In 1922, Tutankhamun's grave was discovered – now researchers have discovered another royal grave. The grave opening was discovered as early as 2022, but archaeologists and researchers then believed that the entrance led to a queen's grave. However, it has recently become clear that the grave belongs to King Thutmosis II (1492–1479 BC).
The Swiss Andreas Dorn, who has been a professor of Egyptology at Uppsala University since 2018, is part of the research group New Kingdom Research Foundation, which made the discovery in the western parts of the Valley of the Kings in the current city of Luxor in Egypt.
Unexpected location
It's incredible to find a royal grave, he says to TT and tells that it was unexpected to find a pharaoh's grave in just that location.
It's an inaccessible area. There is only one research study from this area, the western one. It's from 1917, so it's over 100 years old. Previously, it has been said that this is a burial site for queens and princesses, but now we can see that it's the first place they buried kings. It adds something to the research, it's fantastic.
Good physical fitness helped
Dorn, who has worked with the identification of the royal coffin texts found at the grave, tells that his good physical fitness helped him during the excavation.
You have to be physically strong. Many academics may not always have the best physical condition. But I'm active and train a lot, so you can say that my hobby of training helped me a lot in this case, he says.
