Archeologists Discover Another Pharaoh’s Tomb A Few Months After Unearthing King Tut’s Final Resting Place
Archaeology is experiencing a landmark moment not seen in over a century. In a development that has captivated the global archaeological community, not one but two royal tombs have been discovered within a month—an extraordinary occurrence that echoes the world-changing discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. These recent finds represent the first confirmed pharaonic tombs uncovered since then, offering new insight into Egypt’s obscure dynastic periods.
The first of these recent discoveries was the final resting place of Thutmose II, found in February near the famed Valley of the Kings. That alone would have been enough to mark 2025 as a banner year in Egyptology. But soon after, archaeologists revealed the existence of yet another pharaoh’s tomb—this one located in the Mount Anubis necropolis at Abydos, a site revered in antiquity for its sacred associations with Osiris, the god of the afterlife.
Unlike the well-documented New Kingdom pharaohs, the identity of the Abydos tomb’s owner remains unknown. According to a statement from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the tomb dates to the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, approximately between 1630 and 1540 BCE. This was a time of political fragmentation and regional rule, during which local dynasties such as the Abydos Dynasty controlled parts of southern Egypt while facing incursions from the Hyksos, a group of Western Asiatic people who introduced new technologies and cultural shifts.
Professor Mohamed Abdel Badie, a senior official with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, shared that preliminary studies suggest this tomb belonged to a king whose rule predated that of Senebkay—a pharaoh whose own tomb was discovered in Abydos in 2014. “This tomb is significantly larger than others we have identified from the Abydos Dynasty,” Abdel Badie explained, “which suggests the king held considerable regional power or influence during his time.”
The excavation was led by Josef Wegner, an Egyptologist from the University of Pennsylvania. Wegner, a seasoned expert on the Abydos region, described how ancient tomb robbers had severely damaged the painted brickwork at the entrance to the limestone burial chamber. “The king’s name was originally recorded in painted scenes on plastered brickwork that decorated the underground entrance,” Wegner told Live Science. “However, the hieroglyphic texts were damaged by ancient tomb robbers, and not enough survives to read the king’s name.”
This has presented a frustrating challenge to researchers. While AI technology may eventually help decipher the incomplete hieroglyphs, progress is slow due to the scarcity of reliable comparative material from the little-understood Abydos Dynasty. Unlike the more prominent dynasties of the Old and New Kingdoms, the rulers of this period remain largely enigmatic, with only a handful of names and artifacts attributed to them.
The tomb itself was discovered about 20 feet underground and features a limestone chamber supported by mud-brick vaults. The burial space had been looted in antiquity, leaving behind few possessions. Still, archaeologists managed to recover fragments of pottery and amphorae, which point to a connection with a nearby ceramic and brick production site. These findings suggest that the king may have played a role in the economic or industrial life of his region.
Most striking, however, was the presence of multiple burials within the tomb—many of them children. While it is unclear whether these individuals were members of the royal family, servants, or sacrificial victims, their presence hints at burial customs and beliefs about the afterlife that were practiced by this elusive dynasty.
With every newly uncovered tomb, archaeologists gain not only artifacts but also precious context about Egypt’s complex and layered past. This recent discovery reaffirms Abydos as a crucial archaeological site, especially for understanding the transitional and often chaotic periods of Egyptian history. And with more excavations planned, experts are hopeful that the coming months may finally unveil the name of this forgotten pharaoh—offering a fuller picture of a king who, until recently, lay hidden beneath centuries of desert silence.
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