Where is the mummy? Egyptian archaeologists puzzled by the "find of the century"

After the British archaeologist Piers Litherland and a team of specialists opened two tombs of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose II within a week, scientists had two questions at once. First, why wasn't the ruler buried in the Valley of the Kings, as was customary in Egypt, and second, where is the pharaoh's mummy?

Litherland suspects that the second tomb, the entrance to which has not yet been excavated, may contain the mummified remains of Thutmose II along with grave goods. And the mummy found in the XIX century, which was still considered to be the pharaoh's, may belong to someone else, EuroNews writes.

The discovery of the previous tomb was the first such find since Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered more than a century ago. It was found under a waterfall in the Theban Mountains in Luxor, about 3 km west of the Valley of the Kings. There was almost nothing there but rubble.

Initially thought to be the burial chamber of a royal woman, the Litherland team found traces of blue paint on the walls and yellow stars on the ceiling, which was a clear marker of a royal tomb, experts say.

Secretary-General of the Egyptian Supreme Court of Antiquities Mohamed Ismail Khaled said the discovery was "one of the most significant archaeological breakthroughs in recent years."

According to historians, Thutmose II, who reigned from 1493 to 1479 BC, is best known as the husband of Queen Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's few female pharaohs. Archaeologists believe that the first tomb was devastated six years after burial, in 1479 BC, due to a flood, and the pharaoh's body was then moved to the second tomb, The Guardian writes.

But why did Hatshepsut bury her husband to the west of the Valley of the Kings and she was buried in the valley itself? This question puzzles archaeologists.

Now Piers Litherland and his team are working hard to uncover the second tomb by hand, as previous attempts to dig a tunnel have proven too dangerous.

"This tomb has been hiding in plain sight for 3,500 years. You dream about such things. But like winning the lottery, you never believe it will happen to you," said Piers.

As excavations continue, the team hopes to reach the tomb in about a month. After all, it is located 23 meters below a man-made pile of rubble, limestone, ash, and clay plaster that blends into the landscape.

Interestingly, the body of a man found in 1881 in Deir el-Bahari and previously identified as Thutmose II is too old to belong to the pharaoh, Litherland said. "e is described in Ineni’s biography as coming to the throne ‘the falcon in the nest’ – so he was a young boy," the archaeologist said.

Some Egyptologists believe that he ruled for only three or four years and died shortly after the birth of Thutmose III. Therefore, it is quite possible that the second tomb contains the true remains of the young pharaoh with his valuable funeral belongings, scientists suggest.

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