Pharaoh Thutmose II’s tomb, the last missing tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaohs in Egypt, has been identified by a joint Egyptian-British archaeological mission.

According to a press release by the Egyptian’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the joint mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the New Kingdom Research Foundation has identified the tomb of King Thutmose II following excavation and archaeological documentation of Tomb C4, whose entrance and main passage were first found in 2022.

The tomb is located in Valley C (Wadi C), in the Theban Mountain west of Luxor, in a site that lies approximately 2.4 kilometers west of the Valley of the Kings. According to Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, this tomb is the first royal burial site to be discovered since Howard Carter’s legendary discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that when the mission first discovered the entrance and main corridor of the tomb in October 2022, it was initially believed that C4 belonged to the wife of one of the Thutmosids, a string of 18th Dynasty pharaohs mostly bearing the name Thutmose who ruled Egypt during the 15th c. BCE. This assumption was based on its proximity to the tomb of King Thutmose III’s wives and Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb, which was initially prepared for her as a royal consort before she became pharaoh and finally buried in the Valley of the Kings. However, as excavations continued this season, new archaeological evidence confirmed the tomb’s owner as King Thutmose II. The findings also indicate that the burial was arranged by Queen Hatshepsut as she was both Thutmose II’s wife and half-sister.

Dr. Khaled confirmed that fragments of alabaster vessels discovered in the tomb bear inscriptions referring to Thutmose II as the “deceased king,” alongside the name of his principal wife, Queen Hatshepsut. This definitive evidence confirms the tomb’s ownership.

The Secretary-General described this discovery as one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent years. The artifacts found within the tomb provide valuable new insights into the history of this ancient site and the reign of Thutmose II. Remarkably, this is the first time any funerary furniture belonging to this king has been discovered, as no such objects exist in museums worldwide.

Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities and head of the Egyptian side of the mission, stated that the tomb was found in poor condition due to flooding that occurred shortly after the king’s death. Water had inundated the tomb, requiring the archaeological team to recover and restore fallen plaster fragments. Initial studies suggest that the tomb’s main contents were relocated elsewhere in ancient times after the flooding.

He added that some of the discovered plaster fragments feature remnants of blue inscriptions, yellow stars representing the sky, and segments of the Book of “Amduat”—one of the most significant religious texts used in royal tombs of ancient Egypt.

Dr. Piers Litherland, head of the British side of the mission, highlighted that the tomb had a simple architectural design, which later influenced the layout of royal tombs in the 18th Dynasty. The tomb includes a corridor covered in a white plaster layer, leading to the burial chamber. The floor of the main corridor is about 1.4 meters higher than the burial chamber, suggesting it was used to transport the tomb’s primary contents, including the body of Thutmose II, after the flood damage.

It is worth stating that the mummified body of Thutmose II was found in 1881 along with those of other New Kingdom pharaohs and royal family members at the Royal Cache of Deir el Bahari (TT 320). There, it had been reburied in the framework of a large pharaonic reburial project held at the end of the New Kingdom. It is now placed at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo. It is also worth noticing that C4 is not the only pharaonic tomb revealed after 1922. Royal burials uncovered in later years include the opulent necropolis of the 21st and 22nd Dynasties at Tanis, excavated between 1929 and 1939, and tombs in the 13th Dynasty/Second Intermediate Period royal cemetery at Abydos, which included the modest tomb of the previously unknown Pharaoh Senebkay, discovered in 2014.

Dr. Litherland confirmed that the mission will continue its archaeological survey in the area, a project that has been ongoing for two years, in hopes of uncovering more secrets about this site and locating the missing contents of Thutmose II’s tomb.