Mysterious Royal Egyptian Burial Site Discovered Secrets in the Sand Science Channel

Spreading over 160 square miles of the Egyptian desert, just east of the Nile River, the city of Luxor is one of the hottest and driest urban centers in the world. Summer temperatures frequently hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and its low annual precipitation is on par with the driest sections of the Sahara. Luxor has a special place in history as the former city of Thebes, the religious capital of ancient Egypt. It's famous for its ruins of 4,000-year-old temples, palaces, and monuments. Some of those are still standing today, making the city one of the largest open-air museums in the world. But the most renowned landmarks are the series of tombs west of the Nile in an area called the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings was the chosen necropolis for most of Egypt's new kingdom rulers and pharaohs. The Valley of the Kings is a small valley surrounded by these steep limestone cliffs. That is a topography that is perfect for carving individual tombs into the hillside. And of the 62 tombs that have been found so far, the most famous is that of the boy king, Tutankhamun, discovered with most of its artifacts intact in 1922. A team of archaeologists is working near the western edge of the valley, about a mile from where most of the rulers' tombs lay. When they come across a surprising discovery. They found an entrance to a 32-foot passageway, which was almost entirely filled with debris, so it took a long time to clear. When they finally got through, they discovered the burial chamber to an undiscovered tomb. But instead of finding the remains of a burial, the tomb was mostly empty. There were fragments of clay vessels scattered on the chamber floor. One of the pottery pieces bore a label indicating it had contained the substance natron, which was commonly used for embalming. So that confirmed a burial did take place, at least initially. The tomb was discovered in an area mostly reserved for the wives, mothers, and daughters of the pharaohs, the Valley of the Queens. So it was suggested that it belonged to a woman. After all, the closest tombs in the vicinity belonged to the wives of King Thutmose III. Is it possible that this mysterious empty burial ground was once the final resting place of a female member of the Egyptian royal family? A detailed survey and investigation of the inner tomb leads to some critical clues. In addition to the broken shards of pottery, there were fragments of tiling that had fallen from the ceiling. After piecing them together like an ancient jigsaw puzzle, a pattern emerged. It was a painted blue night sky decorated with yellow stars, a design traditionally associated with the pharaoh. More significantly, the walls were decorated with hieroglyphic scenes from the Amduat. That's this sacred funerary text that describes the sun god Ra as it makes this nightly journey through the 12 regions of the underworld. It symbolizes death and rebirth. And as with the painted night sky, the Amduat was typically reserved for Egyptian rulers only. Putting two and two together, this undiscovered tomb was in a section of the necropolis populated mostly by women. And yet it bore the distinct hallmarks of a pharaoh's funeral rites. So is it possible that this is the secret tomb of a female pharaoh? Most of Egypt's rulers were men. One of the few exceptions was Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the eldest daughter of the 18th Dynasty King Thutmose I. She was married to her half-brother, Thutmose II, who inherited the throne around 1500 BCE. Now, when Thutmose II died 13 years later, the throne normally would have just gone straight on to his son, Thutmose III, but Thutmose III was still an infant. So his wife and half-sister, Hatshepsut, acted as regent for the young king. By most accounts, her reign was a successful and peaceful one. She defended Egypt's borders and her foreign policy was based on trade, not war. Seven years into her reign, Hatshepsut was given a full royal title, essentially making her a female king. Interestingly, it was at this point that she stopped being depicted as a female. In paintings and sculptures, she began to appear wearing male clothes and regalia, including a beard. Scholars believe this wasn't an attempt on anyone's part to pass her off as a man, but rather to indicate she deserved the respect of a king. The continued examination and analysis of the tomb's walls and floor results in a breakthrough. There were small pieces of a broken alabaster jar that probably once contained ointment. Now, the same jigsaw puzzle approach was used to piece this jar together, but this time it revealed a name, King Thutmose II. The assembled jar also included his wife, Queen Hatshepsut's name, and the full inscription clearly indicates Hatshepsut buried her husband right here. This was an incredible turn of events. First discovery of a royal tomb in the Theban necropolis in 100 years. The implications were enormous. Egypt was at the peak of its power in the New Kingdom as it continued to amass great wealth along with its growing empire. Plus, this discovery presented an opportunity to study a pharaoh about whom very little was known. Thutmose II was an 18th dynasty pharaoh who came to power in the second millennium BCE. Some historical records state that during his reign he squashed a rebellious uprising in Nubia, what is now northern Sudan. There was also an indication that he may have campaigned with his armies to the eastern Mediterranean, as far as Syria. But Thutmose II was best known for being the king who married the future female pharaoh of Egypt. So was Queen Hatshepsut truly instrumental in selecting her husband's tomb, as the inscription suggests? If that's the case, why did she select an area over a mile away from the traditional burial ground? The Valley of the Kings was the main burial ground of the Theban necropolis for New Kingdom pharaohs for just under 500 years. According to tradition, the pharaohs, including future pharaohs in line for the throne, planned their own funerary rites. Sometimes while they were still children. This included choosing the location and overseeing the full construction of the tomb. So Hatshepsut may have overseen the actual burial, but it was likely Thutmose who had the tomb constructed here. It also appeared that Hatshepsut had planned to be buried close by, since an uncompleted tomb just over 1,500 feet away was discovered with inscriptions stating it was intended for her. But in another twist to the story, when Hatshepsut eventually did pass away, 20 years after Thutmose's death, she was interred in the Valley of the Kings along with the other male pharaohs. This was likely because she had acquired the official title and status of king. There were likely several factors that played a role in Thutmose's unusual tomb location, and we may never know all of them. But one thing was noticeable. Unlike King Tut's tomb, which was discovered overflowing with trinkets, jewels, and other grave goods, Thutmose's tomb was empty. So you have to wonder, was it looted by grave robbers?