Tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II Discovered in Luxor

On February 20, 2025, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II in the western valleys of the Theban necropolis near Luxor. The find was made by a joint British-Egyptian mission led by Piers Litherland, honorary researcher at the University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology. Excavations began in 2022, initially revealing an entrance and corridor thought to belong to a royal consort due to proximity to tombs of court women and Queen Hatshepsut. However, intact ceiling decorations—a blue background with yellow stars—confirmed it as a king's tomb, further evidenced by inscriptions and fragments of the ImDuat funerary book. The tomb is in poor condition due to flooding; most original furnishings were moved to a safer location, according to Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of Egyptian antiquities. On February 23, Litherland's team announced the discovery of a second tomb likely containing the pharaoh's mummified body, hidden under limestone, rubble, and mud to deter looters. The mummy of Thutmose II was found in the 19th century and is now at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, though some Egyptologists question its identification. Christian Greco, director of the Museo Egizio in Turin, noted that the find provides new fragments of memory to reconstruct the biography of known figures and the evolution of funerary architecture at the dawn of the New Kingdom.