Tomb of mysterious missing pharaoh is biggest archaeological find in a century

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. An ancestor of Tutankhamun, whose tomb was found in 1922, Thutmose II died 3,500 years ago and was thought to be buried at the other end of the mountain near the Valley of the Kings. “The discovery that the burial chamber had been decorated with scenes from the Amduat, a religious text which is reserved for kings, was immensely exciting and was the first indication that this was a king’s tomb.” Artefacts discovered in the tomb, including fragments of alabaster jars bearing inscriptions with the names of Thutmose II and his principal wife, Hatshepsut, provided definitive evidence, and are the only artefacts connected with Thutmose II’s burial ever found. open image in gallery Inside of a tomb discovered in the mount of Thebes area of Egypt The body has been dated consistently as over 30 years of age, but Thutmose II was described as “the falcon in the nest” when he came to throne and ruled just long enough to father Thutmose III before he died. Minister of tourism and antiquities Sherif Fathy said: “This is the first royal tomb to be discovered since the ground-breaking find of King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber in 1922.