Tomb of Thutmose II

Wadi C-4
Burial site of Thutmose II
Wadi C-4
Coordinates	25°44′12″N 32°34′42″E / 25.73667°N 32.57833°E / 25.73667; 32.57833
Location	Wadi Gabbanat el-Qurud, Western Wadis, Egypt
Discovered	October 2022
Excavated by	Joint Egyptian-British archaeological expedition (2025)
Decoration	Book of the Amduat
Layout	Bent to the left

The Tomb of Thutmose II is a royal ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Wadi Gabbanat el-Qurud area west of Luxor.^[1] The tomb, also known by its tomb number Wadi C-4, belonged to Thutmose II, a pharaoh of the 16th–15th centuries BC. The tomb lacks Thutmose's mummy, which was moved and found in 1881 in the Royal Cache, where many royal sarcophagi were moved in ancient times.

Identified through a joint Egyptian–British archaeological expedition, the tomb was discovered by Ashraf Omar^[2] in 2022, which was announced in a preliminary report in the following year.^[3] C-4 is the first royal tomb from the New Kingdom or Egyptian Empire Period to have been uncovered since Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

The tomb was discovered during broader archaeological expeditions conducted across the Western Wadis, near the Nile in southern Egypt. Initial exploration began in October 2022 with the discovery of its entrance and main passage in Wadi C west of Luxor, designated as Wadi C-4. The tomb was believed to have remained sealed since the Third Intermediate Period. Repeated flooding filled the main axis with densely packed debris that had hardened to a concrete-like consistency. This also compromised the structural integrity of the tomb's ceilings, resulting in partial collapses.^[4]

The archaeological team originally suspected the tomb belonged to a royal wife due to its proximity to the tombs of three wives of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut's intended queenly burial site. Meticulous excavations continued for nearly three years before the tomb's royal ownership was confirmed.^[5]

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said this was the first discovery of a pharaoh's tomb since the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. However, several royal tombs had been discovered since Tutankhamun's, such as that of Psusennes I (Third Intermediate Period) in 1940 and that of Senebkay (Second Intermediate Period) in 2014.^[6] Thutmose II's tomb was the first royal tomb from the New Kingdom discovered since that of Tutankhamun.^[6]

The tomb exhibits a simple architectural design characteristic of the period following Thutmose II's reign, which influenced the burial structures of subsequent Egyptian rulers. The tomb's location near the Valley of the Kings and the burial sites of royal wives provides insight into the evolution of royal burial practices during the Eighteenth Dynasty.^[5] The tomb was built around an early variation of a left-turning bent axis design that became standard for later Eighteenth Dynasty royal tombs.^[7]

The tomb has three larger chambers, labelled A, B, D by the excavators. Chamber C is a smaller one, next to chamber B. Chamber A (5.3 m × 5.2 m or 17 ft × 17 ft and 3.4 m or 11 ft high) is the innermost and largest one that was once decorated, but only small parts of the decoration are preserved, mainly in the corners.^[8] There are two corridors, Corridor 1 is the main one forming the entrance and leading to chamber D. Corridor 2 is later. It starts on the west side of corridor 1 and goes to the main chamber A where it enters the room 1.7 m above floor level.^[8]

The "unusual" second corridor features a white gypsum plaster finishing and exhibited evidence of two enlargement phases. Unlike typical tomb corridors that slope downward, the passage angles upward and intersects with the burial chamber at a height of 1.4 or 1.7 m (4 ft 7 in or 5 ft 7 in) above the chamber floor. Archaeological evidence suggests this modification served as an emergency egress route after flooding blocked the original corridor.^[7]

The tomb's condition was notably compromised, primarily due to flooding that occurred shortly after Thutmose II's interment. Archaeological evidence suggested that after these ancient floods, many of the tomb's original contents were moved to protect them from further damage. Soon after his initial burial, Thutmose II's body was moved to the Deir el-Bahari Cache, where his mummy was uncovered in the 19th century.^[5]

The tomb's contents included several artefacts that confirmed its royal ownership. Surviving decorative elements included alabaster vessels bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions of Thutmose II's name, referring to him as the Osiris Aakheperenre (a reference to Thutmose II's prenomen), and hieroglyphic inscriptions of his wife-sister Hatshepsut, suggesting that his burial rites were carried out by Hatshepsut as his son and successor, Thutmose III, was too young to perform them himself.^[5][7] The uncovered artefacts were the first of Thutmose II's funerary furniture to be found. Archaeologists surmised that other objects were destroyed by tomb floods.^[7] There were no fragments of proper burial goods, but many fragments of pottery vessels, mainly from chambers B and C indicate that a burial took place.^[9]

Many of the wall decorations have been badly damaged by the flash floods that periodically sweep through the valley. The excavation revealed mortar fragments decorated with blue inscriptions along with yellow star motifs. On fragments of a yellow-tinged background (intended to resemble aged papyrus), it was discovered that the tomb also contained portions of the Amduat, a funerary text commonly found in royal tombs of the period intended to guide deceased royalty through the afterlife, with text written in the cursive hieroglyphic book hand used more commonly for sacred texts on papyrus.^[5][7] Thus, archaeologists surmised that the decoration of the tomb would have originally resembled that of KV34, the tomb of Thutmose II's son, Thutmose III.^[10]

• Litherland, Piers (2023). "Has the Tomb of Thutmose II been found?". Egyptian Archaeology. 63. Egypt Exploration Society: 28–31.