But after months of clearing away debris and rubble, the team found small ceramic fragments and other finds inscribed with the cartouches of Thutmose II (c. 1492-1479), the half-brother and husband of Hatshepsut. Further evidence came from fragments of scenes from the Amduat, and pieces from the burial chamber ceiling painted blue with yellow stars – decoration only found in the tombs of kings.
The tomb layout is typical for Eighteenth Dynasty tombs, but with an extra corridor to the west of the main axis which had been plastered, enlarged, and blocked in two places. Rather than being the work of tomb robbers, this corridor may have been added to remove the king and his burial goods following floods which damaged the tomb within 6 years of his burial. And the team think they have now discovered where Thutmose II was reburied: in a tomb below a 23-metre pile of limestone and rubble. It will take at least a month to clear the debris by hand.
One of the royal mummies discovered in the Royal Cache (TT320) at Deir el-Bahri in the 19th century has been identified as that of Thutmose II, and is currently on display in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. However, there is some doubt over the identity of this mummy, which is possibly too old to be the king, and the team are hoping this second tomb may contain the actual mummy of the king.
