were recorded in the tombs of his top officials.

04:56Thutmose III, sometimes called Thutmose the Great, took things even further.

05:03He was not only an incredible military strategist, but also the commander of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's armies before becoming king himself.

05:11He led between 17 and 20 military campaigns, winning every single one and expanding Egypt's empire to its peak.

05:20He even created the world's first navy.

05:22Thutmose III is often remembered as Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh.

05:29And sandwiched between these two powerhouses was Thutmose II, a pharaoh who doesn't get nearly as much attention.

05:36Hey, the middle child, right?

05:38His reign lasted only about five years before he passed away at around age 30 in 1479 BCE.

05:46He is kind of a mystery.

05:48No one really knows what he accomplished.

05:49For the longest time, even the location of his burial site was totally unknown.

05:55His body was actually found in the 19th century.

05:58It was just lying around in the mortuary temple of Deir el-Bahari,

06:02in a secret chamber where priests used to hide royal mummies centuries after their original tombs were looted by grave robbers.

06:10In other words, Thutmose II's body must have been moved from his original resting place at some point in history to protect it.

06:18During his lifetime, Thutmose II made at least one major impact on Egyptian history.

06:25He married his half-sister, Hatshepsut.

06:28That might not sound like a big deal, but it helped her become Egypt's greatest female pharaoh after he passed.

06:35The catch?

06:36She kept her stepson, Thutmose III, off the throne for decades.

06:40When he finally took power, he erased her name from history out of spite.

06:45And still, Hatshepsut is one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs, no matter if you're talking about a man or a woman.

06:52She brought a lot of wealth and art to Egypt.

06:55She led a big trading trip to a place called Punt, where she brought back things like gold, ebony, and incense.

07:02She also made sure her name lasted by building amazing structures that we can still see today.

07:09At Karnak, she added huge obelisks, one of them is still standing tall.

07:14She also was the one to build the Temple of Dir al-Bawre with its countless columns.

07:19She was buried there.

07:22Interestingly, Hatshepsut was often shown in art as a man with muscles and a beard,

07:28like how pharaohs were usually depicted.

07:30But she made sure there was always something in the artwork that reminded people she was a woman,

07:36like calling herself Daughter of Ray, or His Majesty Herself.

07:42When she passed away in 1458 BCE,

07:45Egypt wouldn't have a female ruler as powerful as her until Cleopatra, about 1400 years later.

07:54According to Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary General,

07:58isn't that a mouthful?

08:00Hatshepsut's name actually appears in Thutmose II's tomb, meaning she might have even handled his burial.

08:08As for their final resting places, well, Hatshepsut was buried in the Valley of the Kings.

08:13And Thutmose II's mummy is now in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization,

08:18alongside other ancient Egyptian rulers.

08:20It gives visitors a rare chance to see the remains of a nearly forgotten pharaoh.

08:27Now, experts consider the discovery of his tomb to be one of the most significant in recent years.

08:32The artifacts found there add important details to our understanding of the history of the region

08:38and Thutmose II's rule.

08:39And even though the tomb's design is fairly simple and follows the same architectural style

08:45preferred by later Egyptian rulers, its historical importance is undeniable.

08:51In any case, the mission isn't over yet.

08:54Archaeologists are now focusing on solving another mystery.

08:58Where did the rest of the tomb's contents end up?

09:01The team is determined to continue their search.

09:04Who knows what other secrets they will uncover that have remained hidden beneath the sands for thousands of years.

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