Decades-Long Quest Yields Historic Findings

The discovery of a long-lost pharaoh’s tomb is a career-defining moment for any archaeologist, but uncovering the location of two such tombs is the stuff of dreams. British archaeologist Piers Litherland recently announced the historic find—a newly discovered rock-cut pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt. This unprecedented discovery is the first of its kind since the famous tomb of Tutankhamun, unearthed by archaeologists in 1922.

The Discovery of Thutmose II’s Tomb

The team, led by Litherland, uncovered Thutmose II’s tomb beneath a waterfall in the Theban mountains of Luxor, approximately 3 kilometers west of the Valley of the Kings. This first tomb, dated to around 1479 BC, contained only debris after a suspected flood that emptied it within six years following the pharaoh’s death.

However, Litherland believes that the second tomb may contain the mummified body of the 3,500-year-old pharaoh, as well as valuable grave goods. A strategy used to protect the tomb from robbers in those days was concealing it beneath mountain structures that bore no resemblance to a crypt.

The Sandefjord, Norway Discovery illustrates how adopting advanced methodologies can often uncover hidden monuments. But locating such a tomb in Egypt requires even greater effort.

Hidden in Plain Sight

The second tomb, it turns out, has been hiding in plain sight for millennia, concealed beneath 23 meters of debris consisting of limestone fragments, ash, mud plaster, and cemented rubble. This strategy, implemented during the Pharaoh’s era to mask human-made materials as part of a random mountain, presented an intriguing challenge to the archaeological team.

Rugged task

The team must now excavate these layers, which are over 3,500 years old and made up of limestone flakes, sinter, and rock debris, and protect the skulls from collapsing. Workmen have been found to have used shards used by the tomb diggers, and this proved the layers belong to humans.
Basically, once the rock pile created above was duct-taped, the project has reduced enormously in levels. Removing the debris of the enormous rocks involves pitching them together with limestone near the lake. It’s a delicate operation, considering several rocks weigh at or around the size of a full-size car.

Challenges and Progress

The team’s goal has shifted from excavation to preservation. The rock and limestone layers threaten to crumble as the archaeologists try to unearth the second tomb.

Litherland has been conducting his investigation with a vast team of archaeological experts in Luxor, Egypt, for over 12 years. They expect the second tomb excavation, which began with a 23-meter-deep hole, to continue for several weeks. As Litherland prepares to reveal the mysteries hidden in the tomb, the world eagerly awaits this historic break.

A Posthumous Inscription

The journey of discovery continued as Litherland and his team uncovered a postmortem inscription entombed in a pit. This inscription indicated that the contents of the original tomb were likely moved by the deceased pharaoh’s wife, half-sister, and Egypt’s greatest pharaoh Hatshepsut—one of the rare females to claim the throne. The inscription further suggests that the remaining items of Thutmose II were moved to a currently undiscovered tomb.

Exquisite Efforts of the Archaeologists

To expand their quest, Litherland team composed of Mohamed Sayed Ahmed and Mohsen Kamel had half-demolished any conceivable concealment by removing portions of the cliff which made workers wonder about the dedicated efforts expended by workers to seal this area. Below that point, any object below those levels would be effectively covered.

Another Challenge Awaits

Litherland and his engineering team continue to face numerous challenges while trying manually extracting those enormous rocks from their stony coffin. Their excavation project incorporates clearing away these monument-sized pieces. Removing dangerous debris coupled with potentially dangerous terrain leads to such operation burdening.

In order to protect the dig workers, Mohamed Sayed Ahmed and Mohsen Kamel took the weighty decision to remove this menacing monument. After three weeks on local site, they succeeded first in half-dismantling it.

Recent Developments

Specter of modern technological advancements has contributed to this 3,500-year-old tomb’s ongoing safety and conservation campaigns. Employing modern tech accelerates new archaeological findings and successful preservation of excavated data to run a teleconference in real-time with each vital update.

Design and Preparation

This structure shows that, the Egyptians are clearly trying to preserve it from water while covering it appropriately. The effort required to preserve the structure is commendable.

Lenient Techniques

If you consider vast resources being employed to ensure immediately it is noted by everyone, commencements are seemingly under way. Non-invasive laser scanning employed by excavators also provides the time required.