| Thutmose II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Thutmosis II, Chebron, Chebros | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Relief of Thutmose II in Karnak Temple complex. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | disputed, 1493–1479 BC, 1513–1499 BC(18th Dynasty) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Thutmose I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Hatshepsut | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Consort | Hatshepsut,Iset | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Thutmose III,Neferure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Thutmose I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Mutnofret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | C.1510 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1479 BC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | KV42 (now considered unlikely) Royal Cache of mummies at Deir el-Bahari (Theban Necropolis) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thutmose II (sometimesThutmosis, orTuthmosis II, which meansBorn ofThoth) was the fourthPharaoh of theEighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He built some small monuments and began two small military campaigns but did little else during his rule and was probably strongly influenced by his wife,Hatshepsut. He ruled from1493 BC to1479 BC. Thutmose II's body was found in theDeir el-BahriCache above theMortuary Temple of Hatshepsut with many other pharaohs. It can be viewed today in theEgyptian Museum inCairo.
Thutmose II was the son ofThutmose I and a minor wife,Mutnofret. He may married his fully royal half-sister,Hatshepsut, in order to secure his kingship. His armies stopped rebellions inNubia and theLevant and defeated a group ofnomadicBedouins. But these campaigns were led by the king's Generals, and not by Thutmose II himself. This is often seen as evidence that Thutmose II was still a child at his when he became king. Thutmose II fatheredNeferure with Hatshepsut, and a male heir, the famousThutmose III, by a lesser wife namedIset before his death.
Somearchaeologists believe that Hatshepsut was the real power behind the throne during Thutmose II’s rule. Domestic and foreign policies were similar and she claimed that her father wanted them to rule together. She is pictured in several scenes from aKarnak gateway dating to Thutmose II's reign, both together with her husband and alone.[1] She later had herself crowned Pharaoh several years into the rule of her husband's young successorThutmose III. "The queen's agents actually replaced the boy king's name in a few places with her own cartouches" on the gateway.[2]
The ancient historianManetho wrote that Thutmose II ruled for 13 years. This figure is highly disputed among scholars. Some modern historians believe he ruled for only three years.[3]
Most pharaohs are remembered because of the number of monuments and buildings they created. However Hatsehput had his name removed replaced with her own. Thutmose III had Thutmose II's name added to all kinds of monuments.[4] This makes it hard for people studying Thutmose II to know what he really created.
There are several surviving buildings built for the king atSemna,Kumma, andElephantine. His biggest monument was a limestone gateway at Karnak that was once at the front of the Fourth Pylon's forecourt. But this monument was not completed in Thutmose II's reign but in the reign of his son Thutmose III. This suggests that Thutmose II did not rule for very long.[5] The gateway was later pulled down and its building blocks used for the foundation of the ThirdPylon byAmenhotep III.[2]
When Thutmose II became king, there was a rebellion by theKush. The Egyptians retreated into the fort built by Thutmose I.[6][7] Thutmose II was too young for battle, but he sent an army into Nubia. The rebellion was easily crushed with the help of his father's military generals.[8]
Thutmose also seems to have fought against theShasu Bedouin in theSinai.[9] This was a minor raid, but the army went as far as UpperRetenu, or Syria.[10] This quite possibly indicates that the raid against the Shasu was only fought on the way to Syria.[10]
Thutmose II's mummy was discovered in theDeir el-Bahri cache, in 1881. He was in a tomb with other 18th and 19th kings includingAhmose I,Amenhotep I,Thutmose I,Thutmose III,Ramesses I,Seti I,Ramesses II, andRamesses IX.
The mummy was unwrapped byGaston Maspero on July 1, 1886. The face and shape of the head was very similar to the mummy of Thutmose I, his likely father. The body of Thutmose II been badly damaged by ancient tomb robbers. His left arm was broken off at the shoulder-joint, the forearm separated at the elbow joint, and his right arm chopped off below the elbow. His abdomen and much of his chest looked as if it had been hacked with an axe. His right leg had been cut from his body.[11] All of these injuries had taken place after his death. The body also showed signs that Thutmose II did not have an easy life:
In 2025, Egyptian archaeological officials said that the original tomb for Thutmose had been found. It is "in the mount of Thebes area, west of Luxor and the renowned Valley of the Kings."[13] British and Egyptian archaeologists had be digging the tomb for two years. However, it was not first realized that it was of the pharaoh. Only in 2025 was it discovered that it was his tomb.
It is the first royal burial chamber to be discovered in Egypt since 1922, when King Tutankhamun's burial chamber was opened.[14]
