Egypt recently revealed the discovery of the lost tomb of King Thutmose II, in Luxor. The tomb is important because it’s the first royal one discovered in more than 100 years. It was discovered by a joint Egyptian-British team of archaeologists and is a major breakthrough in Egyptology since it’s the last missing tomb of the kings of the 18th dynasty. The previous royal tomb discovery was made in 1922 when the tomb of King Tutankhamun was found.
Lost Tomb of Thutmose II Discovered
The tomb of Thutmose II was situated west of the historic Valley of the Kings, an region famous for housing several of Egypt‘s king tombs. Thutmose II had a very brief period of leadership in the 15th century BCE, and his tomb became lost to time. The find is especially interesting to archaeologists as it marked the final lost tomb of the royal family.
Uncovering Secrets Through Discovery
The tomb was discovered using numerous artifacts found therein, namely jars made of alabaster containing inscriptions for the names of Thutmose II and Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut is interesting since she was among the very rare women ever to serve as a pharaoh of ancient Egypt, making the find even more interesting historically. Accompanying the alabaster jars were pieces of remains from funerary furniture and shards of mortar featuring religious scripture and symbols of yellow stars, said to bear some religious significance.
Nevertheless, the tomb has not been preserved fairly well, primarily as a result of flooding .This find is significant not only for its historical importance, but also for what it can tell us regarding ancient Egyptian death rituals and life in the royal court.
Archaeologists and historians are keen to excavate the site further and examine its contents. It happened shortly after the death of the king. The floodwater damaged the tomb severely, which made it more difficult to locate and secure. There is evidence that most of the contents of the tomb were taken out, perhaps by grave robbers, and there is still an attempt to salvage any items left behind in the tomb.
