Identity of fedora-sporting archaeologist who discovered ‘extraordinary’ tomb of Ancient Egyptian pharaoh revealed

A TOMB of an Egyptian pharaoh has been uncovered for the first time since Tutan-khamun’s more than 100 years ago — thanks to a Scot.

Archaeologist Piers Litherland has been hailed for his “extraordinary” discovery of the original resting place of King Thutmose II, who died 3,500 years ago.

Fedora-wearing Piers Litherland has been hailed for his ‘extraordinary’ discovery

The wide staircase and the large doorway suggested ‘something important’Credit: New Kingdom Research Foundation

Remains were thought to be Thutmose IICredit: Egypt Museum

Precious artefacts linked to Thutmose IICredit: AFPThe Egyptian ruler was an ancestor of Tutankhamun, whose tomb was famously discovered by another Brit in 1922.

Experts spent decades looking in the wrong place for Thutmose II’s burial chamber — believing it was near the sacred Valley of the Kings.

When Prof Litherland and his team discovered a tomb — in poor condition — on the other side of the Theban Mountain three years ago they suspected it belonged to a royal wife.

But the Cambridge University don, who wears a fedora like Indiana Jones, said: “The wide staircase and the large doorway suggested something more important.

“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.”

Precious artefacts also provided definitive evidence, including fragments of alabaster jars inscribed with the name of Thutmose II and principal wife Hatshepsut.

Prof Litherland said: “This discovery solves a great mystery of ancient Egypt, the location of the tombs of the early 18th-dynasty kings.”

The team now want to find the pharaoh’s final resting place — as his body was moved due to a “catastrophic flood” shortly after he was buried.

His mummified remains were thought to have been discovered in 1881 but their identity has since been questioned.

Archaeologist Mohsen Kamel, the discovery team’s assistant field director, said: “The possible existence of a second, and most likely intact, tomb of Thutmose II is an astonishing possibility.”

It comes just over a century since archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said yesterday: “It is an extraordinary moment for Egyptology and the broader understanding of our shared human story.”

Swashbuckling big-screen archaeologist Indiana Jones defeated the Nazis in Egypt in 1981 blockbuster Raiders of the Lost Ark before a string of sequels. 

Archaeologist Indiana Jones defeated the Nazis in Egypt in 1981 blockbuster Raiders of the Lost ArkCredit: Alamy
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