Archaeologists have discovered a long-missing royal Egyptian tomb. It belonged to Thutmose II, who reigned around 1480 b.c. and was an ancestor of the famous Tutankhamen (also known as “King Tut”). Thutmose II’s mummified remains were found two centuries ago, but the original burial site had stayed hidden until now. Egyptian and British researchers began excavating the site in 2022; unlike Tutankhamen’s tomb, whose chambers were found packed with artifacts during a 1922 excavation, the tomb of Thutmose II had been all but emptied. Archaeologists believe that it flooded shortly after the king’s death and that its contents were moved to another location. But the discovery holds plenty of interest for scientists all the same. “We’re still trying to understand the ins and outs of this era,” says Peter Der Manuelian, a professor of Egyptology at Harvard University, “and a ‘new’ tomb will doubtless provide us with additional clues.”
