Photos released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Feb. 19 show the entrance to the tomb of King Thutmose II in Luxor, in southern Egypt.-/AFP/Getty Images
A joint Egyptian-British mission has identified an ancient tomb near Luxor as that of King Thutmose II, marking the first discovery of a pharaonic royal tomb in more than 100 years, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said on Tuesday.
Located west of the Valley of the Kings, Thutmose II’s tomb was the last lost tomb of the kings of Egypt’s 18th dynasty, and the first royal tomb discovered since King Tutankhamun’s in 1922, the ministry said.
Archeologists were able to identify the tomb because of alabaster vessels found on site and inscribed with the name of King Thutmose II and his wife Queen Hatshepsut, one of a small handful of women to have ruled Egypt.
They also found pieces of his funerary furniture, as well as pieces of mortar with blue inscriptions, yellow stars and religious writing, the statement said.
However, owing to flooding soon after the king’s death, the tomb was generally not well preserved, the ministry statement added. There were indications that most of its contents had been moved, and work to recover them was under way, it said.