How archaeologists found the last missing tomb of Ancient Egyptian pharaoh 100 years after Tutankhamun discovery

A location thought to be lost to the history of time, archaeologists recently found what they have been searching for for decades: the lost tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II.

But how did they find it? Especially when the body of Thutmose II had long since been removed from the temple that it was laid to rest in?

Well, archaeologists looking into the site in Egypt have revealed it was the remains of an ancient calf that first led them to thinking they may have found something special in the area.

It was an opportunity they explored with haste, given what we already know about burying pharaohs and, in particular, what is buried with them.

The tomb was finally found (New Kingdom Research Foundation and Piers Litherland)

Dr Judith Bunbury, a Fellow and Senior Tutor at Wolfson College, explained: "When a tomb is created, all materials imbued with the magic of the pharaohs have to stay with it. These are placed at a respectful distance in guardian pits or foundation deposits. There are usually two deposits - one on each side of the tomb.

"We unearthed a foundation deposit with a whole sacrificed calf, which seemed lavish. We were looking for the other pit when we found an entrance buried by a metre and a half of rockfall, with a step going down. Then another step, and another… well, that's not a foundation deposit!"

Bunbury was leading the project that found the tomb of Thutmose II in the Theban Mountain area under the New Kingdom Research Foundation, working closely with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities which looks to find and preserve ancient Egypt.

Thutmose II's burial chamber is the last missing tomb of the 18th Dynasty kings of Ancient Egypt. It is also the first royal tomb to be found since the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb more than 100 years ago in 1922.

The tomb before and after rubble was removed (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

"Getting hard hatted up and exploring the tomb chamber is a long adrenaline burn," said Bunbury, a geo-archaeologist who has taught at Cambridge for decades, and is a member of the Department of Earth Sciences.

She said that the team had been 'down in the darkness and the dust' of the tomb 'scraping all the debris into buckets' as they did their best to spot fragments of broken artefacts in the derelict tomb.

And it didn't help that the entrance to the tomb, along with the corridors, had been damaged significantly by flood water time and time again since Thutmose II died in 1479 BC; more than 3,500 years ago. After navigating collapsed ceilings and debris that over time had set in place to feel like concrete, the team made it into a chamber with evidence of decoration: a patch of ceiling painted blue with yellow stars.

Remains of the Amduat in the tomb (New Kingdom Research Foundation and Piers Litherland)

Over on the north wall of the chamber, excavators found scenes from something known as the Amduat; a funerary text similar to the Book of the Dead that was reserved for royalty.

"Initially we thought we might have found the tomb of a royal wife, but the wide staircase and the large doorway suggested something more important," said Piers Litherland, Director of the NKRF and Honorary Research Associate at Cambridge’s McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Fragments that led researchers to conclude the tomb was that of Thutmose II (New Kingdom Research Foundation and Piers Litherland)

With no remains in the chamber, it was left to look for more clues as to who it the tomb belong to. The team found an initial inscription beginning: "Son of Re, of his body, Thut[.......]."

Then another reading: "The perfect god the Lord of the Two Lands Aakheper[...]re...". This suggested the king was either Thutmose I or Thutmose II.

Finally, a further fragment was found in a separate chamber which read: "...great chief wife his beloved... Hatshepsut, may she live...", which indicated that the king was married to a still living Hatshepsut and so could only be Thutmose II.