‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another | Egyptology

To unveil the site of the Pharaoh’s long -term grave for a time when his profession is determined by the archaeologist. But to find a second one is dreams.

Last week, British archaeologist Beers Leland announced the discovery of the first century The discovery of the grave of Pharaoh Skhri in Egypt since Totchhamon in 1922.

His team found the grave of Pharaoh Thutumos II under a waterfall in the mountains of Thoban in the Kamer, about 3 kilometers west of the Valley of the Kings. It contained almost nothing but debris, and the team believes that it was flooded and emptied within six years of Pharaoh’s death in 1479BC.

Now I told Litherland observer He believes that he determined the second grave site belonging to Thutmose II. This is one, as it doubts, it will contain the body of the mummified young Pharaoh and dangerous commodities.

Archaeologists believe that this second grave was hiding in sight for 3500 years, and a secret was buried under 23 meters of limestone chips, knees, ash and clay, and made to look like a part of the mountain.

He said: “There is 23 meters of a pile of human-made layers sitting on a point in the scene where we believe-we have other evidence-there is a souvenir that is hidden under it.” “The best candidate for what is hidden under this expensive, in terms of effort, the pile is the second grave of Thutmose II.”

While searching near the first grave in search of evidence about the place where its contents were taken after the flood, Ligherland found an inscription after his death buried in a hole with a cow sacrifice. This inscription indicates that the contents may have been moved by the wife of the king and the sister of Hatshepsut-one of the greatest branches of Egypt and one of the few women who in itself-to a second grave that is not discovered yet.

Last week, Kingdom Research Foundation, an independent British academic body, and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, revealed that a project led by Litherland had found the first grave in 2022, after more than a decade of work.

For about a year, he and his team were Egyptian archaeologists-“discoveries such as these are not made by individuals,” says-they were investigating ways to reach the second grave by excavating the 3500-year-old human classes of rocks and plaster that Surround it.

At the top of the layer of thick limestone plaster, limestone chips “the size of the dining room table”, Tu Tu (the lacquer limestone that forms cement) and the knees, is a layer of clay plaster with ash at the top, said Lylerland. “Among this ashes, we found the remains of beer jars and the purposes used by the workers who made the graves. Therefore, there is no doubt that these layers are man -made.”

At this point, it was possible to cover any grave below the layers. But another step was taken “and this slows down everything” in the pits, as Litherland said. Then the ancient Egyptians “raised large parts of the abyss and made them collapse at the top.” These large rocks – some of which are the size of the car – have been established in place using limestone plaster. “

Now the Litherland team is trying to separate these rocks and plaster by hand by hand: “We have tried to tunnel in it, we have tried to fly the two sides, but there are hanging rocks, so they are very dangerous,” said Litherland. “

He, Foremana, Mohamed Sayed Ahmed, and his archaeological manager, Mohsen Cameel, made the difficult decision to remove the entire structure – which emerges from the abyss – three weeks ago, and about the middle of the road there. “We must be able to transfer everything around another month,” said Liteherland.

It is speculated that both graves were built by the eighteenth architect of the dynasty, who wrote in his autobiography that he “dug the high grave of His Majesty, no one sees, no one hears”, and he was facing a “very serious problem” after the first grave was immersed. “if [Ineni] He was considered a failure to do not present what was supposed to offer – a safe place for the king of the king who, upon his death, became a god – perhaps in a state of panic, this time, the grave would not be dumpful. “

All kings of the eighteenth family were buried under the waterfalls. By covering the grave with layers of plaster and limestone chips, Eini protected it from the water while it was sealed and hidden the site from the thieves simultaneously. Inini says in his autobiography he has made a lot of smart things to hide the locations of the graves, including covering the graves with layers of clay plaster, which he said had not been done before. This was not indicated to me. “

It is a strategy that seems to have succeeded. While the dangerous goods of the graves that were looted from the Pharaohs from the eighteenth or 19th and twentieth family are common in museums, “there are no burial goods of any kind related to the burial of Thutumos II in any private museum or group,” said Li -land.

Lythland said that the body of a 30 -year -old child was found in 1881 in Deir Al -Bahari, which was previously identified as Thutmose II, too much to belong to Pharaoh. “He was described in the biography of Enini as coming to the throne” Falcon in the nest ” – so he was a young boy. Some Egyptian scientists believe that it prevailed for three to four years only and died shortly after the paternity that gives birth to Thuntus III.

For the Litherland, who has become fascinated by ancient Egypt as a young boy, the thought of finding the final rest of Thutmose II is a breathtaking. “You dream of such things. But like winning the lottery, you never believe that it will happen to you.”