Editing Thutmose II

{{Short description|Fourth Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty (c. 1493/1482 – 1479 BC)}}
{{For|the name Thutmose (Thutmosis)|Thutmose}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox pharaoh
| name = Thutmose II
| alt_name = Thutmosis II<br>Chebron, Chebros 
| image = Stone block with relief at Karnak Temple Thutmosis II.jpg
| image_alt = 
| caption = Relief of Thutmose II in the [[Karnak]] temple complex
| role =
| reign = Either 13-14 or 2-3 regnal years: <br>1493–1480 BC (Low Chronology)<br>1513–1500 BC (High Chronology)<br>1513–1499 BC (Helck)<br>1493–1479 (Grimal)<br>1482–1480 BC (Cooney)<br>1482–1479 BC (Nadig)
| dynasty = [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th&nbsp;Dynasty]] 
| coregency =
| predecessor = [[Thutmose I]]
| successor = [[Thutmose III]] 

| notes =
| prenomen = {{center|Aa kheper en re <br /> ''ˁ3 ḫpr n Rˁ'' <br />The great one is the manifestation of Ra<ref name="Leprohon 97-98">{{cite book|first=Ronald J. |last=Leprohon|title=The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary|url=https://archive.org/details/LEPROHON2013TheGreatNameAncientEgyptianRoyalTitulary/page/n117/mode/2up|access-date=10 December 2021|date=2013|publisher=SBL Press|isbn=978-1-58983-736-2|pages=97–98}}</ref><br />Great is the manifestation of [[Ra]]}}
| prenomen_hiero =<hiero>N5:O29-L1-N35</hiero>
| nomen = {{center|[[Thoth|Djehuty]]mes(u) <br />''Ḏḥwty-ms(w)'' <br />Thoth is born<ref name="Leprohon 97-98"/><br />Born of [[Thoth]]<br /><hiero>G39-N5:Z1-<-G26-F31-S29-></hiero><br />Djehutymes Neferkhau <br />''Ḏḥwtj-msj(w)-nfr-ḫˁw''<br />Born of Thoth, he whose apparitions are perfect<br /><hiero>G39-N5:Z1-<-G26-F31-S29-F35-N28:Z2s-></hiero><br />Djehutymes Nedjty re<br />''Ḏḥwtj-msj(w)-nḏtj-Rˁ''<br />Thoth is born, protector of Ra<ref name="Leprohon 97-98"/><br /><hiero>G39-N5:Z1-<-N5-G26-F31-Aa27-W24:X1*Z4-></hiero>}}
| nomen_hiero = 
| horus = {{center|Ka nakht weser pehty<br />''K3-nḫt-wsr-[[leopard head (hieroglyph)|pḥty]]''<br />Victorious bull, strong of might<ref name="Leprohon 97-98"/><br />Strong bull, rich of strength}}
| horus_hiero = <hiero>E1:D40-F12-S29-F9:F9</hiero>
| horus_prefix = <!-- Default is <hiero>G5</hiero> -->
| nebty = {{center|Netjeri nesyt<br />''Nṯri-nsyt''<br />Divine of kingship<ref name="Leprohon 97-98"/>}}
| nebty_hiero = <hiero>R8-M23-M17-M17-X1:Y1</hiero>
| golden = {{center|Sekhem kheperu<br />''Sḫm-ḫprw''<br />Powerful of manifestations<ref name="Leprohon 97-98"/>}}
| golden_hiero = <hiero>S42-L1-G43-Y1:Z2</hiero>

| spouse = [[Hatshepsut]], [[Iset (queen)|Iset]] 
| children = [[Thutmose III]], [[Neferure]]
| father = [[Thutmose I]] 
| mother = [[Mutnofret]] 
| birth_date = c. 1492 BC (or 1502 BC)
| death_date = c. 1479 BC (aged approx. 13–23)
| burial = [[Wadi C-4]], [[List of burials in the Valley of the Queens#Western Wadis|Western Wadis]] (original burial);<br/>Mummy found in the [[Deir el-Bahari]] [[Royal Cache|royal cache]] (Theban Necropolis) [disputed]
| monuments =
}}

'''Thutmose II''' was the fourth [[pharaoh]] of the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]], and his reign is thought to have lasted for 13 years, from 1493 to 1479 BC (Low Chronology), or just 3 years from around 1482 to 1479 BC. Little is known about him, and he is overshadowed by his father [[Thutmose I]], half-sister and wife [[Hatshepsut]], and son [[Thutmose III]]. There are relatively few [[monument]]s that refer to Thutmose II. 

He died before the age of 30 and a body claimed to be his was found in the [[Deir el-Bahari]] [[DB320|Cache]] above the [[Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut]]. His [[Tomb of Thutmose II|tomb]], in the [[List of burials in the Valley of the Queens#Western Wadis|Western Wadis]] near the [[Valley of the Queens]], was found in 2022 and confirmed to be his in 2025. The tomb was built under waterfalls, leading to periodic flooding which damaged the tomb throughout the ages. His mummified body was moved in ancient times and its final location is disputed.

==Family==
{{see also|Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt family tree}}
The name Thutmose II is read as '''Thutmosis''' or '''Tuthmosis II''', '''Thothmes''' in older history works in Latinized Greek, and derives from [[Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]]: /''ḏḥwty.ms''/ '''''Djehutymes''''', meaning "[[Thoth]] is born".

Thutmose II was the son of [[Thutmose I]] and his minor wife, [[Mutnofret]], who was probably a daughter of [[Ahmose I]].<ref>Dodson & Hilton 2004: 126, 131</ref> He was, therefore, a lesser son of Thutmose I and chose to marry his fully royal half-sister, [[Hatshepsut]], in order to secure his kingship. Because Mutnofret was a princess and Thutmose I was common born, they most likely married only after Thutmose became king,<ref>Cooney, Kara (2016). ''Hatszepsut. Kobieta która została królem'' [''The Woman Who Would be King''] (in Polish). WAB. p.&nbsp;8. {{ISBN|978-83-280-2771-8}}.</ref> hence their son would be born after his father's coronation, and probably after his half-sister Hatshepsut, who was the pharaoh's daughter by his primary wife.<ref>Cooney, Kara (2016). ''Hatszepsut. Kobieta która została królem'' [''The Woman Who Would be King''] (in Polish). WAB. p.&nbsp;95. note 6. {{ISBN|978-83-280-2771-8}}.</ref> That would mean Thutmose II was in his early teens when he became pharaoh himself. While he successfully put down rebellions in [[Nubia]] and the [[Levant]] and defeated a group of [[nomads|nomadic]] [[Bedouins]], these campaigns were specifically carried out by the king's generals, and not by Thutmose II himself.<ref>Nadig, Peter (2016). ''Hatszepsut'' (in Polish). Prószyński i S-ka. p. 100. {{ISBN|978-83-8069-417-0}}.</ref> This is often interpreted as evidence that Thutmose II was still a minor at his accession.

Thutmose II fathered [[Neferure]] with Hatshepsut, and [[Thutmose III of Egypt|Thutmose III]], by a lesser wife named [[Iset (queen)|Iset]].<ref>Cooney, Kara (2016). ''Hatszepsut. Kobieta która została królem'' [''The Woman Who Would be King''] (in Polish). WAB. pp. 101, 120 & 122. {{ISBN|978-83-280-2771-8}}.</ref>

Some archaeologists believe that Hatshepsut was the real power behind the throne during Thutmose II's rule because of the similar domestic and foreign policies that were later pursued under her reign and because of her claim that she was her father's intended heir. She is depicted in several raised relief scenes from a Karnak gateway dating to Thutmose II's reign both together with her husband and alone.<ref>{{cite book |author=Betsy Bryan |chapter=The 18th Dynasty before the Amarna Period |title=The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |page=236}}</ref> She later had herself crowned pharaoh several years into the rule of her husband's young successor Thutmose III; this is confirmed by the fact that "the queen's agents actually replaced the king's name in a few places with her own cartouches" on the gateway.<ref name="Betsy Bryan, p.236">Betsy Bryan, p. 236</ref>

If Thutmose II had indeed been born after his father's coronation, he would either have been in his early teens (short reign) or early twenties (long reign) upon his death.

==Reign==
===Dates and length of reign===
The Epitome by [[Manetho]] refers to Thutmose II as "'''Chebron'''" and credits this ruler with a reign of 13 years. The Greek name may reflect a version of the prenomen, Aakheperenre. [[Egyptologists]] debate whether Thutmose II had a short or long reign. Some suggest a short reign of three years, based on his highest attested date is '''Year 1, II Akhet day 8''' stele.<ref>{{cite book |author=J. Von Beckerath |title=Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten, ''Münchner Ägyptologische Studien 46'' |publisher=Philip von Zabern |location=Mainz |year=1997 |page=201}}</ref> There are only a small number of surviving documents, and a minimal amount of scarabs attested to this king.

It is still possible to estimate when Thutmose II's reign would have begun by means of a [[Heliacal rising|heliacal rise]] of [[Sirius|Sothis]] in [[Amenhotep I]]'s reign, which would give him a reign from 1493 to 1479 BC,<ref name="Grimal p. 204">{{cite book |last=Grimal |first=Nicolas |title=A History of Ancient Egypt |publisher=Librairie Arthéme Fayard |year=1988 |page=204}}</ref> although uncertainty about how to interpret the rise also permits a date from 1513 to 1499 BC,<ref>Helk, Wolfgang. ''Schwachstellen der Chronologie-Diskussion''. pp. 47–49. Göttinger Miszellen, Göttingen, 1983</ref> and uncertainty about how long Thutmose I ruled could also potentially place his reign several years earlier still. Nonetheless, scholars in the 20th century were assigning him a reign from 1493 or 1492 to 1479.<ref name="Grimal p. 204" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shaw |first1=Ian |last2=Nicholson |first2=Paul |title=The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt |page=289 |publisher=The British Museum Press |year=1995}}</ref>

Alternatively, Thutmose could have ruled around two or three years, from 1482 to 1480/1479 BC.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nadig |first=Peter |title=Hatszepsut |publisher=Prószyński i S-ka |year=2016 |isbn=978-83-8069-417-0 |page=100 |language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooney |first=Kara |title=Hatszepsut. Kobieta która została królem |publisher=WAB |year=2016 |isbn=978-83-280-2771-8 |pages=8 |language=pl |trans-title=The Woman Who Would be King}}</ref>

====Argument for a short reign====
[[File:Luxor, hieroglyphs on an obelisk inside the Temple of Hatshepsut, Egypt, Oct 2004.jpg|thumbnail| ''Aakheperenre'', the [[Praenomen (Ancient Egypt)#Throne name .28praenomen.29|praenomen]] of Thutmose II, temple of [[Hatshepsut]], [[Luxor]]]]
[[Ineni]], who was already aged by the start of Thutmose II's reign, lived through this ruler's entire reign into that of Hatshepsut.<ref name="Breasted, James Henry p. 47">{{cite book |last=Breasted |first=James Henry |title=Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II |page=47 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1906}}</ref> In addition, Thutmose II is poorly attested in the monumental record and in the contemporary tomb autobiographies of New Kingdom officials. A clear count of monuments from his rule, which is the principal tool for estimating a king's reign when dated documents are not available, is nearly impossible because [[Hatshepsut]] usurped most of his monuments, and [[Thutmose III]] in turn reinscribed Thutmose II's name indiscriminately over other monuments.<ref>Grimal, Nicolas. ''A History of Ancient Egypt''. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988. p. 216.</ref> However, apart from several surviving blocks of buildings erected by the king at [[Semna (Nubia)|Semna]], [[Kumma (Nubia)|Kumma]], and [[Elephantine]], Thutmose II's only major monument consists of a limestone gateway at Karnak that once lay at the front of the Fourth Pylon's forecourt. Even this monument was not completed in Thutmose II's reign but in the reign of his son Thutmose III, which hints at "the nearly ephemeral nature of Thutmose II's reign".<ref name="Betsy Bryan, pp. 235–236">Betsy Bryan, pp. 235–236</ref> The gateway was later dismantled and its building blocks incorporated into the foundation of the Third [[Pylon (architecture)|Pylon]] by [[Amenhotep III]].<ref name="Betsy Bryan, p.236"/>

In 1987, Luc Gabolde published a study that statistically compared the number of surviving [[Scarab (artifact)|scarab]]s found under Thutmose I, Thutmose II and Hatshepsut.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Luc|last=Gabolde|title=La Chronologie du règne de Thoutmosis II, ses conséquences sur la datation des momies royales et leurs répercutions sur l'histoire du développement de la Vallée des Rois|journal=[[Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur]] |volume=14|year=1987|pages=61–87}}</ref> While monuments can be usurped, scarabs are so small and comparatively insignificant that altering their names would be impractical and without profit; hence, they provide a far better insight into this period. Hatshepsut's reign is believed to have lasted for 21 years and 9 months. Gabolde highlighted, in his analysis, the consistently small number of surviving scarabs known for Thutmose II compared to Thutmose I and Hatshepsut respectively; for instance, [[Flinders Petrie]]'s older study of scarab seals noted 86 seals for Thutmose I, 19 seals for Thutmose II and 149 seals for Hatshepsut while more recent studies by Jaeger estimate a total of 241 seals for Thutmose I, 463 seals for Hatshepsut and only 65 seals for Thutmose II.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Luc|last=Gabolde|title=La Chronologie du règne de Thoutmosis II, ses conséquences sur la datation des momies royales et leurs répercutions sur l'histoire du développement de la Vallée des Rois|journal=[[Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur]] |volume=14|year=1987|pages=67–68}}</ref> Hence, unless there was an abnormally low number of scarabs produced under Thutmose II, this would indicate that the king's reign was rather short-lived. On this basis, Gabolde estimated Thutmose I and II's reigns to be approximately 11 and 3 full years, respectively.

Kara Cooney argues for short reign, no longer than 3 years, by judging that there were "hardly any temples with his name on them, no campaigns, no mortuary complex of any worth", and points that all known children of Thutmose II were toddlers at the time of his death, which suggests his untimely death before they could grow up.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cooney |first=Kara |title=When Women Ruled the World: Six Queen of Egypt |publisher=National Geographic |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-4262-1977-1 |page=108}}</ref>   

Consequently, the reign length of Thutmose II has been a much debated subject among [[Egyptologists]] with little consensus given the small number of surviving documents for his reign.

====Argument for a long reign====
[[File:Thutmose II in front of an offering table. From the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, Egypt. Neues Museum, Berlin.jpg|thumb|Thutmose II in front of an offering table. From the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, Egypt. Neues Museum, Berlin]]
Thutmose's reign is still traditionally given as 13 or 14 years. Although Ineni's autobiography can be interpreted to say that Thutmose reigned only a short time, it also calls Thutmose II a "hawk in the nest", indicating that he was perhaps a child when he assumed the throne.<ref name="Breasted, James Henry p. 47"/> Since he lived long enough to father two children—[[Neferure]] and [[Thutmose III]]—this suggests that he may have had a longer reign of 13 years in order to reach adulthood and start a family. The German Egyptologist [[Jürgen von Beckerath|J. Von Beckerath]] uses this line of argument to support the case of a 13-year reign for Thutmose II.<ref>[[Jürgen von Beckerath|J. Von Beckerath]], "Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten", ''Münchner Ägyptologische Studien 46'' (Philip von Zabern, Mainz: 1997)</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2016}} [[Alan Gardiner]] noted that at one point a monument had been identified by Georges Daressy in 1900,<ref>G. Daressy, ''Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte'' 1, 1900, 90(20)</ref> dated to Thutmose's 18th year, although its precise location has not been identified.<ref name="Gardiner, Alan p. 180">Gardiner, Alan. ''Egypt of the Pharaohs''. p. 180 Oxford University Press, 1964</ref> This inscription is now usually attributed to Hatshepsut, who certainly did have an 18th year. Von Beckerath observes that a Year 18 date appears in a fragmentary inscription of an Egyptian official and notes that the date likely refers to Hatshepsut's prenomen Maatkare, which had been altered from Aakheperenre Thutmose II, with the reference to the deceased Thutmose II being removed. There is also the curious fact that Hatshepsut celebrated her Sed Jubilee in her Year 16, which von Beckerath believes occurred 30 years after the death of Thutmose I, her father, who was the main source of her claim to power. This would create a gap of 13 to 14 years where Thutmose II's reign would fit in between Hatshepsut and Thutmose I's rule.<ref name="Beckerath Chronologie p. 121">[[Jürgen von Beckerath|J. Von Beckerath]], "Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten", ''Münchner Ägyptologische Studien 46'' (Philip von Zabern, Mainz: 1997), p. 121</ref> Von Beckerath additionally stresses that Egyptologists have no conclusive criteria to statistically evaluate the reign length of Thutmose II based on the number of preserved objects from his reign.<ref>J. von Beckerath, "Nochmals zur Regierung Tuthmosis' II", ''Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur'' 17 (1990), pp. 65–74</ref>

Catherine Roerig has proposed that tomb [[KV20]], generally believed to have been commissioned by Hatshepsut, was the original tomb of Thutmose II in the [[Valley of the Kings]].<ref>C. Roerig, "The Building Activities of Thutmose III in the Valley of the Kings", in E.C. Cline, D. O'Connor (eds.), ''Thutmose III: A New Biography'', Ann Arbor 2006, pp. 238–259</ref> If correct, this would be a major project on the part of Thutmose II, which required a construction period of several years and implies a long reign for this king. Secondly, new archaeological work by French Egyptologists at Karnak has produced evidence of a pylon and an opulent festival court of Thutmose II in front of the 4th pylon according to Luc Gabolde.<ref>Luc Gabolde, "La 'cour de fetes' de Thoutmosis II à Karnak", ''Cahiers de Karnak'' 9 (1993), pp. 1–100; Luc Gabolde, "Monuments décorés en bas relief aux noms de Thoutmosis II et Hatshepsout à Karnak", Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut Français d'Archéology Orientale (MIFAO) 123 le Cairo 2005.</ref> Meanwhile, French Egyptologists at Karnak have also uncovered blocks from a chapel and a barque sanctuary constructed by Thutmose II there.<ref>Luc Gabolde, ''Monuments décorés en bas relief aux noms de Thoutmosis II et Hatshepsout à Karnak'', Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut Français d'Archéology Orientale (MIFAO) 123 le Cairo 2005.</ref> Finally, Zygmunt Wysocki has proposed that the funerary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari was originally begun as Thutmose II's own mortuary temple. Thutmose III here later replaced depictions of Hatshepsut with those by Thutmose II in those parts of the temple that are proposed to have been executed by the latter king before Hatshepsut took over the temple following Thutmose II's death.<ref>Zygmunt Wysocki, "The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: Its Original Form", ''Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo'' 42 (1986), pp. 213–228</ref> Thutmose II also contributed to the decoration of the temple of [[Khnum]] at [[Semna]].<ref>W. V. Davies, "Tombos and the Viceroy Inebny/Amenemnekhu", ''British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and the Sudan'' 10 (2008), 45f</ref>

A reconsideration of this new archaeological evidence would remove several arguments usually advanced in support of a short reign: namely the absence of a tomb that can be assigned to Thutmose II (prior to 2025), the absence of a funerary temple and the lack of any major works undertaken by this pharaoh.<ref>Thomas Schneider, "Contributions to the Chronology of the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period", ''Egypt and the Levant'' 20, 2010. p. 393</ref> Thutmose II's Karnak building projects would also imply that his reign was closer to 13 years rather than just three years.

The rediscovery of Thutmose II's tomb in 2022 and its subsequent confirmation in 2025, along with the adjudged size of his tomb, support the theory that Thutmose II reigned for 13 or 14 years.

===Military campaigns===
[[File:The Buhen temple (Horus and a pharaoh) (33944895871).jpg|thumb|Fragment of a painted relief of Thutmose II wearing the [[Khat (apparel)|Khat]] while being blessed by [[Horus]], from the Temple of Buhen.]]
====The Nubian Rebellion====
In Year 1, the Coronation of Thutmose triggered [[Kingdom of Kush|Kush]] to rebel, as it had the habit of doing upon the transition of [[Egypt]]ian [[kingship]]. The [[Nubia]]n state had been completely subjugated by Thutmose I.<ref>Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. ''When Egypt Ruled the East''. p. 35. University of Chicago, 1942</ref> Rebels from Khenthennofer rose up, and the Egyptian forces retreated into a fortress built by Thutmose I.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II'' p. 49. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906</ref> On account of his relative youth at the time, Thutmose II dispatched an army into Nubia rather than leading it himself. He seems to have easily crushed this revolt with the aid of his father's military generals.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II'' p. 50. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906</ref> An account of the campaign is given by the historian [[Josephus]] who refers to it as the ''Ethiopic War''.

<blockquote>'''Aswan Stela of Thutmose II summary''': Kush started to conspire, making subjects of the Lord of the Two Lands (nb-tawy) to contemplate a revolt. Plundering took place behind the fortification lines built by Thutmose I to hold back revolts from the foreign lands of the tribesmen of [[Ta-Seti]] of Khent-hen-nefer. The chief (wr) to the north of Kush had started hostilities, together with two tribesmen of [[Ta-Seti]] who were the sons of the chief (wr) of Kush. The foreign lands were divided into five parts.
</blockquote>

====The Shashu Rebellion====
In the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]], Thutmose II seems to have fought against the [[Shasu]] [[Bedouin]] in a campaign mentioned by [[Ahmose Pen-Nekhbet]].<ref name="Gardiner, Alan p. 180"/> This campaign has been called a minor raid by some scholars{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}.

There is a fragment recorded by [[Kurt Heinrich Sethe|Kurt Sethe]] that records a campaign in Upper [[Retenu]], or [[Syria]], which appears to have reached as far as a place called [[Niya (kingdom)|Niy]] where Thutmose I hunted elephants after returning from crossing the [[Euphrates]].<ref name="Breasted, James Henry p. 51">Breasted, James Henry. ''Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II'' p. 51. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906</ref> This quite possibly indicates that the raid against the [[Shasu]] was only fought ''en route'' to [[Syria]].<ref name="Breasted, James Henry p. 51"/>

==Attestations==
[[File:Red granite fragment bearing the cartouche of Thutmose II. Probably from a throne of a seated statue. From Thutmose III Temple at Koptos, Egypt. 18th Dynasty.jpg|thumb|Red granite fragment bearing the cartouche of Thutmose II. Probably from a throne of a seated statue. From Thutmose III Temple at Koptos, Egypt. 18th Dynasty]]There are relatively few monuments that refer to Thutmose II. One reason is that his wife and successor, Hatsheput, placed her name on monuments begun by Thutmose II.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}  Another problem is that Thutmose III later reassigned monuments to Thutmose II.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

=== Aswan Stela ===
At [[Aswan]], the "Aswan Stela" is dated to '''Year 1, II Akhet 8 of Thutmose II'''.<ref>Gabolde, "La stèle de Thoutmosis II à Assouan," 133</ref> The monument is the highest dated attestation of the king. It records a rebellion in Upper Nubia.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Elkashef |first1=Doaa |last2=Diniz |first2=Silvana |date=2021 |title=Some Comments on the Reports of Rebellion to the King in the New Kingdom Military Inscriptions. |url=https://mfth.journals.ekb.eg/article_263953_f81d8efb21f298ad15d428f122bff53d.pdf |journal=Journal of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels |publisher=[[University of Sadat City]] |volume=5 |issue=2/1 |archive-date=24 August 2024 |access-date=24 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824195931/https://mfth.journals.ekb.eg/article_263953_f81d8efb21f298ad15d428f122bff53d.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Karnak, Gateway ===
At Karnak, Thutmose II started the construction of a limestone gateway in the forecourt in front of the Fourth Pylon at the Temple. The monument was not completed until Thutmose III.<ref name="Betsy Bryan, pp. 235–236"/> Under Amenhotep III, the gateway was dismantled and its building blocks became part of the foundation of the Third Pylon.<ref name="Betsy Bryan, p.236"/>

=== Deir el-Bahari, Stone Chest ===
Archaeologists from [[University of Warsaw|Warsaw University]]'s Institute of Archaeology led by Andrzej Niwiński have discovered a treasure chest and a wooden box dated 3,500 years back in the Egyptian site of [[Deir el-Bahari]] in March 2020.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/stone-chest-found-in-ancient-temple-and-containing-skeleton-of-a-sacrificial-goose-could-lead-to-hidden-royal-tomb-10980|title=Stone chest found in ancient temple and containing skeleton of a sacrificial goose could lead to hidden royal tomb|website=www.thefirstnews.com|language=en|access-date=13 March 2020|archive-date=16 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616203641/https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/stone-chest-found-in-ancient-temple-and-containing-skeleton-of-a-sacrificial-goose-could-lead-to-hidden-royal-tomb-10980|url-status=live}}</ref> The stone chest consisted of several items and all of them covered with linen canvas. Three bundles of flax were found during the excavation. A goose skeleton was found inside one of them, sacrificed for religious purposes. The second one included goose eggs. It is believed that what the third bundle contained was an ibis egg which had a symbolic meaning for the ancient Egyptians. In addition, a little wooden trinket box was discovered inside the bundle, believed to contain the name Pharaoh Thutmose II. According to the Andrzej Niwiński, "The chest itself is about 40 cm long, with a slight smaller height. It was perfectly camouflaged, looked like an ordinary stone block. Only after a closer look did it turn out to be a chest."<ref name=":1" />

==Death==
===Burial===
{{Further|Tomb of Thutmose II}}
[[File:Die Gartenlaube (1886) b 830 1.jpg|thumb|left|Sarcophagus of Thutmose II]]
Until 2025, a variety of locations had been proposed for the location of Thutmose II's tomb. It was speculated that it may have originally been [[KV42]], but the lack of royal funerary equipment suggests the tomb was never used for burial.<ref name="MEK 1999">{{cite journal |last1=Eaton-Krauss |first1=M. |title=The Fate of Sennefer and Senetnay at Karnak Temple and in the Valley of the Kings |journal=The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |date=1999 |volume=85 |pages=113–129 |doi=10.2307/3822430 |jstor=3822430 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3822430 |access-date=26 July 2021 |issn=0307-5133 |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226201601/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3822430 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 2020, a team led by Polish archeologist [[Andrzej Niwiński]] proposed a location near the [[Temple of Thutmose III]] and [[Temple of Hatshepsut]] due to the discovery of a chest bearing Thutmose's [[cartouche]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saraceni |first1=Jessica Esther |title=News – Are Egyptologists Close to Finding a Pharaoh's Intact Tomb? |url=https://archaeology.org/news/2020/03/12/200313-egypt-thutmose-ii/ |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=Archaeology Magazine |date=12 March 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, a joint Anglo-Egyptian team led by the [[University of Cambridge]]'s [[McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research]] and the [[Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)|Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]] uncovered a new tomb in the [[List of burials in the Valley of the Queens#Western Wadis|Western Wadis]], near the [[Valley of the Kings]].<ref name=ThebanMappingProject>{{cite web |title=Latest Discovery in Wadi C (2022) {{!}} Theban Mapping Project |url=https://thebanmappingproject.com/articles/latest-discovery-wadi-c-2022 |website=thebanmappingproject.com |publisher=American Research Center in Egypt |access-date=19 February 2025 |language=en |archive-date=8 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208093713/https://thebanmappingproject.com/articles/latest-discovery-wadi-c-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Essam |first1=Angy |title=Egypt announces the discovery of royal tomb in the Western Valley of Theban Mountain on Luxor's West Bank |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/121899/Egypt-announces-the-discovery-of-royal-tomb-in-the-Western |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=EgyptToday |date=15 January 2023 |archive-date=5 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241105011554/https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/4/121899/Egypt-announces-the-discovery-of-royal-tomb-in-the-Western |url-status=live }}</ref> The tomb, designated [[Tomb of Thutmose II|Wadi C-4]], was likened by the excavators to [[KV5]] due to both tombs being filled with rubble and debris from flash floods, and was believed to have been dedicated during the reign of [[Hatshepsut]] and [[Thutmose III]].<ref name="ThebanMappingProject" /> While the king's tomb was discovered in 2022, the king's purported remains were found in the [[Royal Cache|Royal Cache of Mummies]] at Deir el-Bahari (Theban Necropolis) in 1881.

In 2025, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that the tomb Wadi C-4 was the tomb of Thutmose II.<ref>{{cite news |title=Long-lost royal tomb of King Thutmose II finally discovered in Luxor |url=https://www.sis.gov.eg/Story/205026/Long-lost-royal-tomb-of-King-Thutmose-II-finally-discovered-in-Luxor?lang=en-us |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=State Information Service |date=18 February 2025}}</ref> The tomb showed many features typical for a king's burial, such as a blue-painted ceiling with yellow stars, the remains of an [[Amduat]] depicted on the walls and inscribed vessels bearing the king's name and Hatshesput's name as his great wife.<ref>Piers Litherland: ''Has the Tomb of Thutmoses II been found?'' In: ''Egyptian Archaeolog''y. 63, Autumn 2023, pp. 28–31.</ref> Additionally, fragments of [[alabaster jar]]s with the names of Thutmose II and Hatshepsut were found in the tomb which helped confirm ownership.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mao |first=Frances |date=19 February 2025 |title=Thutmose II: First pharaoh's tomb found in Egypt since Tutankhamun's |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ym30v356po |access-date=19 February 2025 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> The tomb is the first royal tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings area since the [[Tomb of Tutankhamun]] in 1922.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shawkat |first1=Ahmed |date=18 February 2025 |title=Egypt announces first discovery of a royal tomb since King Tutankhamun's was found over a century ago – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/egypt-discovery-king-thutmose-ii-ancient-royal-tomb/ |access-date=19 February 2025 |work=CBS News}}</ref> The tomb was built under waterfalls, leading to periodic flash flooding which damaged the tomb throughout the ages.<ref name=":0" /> According to the Mohamed Abdel Badi, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector: "The tomb is situated in a poorly-chosen place beneath two waterfalls and at the bottom of a slope down which water would have (and did) pour in the much wetter weather of the 18th dynasty."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rahimi |first=Rosa |date=19 February 2025 |title=Tomb of ancient Egyptian King unearthed in 'remarkable' discovery |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/science/royal-tomb-thutmose-ii-discovered-egypt-intl-scli/index.html |access-date=19 February 2025 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=19 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219232351/https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/science/royal-tomb-thutmose-ii-discovered-egypt-intl-scli/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Some time after his initial burial, Thutmose II's body was moved to the [[Deir el-Bahari|Deir el-Bahari Cache]], where his mummy was uncovered in the 19th century.<ref name=":0" />

===Mummy===
[[File:Thutmose II mummy head.png|thumb|200px|right|The mummified head of Thutmose II]]
Thutmose II's mummy was discovered in the [[DB320|Deir el-Bahari cache]], revealed in 1881. He was interred along with other 18th and 19th dynasty leaders including [[Ahmose I]], [[Amenhotep I]], [[Thutmose I]], [[Thutmose III]], [[Ramesses I]], [[Seti I]], [[Ramesses II]], and [[Ramesses IX]]. It included a label that indicated it had been re-wrapped in the [[Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt|Twenty-first Dynasty]].<ref name=Habicht /> 

The mummy was unwrapped by [[Gaston Maspero]] on 1 July 1886. There is a strong familial resemblance to the mummy of Thutmose I, his likely father, as the mummy's face and shape of the head are very similar. The body of Thutmose II suffered greatly at the hands of ancient tomb robbers, with his left arm broken off at the shoulder-joint, the forearm separated at the elbow joint, and his right arm chopped off below the elbow. His anterior abdominal wall and much of his chest had been hacked at, possibly by an axe. In addition, his right leg had been severed from his body.<ref>Smith, G Elliot. ''The Royal Mummies'', pp. 28–29. Duckworth, 2000 (reprint).</ref> All of these injuries were sustained post-mortem, though the body also showed signs that Thutmose II did not have an easy life, as the following quote by Gaston Maspero attests:

{{blockquote|He had scarcely reached the age of thirty when he fell a victim to a disease of which the process of embalming could not remove the traces. The skin is scabrous in patches, and covered with scars, while the upper part of the skull is bald; the body is thin and somewhat shrunken, and appears to have lacked vigour and muscular power.<ref>Maspero, Gaston. [https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/3/2/17324/17324-h/v4c.htm ''History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 4 (of 12)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917032245/http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/3/2/17324/17324-h/v4c.htm |date=2011-09-17 }} Project Gutenberg EBook, Release Date: 16 December 2005. EBook #17324.</ref>}}

James Harris and Fawzia Hussien (1991) conducted an X-ray survey on New Kingdom royal mummies and examined the mummified remains of Thutmose II. The results of the study determined that the mummy of Thutmose II had a craniofacial trait measurement that was common among Nubian populations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=James E. |last2=Hussien |first2=Fawzia |title=The identification of the Eighteenth Dynasty royal mummies; a biological perspective |journal=International Journal of Osteoarchaeology |date=September 1991 |volume=1 |issue=3–4 |pages=235–239 |doi=10.1002/oa.1390010317 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oa.1390010317 |language=en |issn=1047-482X |archive-date=20 April 2022 |access-date=20 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420214011/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oa.1390010317 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

His mummy has the inventory number CG 61066.<ref name=Habicht>{{cite journal |last1=Habicht |first1=M.E|last2=Bouwman |first2=A.S|last3=Rühli |first3=F.J |date=25 January 2016 |title=Identifications of ancient Egyptian royal mummies from the 18th Dynasty reconsidered |journal=Yearbook of Physical Anthropology |volume=159 |issue=S61 |pages=216–231 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.22909 |pmid=26808107|doi-access=free }}</ref> In April 2021, his mummy was moved from the [[Museum of Egyptian Antiquities]] to the [[National Museum of Egyptian Civilization]] along with those of 17 other kings and 4 queens in an event termed the [[Pharaohs' Golden Parade]].<ref name=Parisse>{{cite news |last=Parisse |first=Emmanuel |date=5 April 2021 |title=22 Ancient Pharaohs Have Been Carried Across Cairo in an Epic 'Golden Parade' |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/22-ancient-pharaohs-have-been-carried-across-cairo-in-an-epic-golden-parade |work=ScienceAlert |access-date=5 April 2021 |archive-date=27 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327201021/https://www.sciencealert.com/22-ancient-pharaohs-have-been-carried-across-cairo-in-an-epic-golden-parade |url-status=live }}</ref> The identity of the mummy has been questioned in recent times.<ref name=Habicht /> Piers Litherland who helped discover Thutmose II's tomb in February 2025 notes that Thutmose II's mummy, from the [[Royal Cache]] "has been repeatedly [been] given an age at death of 30, was labelled “Aa-en-re”. Since the only king with an “en” in his name is Thutmose II, whose regnal name was "Aa-kheper-en-re”, Litherland says this mummy was identified as being Thutmose II."<ref>Gareth Harris, [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/24/archeologist-behind-discovery-of-pharaohs-tomb-believes-he-has-found-another Archaeologist behind discovery of pharaoh's tomb says he may have found another], February 24, 2025, The Art Newspaper</ref> The re-wrapping label appears to identify him as Thutmose II but it may have been modified from that of Thutmose I.<ref name=Habicht />

But as Litherland notes:
: “This is the only basis for identifying the mummy as Thutmose II. It is known that several of the mummies were mislabelled so this evidence is pretty shaky. It is only the fact that it has been repeated over and over again which has given it any weight....If his body has been found why, unlike many other kings of the New Kingdom, have his funerary goods, or fragments of his burial equipment, never been found?”<ref>Gareth Harris, [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/02/24/archeologist-behind-discovery-of-pharaohs-tomb-believes-he-has-found-another Archaeologist behind discovery of pharaoh's tomb says he may have found another], February 24, 2025, The Art Newspaper</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of Ancient Egypt]]
* [[Family tree of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Thutmosis II}}

{{Pharaohs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thutmose Ii}}
[[Category:Thutmose II| ]]
[[Category:15th-century BC deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian mummies]]
[[Category:Ancient child monarchs]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian child monarchs]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Egyptian Museum]]
[[Category:Hatshepsut]]
[[Category:Children of Thutmose I]]