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By Staff Writer with Agencies
Luxor, Egypt – Just days after revealing a groundbreaking discovery, British archaeologist Piers Litherland and his team may have found a second tomb belonging to Pharaoh Thutmose II, hidden beneath a man-made mountain in the Theban Necropolis.
This second tomb believed to contain the mummified remains of the 18th Dynasty ruler, could provide unparalleled insights into the burial customs of ancient Egypt. Litherland’s team, part of a joint British-Egyptian excavation, has spent over a decade uncovering secrets in the Western Valleys of Luxor.
A Discovery Hidden in Plain Sight
The first tomb was discovered after researchers located an inscription suggesting the pharaoh’s remains had been relocated due to a catastrophic flood. Now, Litherland’s team believes they are just weeks away from reaching the second burial site, concealed for over 3,500 years beneath layers of limestone and mud plaster designed to blend into the surrounding mountain.
“You dream about such things. But like winning the lottery, you never believe it will happen to you,” Litherland told The Observer.
Archaeologists have already unearthed fragments of alabaster jars and an inscription bearing the name of Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose II’s wife and one of the few women to rule Egypt in her own right. Additionally, the presence of the Amduat, an ancient religious text reserved for kings, solidified the belief that this is a royal tomb.
A Race Against Time
The excavation has not been without challenges. Efforts to tunnel into the site have proven dangerous due to overhanging rock formations. The team now plans to carefully remove the layers above the tomb, a process that will take another month.
“This is the first royal tomb to be discovered since the groundbreaking find of King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in 1922,” said Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy. “It is an extraordinary moment for Egyptology and for the broader understanding of our shared human story.”
If confirmed, the find could change our understanding of the early 18th Dynasty and provide a missing link between some of Egypt’s most famous rulers.
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