Archaeologists Opened Another Egyptian Tomb — And Found a Mummy Wrapped in Metal

Egyptian archaeologists made an extraordinary discovery near Cairo just recently.

Drum roll, please.

The most ancient and most complete mummy yet discovered in the country.

Yes, they were keeping it under wraps.

The 4,300-year-old mummy was found in a group of tombs close to the step pyramid of Djoser dating back to the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

>> >> It was covered in layers of gold.

The team also found several other tombs including one belonging to an ancient Egyptian official and another belonging to a secret keeper who had the power to perform special ceremonies.

Another interesting tomb was that of a writer which featured the largest statues ever found in the area.

This vast burial site is also home to more than a dozen pyramids and resting grounds.

Probably one of the most famous mummies in the world is that of Hatshepsut.

She ruled Egypt like a boss for around 20 years building all sorts of impressive buildings and creating new trade routes.

But when archaeologist Howard Carter found her tomb in the Valley of the Kings, her sarcophagus was empty.

However, Carter did find two coffins in another tomb one of which belonged to Hatshepsut’s wet nurse and the other to an unknown woman.

In 2006, a team of specialists decided to investigate whether that mysterious lady was the queen herself.

They found a molar tooth in a wooden box with Hatshepsut’s name on it and when they compared it to a gap in the mummy’s mouth, it was a perfect match.

Ramesses II was a pretty impressive ruler, but it was his mummy that eventually made history.

Now, we don’t hear too much about his daddy.

Hm.

Okay, I’ll stop.

Ramesses is considered to be the most powerful pharaoh in all of Egypt as he reigned for a whopping six decades.

He also lived to be over 90 years old.

Now, that’s pretty amazing considering the time he lived in.

Ramesses II supposedly had over 100 offspring, too.

Talk about a big family.

When he passed away, his body was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings, but some sneaky guys tried to rob his tomb of all his treasures.

Officials back in the day weren’t having any of that, though.

So, they moved his body to a secret location to keep it safe.

Fast forward to the 1800s and Ramses the second’s mummy was discovered along with a bunch of other rulers and important officials, but it wasn’t in the best condition.

So, archaeologists flew it to Paris to get it, well, you know, pampered.

Problem was, he couldn’t just be transported into another country.

The only solution available was to give Ramses the second his own passport.

His occupation was listed as king and the document even featured his photo.

You know, most mummies aren’t necessarily known for having the most hydrated skin, but that of an ancient woman, also known as Lady Dai, proves otherwise.

No, not that Lady Dai.

This wealthy lady from ancient times was discovered in an ornate tomb in 1971 and she looked fabulous, if we can say so about a mummy.

Thanks to the special conditions in her tomb, like the moisture in the environment and the lack of oxygen, her body was almost perfectly preserved.

Her skin was soft, her hair was on point and she was still flexible.

The museum that now proudly displays her mummy also shows a ton of fancy items that were buried with her, like dinnerware and musical instruments.

Archaeologists investigated the mummy further and discovered that she passed away from a heart attack at around 50 years old.

Even though it hasn’t been around for over 2,000 years, Lady Dai is still making history.

The mummy of Otzi, the Iceman, was discovered in the Alps in 1991.

Austrian authorities initially thought he was a modern mountaineer because he was so well preserved.

Turns out he was actually from the Copper Age.

He was found in a mountain pass over 10,000 ft above sea level.

Through studying his mummy, we’ve learned so much about life in Copper Age Europe.

For example, we know that he was a native of Central Europe and enjoyed eating meat.

He also suffered from arthritis, narrowing arteries, and intestinal problems.

But he likely used acupuncture and medicinal herbs to treat these conditions.

And apparently, he was pretty handy with tools.

He sharpened them just days before his untimely demise.

Who knows if he was expecting trouble >> >> or just getting ready for some routine work.

Now, King Tut and his story is most likely the one that made all mummies famous.

This pharaoh passed away at the young age of 19 more than 3,000 years ago, but his mummy is still one of the most well-known in the world.

When his tomb was opened in 1922, people went wild because it was still intact, unlike many other royal tombs.

It had some seriously blinged-out coffins, including one made of solid gold.

Not only did Tut’s tomb give us a glimpse into ancient Egyptian history, but his mummy also taught us a lot about the time he lived in.

DNA analysis helped identify his parents and revealed that the pharaoh had a rare bone disorder >> >> that might have made walking a bit tough.

Now, Ginger is most likely one of the coolest mummies you’ll ever hear about.

>> >> He’s like a time traveler from 5,000 years ago who’s still looking fly with his golden hair and perfectly preserved nails.

Ginger was discovered in Egypt and is believed to be the earliest known mummified body.

Before people even knew about mummification, they used to place bodies in shallow graves in the hot dry sand.

And since the sand absorbed all the water, bacteria couldn’t reproduce and the body was preserved naturally.

Now, scientists are not sure if Ginger’s preservation was intentional or not, but since he was buried with some pottery vessels, it’s likely that whoever buried him knew some serious preservation techniques.

If you want to meet Ginger in person, he’s currently chilling at the British Museum.

One Dutch art collector bought a statue from Asia and ended up finding a weird discovery.

>> >> The statue contained a mummy hidden inside.

Unfortunately, the body was too fragile to move, so they had to leave it there.

The coolest part is that this mummy is over a thousand years old and was on display for 200 years before being encased in the statue.

When scientists did a CT scan, they found out that the mummy was filled with paper scraps covered in writings.

Experts think he might have done this thing called self-mummification, which is a pretty intense process involving a special diet and tea that makes your body less prone to bacteria.

Only a few people could handle this ritual and those who managed to do that were seriously respected.

No other Egyptian queen has baffled scientists and historians like the stunning Nefertiti.

Based on her statues, she was known for her slender neck, wide eyes and high cheekbones.

Her name translates to the beautiful woman has come.

Talk about living up to your name, huh? Even though she wasn’t a pharaoh herself, Nefertiti still managed to leave a lasting impression.

Written records suggest that as a wife and queen, she held an incredibly influential role.

Because of her power, she was indeed admired, but she also managed to make quite a lot of enemies throughout her life.

She was also related to King Tut, but not biologically.

Rather, she was his stepmother.

So far, locals have yet to identify her mummy, but that may soon change.

A local Egyptologist who has been busy excavating tombs in the Valley of the Kings has found two mummies that he believes could be Nefertiti and her daughter.

According to specialist, we may soon finally get a definitive answer about the identity of these two mummies.

And if one of them does turn out to be Nefertiti, we could be in for a real treat.

DNA analysis and CT scans of the mummy could give us the most complete and accurate image of the queen that we’ve ever seen.

It’s crazy to think that we’ve only scratched the surface of what lies beneath modern-day Egypt.

Nefertiti ruled during a time of great power and prosperity in Egypt, but unfortunately passed away in a period of social turmoil, leading to her grave site being lost.

Now, where’s my mummy? “No man shall ever find my tomb”.

That’s what, according to rumors, Cleopatra once said.

Rumor has it it really wasn’t about the gender.

She wanted no living soul to disturb her, and I think she meant that no human would ever discover the location of her grave.

But, surprisingly, it was indeed a woman who was closer than anyone before to finally discovering the queen’s resting place.

Meet Kathleen Martinez Berry, >> >> a criminal lawyer turned archaeologist.

She got so intrigued with Cleopatra’s story that she packed her bags and went to Egypt with no official support and even no permission from the authorities.

All she had was pure determination to find the queen’s tomb.

Now, you could say Kathleen had always been ahead of the game.

She skipped grades in school, mastered piano, chess, swimming, and martial arts, and grew up listening to top intellectuals debating in her home.

And she even got her law degree at just 19, and archaeology was her side passion.

She had never actually been to Egypt, never dug up a single artifact.

But her fascination with Cleopatra went all the way back to an argument with her father in 1990.

That day, she walked into his library looking for a copy of Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare.

Her dad, Fausto Martinez, a professor and legal expert, casually called Cleopatra a seductress.

Kathleen wasn’t having it.

She fired back, arguing that history had been totally unfair to Cleopatra.

The Romans, she said, wanted to destroy her reputation.

And for centuries, people had just believed their version of the story.

The debate went on for hours, and in the end, her father admitted maybe he had judged Cleopatra too harshly.

That conversation changed everything for Kathleen.

From that day on, she read every ancient text she could find, especially Plutarch’s account of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

The more she learned, the more convinced she became that Cleopatra wasn’t just some queen who fell for the wrong guy.

She was a genius playing a dangerous political game to keep Egypt independent.

And the more she read, the more she started thinking, “What if everyone had been looking for Cleopatra’s tomb in the wrong place?” That thought stuck with her.

When she was caring for her second child, she earned a master’s in archaeology.

Mm, multitasking.

That reignited an obsession that would take over her life, uncovering the truth about Cleopatra.

Even though most experts believe that Cleopatra’s tomb, along with the final resting place of 13 other Ptolemaic rulers, lies somewhere beneath modern-day Alexandria, Dr. Martinez has a different idea.

She believes Cleopatra was buried at Taposiris Magna, an ancient temple dedicated to Osiris, the Egyptian deity of the afterlife.

But she She needed an ancient foundation plate.

These plates, about the size of a smartphone, were placed beneath important temple structures and often contained inscriptions explaining when and why the temple was built.

If she could find a plate that confirmed the temple was dedicated to Isis, Cleopatra’s patron deity, she’d have solid proof that this was the right place to look.

Nothing could deter Martinez.

>> >> She excavated the entire temple site, digging deeper than anyone before her.

Her team found coins with Cleopatra’s name and face stamped on them.

It meant Cleopatra had a direct connection to this site.

Then, they uncovered something even more interesting.

A tunnel used to bring water to people leading straight from the temple into the Mediterranean Sea.

So, if parts of the temple had already sunken into the water, could Cleopatra’s tomb be down there, too? Martinez needed proof to convince Egyptian authorities to let her search underwater.

And against all odds, she found the missing foundation plate.

On it, the pharaoh offered a large area of Nubia to deity Isis.

That was it, the confirmation she needed.

The temple was indeed dedicated to Isis, proving her theory wasn’t just speculation.

If one temple was on land, Martinez suspected the second temple, possibly Cleopatra’s tomb, had collapsed into the sea.

She needed help from experts in underwater archaeology.

So, she reached out to Robert Ballard, the guy who discovered the Titanic.

With support from the Egyptian authorities, she and her team began exploring the waters off the coast of Alexandria.

And what they found was mind-blowing.

Underwater, they discovered massive stone structures, some standing 6 to 10 ft tall, right where the coastline would have been thousands of years ago.

They also found basalt blocks, the same material used in the statues from the first temple.

That meant one thing, those weren’t just random rocks.

They were the remains of a lost city buried beneath the sea for centuries.

Now, we can only wait and see whether Martinez and her team will be able to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of the past left by the outstanding woman that was Cleopatra.

Here’s some backstory.

After her father, Ptolemy the 7th, passed away, Egypt’s throne went to both Ptolemy the 8th and Cleopatra, or so it seemed.

Cleopatra, just 18 at the time, allegedly married her 10-year-old brother.

Yeah, ancient royalty had some different customs, though there’s no solid proof of that.

But, sibling love didn’t last long.

Young Ptolemy decided he wanted all the power for himself and tried to push Cleopatra out.

Forced to flee the country, she didn’t just sit around feeling sorry for herself.

She raised an army ready to march back and take what was hers.

That’s how, at 21, she was already in the Sinai Desert leading an army and planning her return to the throne.

Now, by that time, Cleopatra had already been locked in a powerful political, and not only political, alliance with Julius Caesar.

In June 47 BC, she gave birth to a son, Ptolemy Caesar, better known as Caesarion, who many believe was Caesar’s child.

But, that didn’t stop her from playing by Egyptian royal rules.

And her husband number two, her other brother, Ptolemy the 14th.

Yeah, despite her ongoing affair with Caesar, Cleopatra married yet another sibling because, in her world, keeping the throne in the family was the name of the game.

Now, marriage aside, Cleopatra’s bond with Caesar stayed strong.

She even traveled to Rome with Ptolemy the 14th for a state visit.

But, instead of playing the role of a dutiful queen, she stayed in Caesar’s private villa by the Tiber River.

But, after Julius Caesar lost his life in 44 BCE on the Ides of March, Cleopatra’s political standing became shaky.

To make matters worse, her brother-husband, Ptolemy the 14th, passed away soon after.

And some suspect Cleopatra had a hand in it, leaving her as the sole ruler of Egypt.

Meanwhile, back in Rome, Mark Antony was rising to power as Caesar’s presumed successor.

Wanting to size up the queen of Egypt, he summoned Cleopatra, and she did not disappoint.

Sailing into town on the lavish barge, dressed as a deity, Cleopatra made quite an entrance.

Antony was instantly mesmerized.

So much so that he left his third wife back in Rome and followed Cleopatra to Alexandria, where their relationship turned into a full-blown royal affair.

The two had three children together.

>> >> Together, they waged war against Caesar’s adopted son, Octavian, in a battle for control of the Roman Empire.

The last time the queen was seen, she was in her mausoleum, dressed in full royal splendor, diadem on her head, lying on what Plutarch called a golden couch.

When Antony and Cleopatra lost at Actium, Octavian’s forces marched into Alexandria.

Cleopatra apparently knew the end was near.

So, she locked herself inside her mausoleum, surrounded by gold, silver, pearls, and priceless art.

Those were the treasures she threatened to burn rather than let the Romans take them.

Antony, meanwhile, wasn’t going to let the Romans capture him alive.

He wounded himself with his own sword, but before he passed away, he was carried to Cleopatra’s side.

She held him as he took his last breath in her arms.

A little over a week later, Cleopatra made her own choice.

Rather than face humiliation as Octavius’ prisoner, she ended her life.

Legend says it was the bite of a deadly asp, though history isn’t quite clear on that.

At the time, Cleopatra was only 39.

Sounds like a rather full life to me.

>> Let’s face it.

Most ancient tombs have been looted at least once.

No matter how scary the rumors could have been, most mummies were opened, too.

But one.

This is the Bashiri mummy, and it puzzles everyone so much that nobody dares to see what’s inside.

Meet Howard, but you must know him already if you’re into Egyptian history.

He’s primarily famous for discovering King Tut’s tomb back in 1922.

But few people know that before this revolutionary discovery, he had probably found another mummy.

It happened in 1919, and it goes by several names, either the Bashiri mummy or the mummy of Pacheri, or the untouchable one.

Some reports say that Howard stumbled upon the Bashiri mummy in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, just where he would later find Tut’s tomb.

Despite this find, not much is known about this particular mummy.

The reason why it’s still unharmed in any way is not because of some superstitions, but because nobody is sure that they can undo what they do if something goes wrong.

The mummy is so intricately wrapped that researchers never unfurled it for fear of irreversible damage.

The golden rule of anyone who works with antiquities, if you’re not sure you can’t make it better or preserve it unchanged, do not touch it.

History knows many examples of ancient relics ruined beyond repair.

Say Ecce Homo, or smiling statue restoration.

The delicate fabric that covers the mummy’s face has this cool design that kind of looks like a pyramid.

The researchers are not 100% sure, but this might be the only one of its kind with that embalming style.

But without knowing the ancient technique, it’s next to impossible not to ruin the mummy while unwrapping and wrapping it back.

>> [screaming] >> Back in the day, people, both experts and looters, would unwrap mummies for all sorts of reasons, mostly to study them.

Luckily, these days we have advanced tech that lets us check out what’s inside a sarcophagus without having to unwrap anything.

After taking a closer look at the Basheri mummy, researchers figured out that it belonged to a man who is around 5.

5 ft tall and lived during the Ptolemaic era, which makes this mummy roughly 2,300 years old.

The Egypt Museum shared that the x-ray scan also uncovered an inscription of the guy’s name, but it’s a bit tricky to tell if it says Pacheri or Nen-net, adding to the intrigue.

The museum also pointed out that the fancy casing the mummy is in features all sorts of decorated scenes.

You can see the mummy lying on a bed flanked by deities Isis and Nephthys, along with the four sons of Horus.

Plus, there are two images of the funerary god Anubis at the feet of the casing.

By the way, Basheri mummy is not the only one that has remained untouched.

This is Iset Ta-Hemdjert, and Gaston Maspero, a French archaeologist, made the decision to leave her mummy untouched, >> >> wanting to keep her resting peacefully, since she was in such amazing shape.

He did mention though that her tomb had been raided long ago.

Thanks to some x-ray work, we learned more about the mummy.

>> >> The scans revealed a few artifacts still wrapped up with the wife of a high priest, including amulets around her neck, right arm, and forehead.

The x-rays also showed she had some dental issues and arthritis in her knees.

While she passed away as an older woman, it’s tough to pinpoint her exact age.

However, various sources from her son’s reign indicate that she was held in high regard in the kingdom.

Isetemkheb served as the sister-wife of Pinaziem the second.

You got me right.

They were related by blood and were siblings.

But back then, it was pretty common to get married this way to preserve the purity of the bloodline.

Say that to Habsburg.

Duh.

Their chase for purity only led to inbreeding and the notorious Habsburg’s jaw.

Right.

I guess we should not judge ancient Egyptian rules and morals.

But what we can say for sure is that both Bushiri and Isetemkheb were incredibly lucky to stay untouched.

The odds were not in King Tut’s favor though.

The researchers’ work hit him hard.

The tomb itself was discovered in 1922, but it wasn’t until 1925 that the nested coffins were opened during an excavation.

The outer coffin, held together with silver pins, opened up to show another coffin shaped like a mummy, decorated with colorful glass and flower garlands.

There were worries about the king’s mummy because it had been exposed to moisture.

The middle coffin was pretty heavy and didn’t have any handles, so they had to be super careful taking it out.

Inside the innermost coffin, which was solid gold and wrapped in a red cloth, they found the royal mummy.

And this all went down on October 28th, 1925.

Tutankhamun’s mummy, measuring about 6.

07 ft, fit snugly into the innermost coffin, which was 6.

17 ft long.

You can already tell there was a problem, right? >> >> Imagine how hard it is to extract something as fragile as an ancient dried-up mummy, especially when there’s not much room for maneuver.

Plus, the mummy looked sus.

It was pitch black.

Howard Carter, the lead archaeologist of the expedition, estimated that around two buckets worth of oils had been poured over the mummy.

But, care had been taken to avoid the mask and feet.

It was made to preserve him better.

The body was positioned at a slight angle in the coffin, and there was a noticeable difference in the amount of dark oils on the right and left side, indicating that the coffin might have tilted while being lowered into the sarcophagus.

This oil created moisture inside the coffins, and over time, it reacted chemically, which Carter described as a sort of slow spontaneous combustion, leading to the carbonization of the linen wrappings.

Unfortunately, the combination of heat and moisture took a toll on the mummy’s trappings as well.

The crook and flail fell apart.

The resin scarab cracked, and the threads holding the hands and mummy’s bands started to decay, making everything quite fragile.

Plus, the oils hardened over the years, effectively gluing the mummy and mask to the coffin’s bottom.

To try and separate the mummy from the inner and middle coffins, they were placed in the sun for several hours, reaching temperatures of 149° Fahrenheit.

Despite this effort, the mummy remained stuck, so the initial examination had to be done right where it was.

The first part of Tutankhamun’s mummy the researchers checked out was his lower legs and feet, meaning they started the examination from the bottom up.

As they peeled back the bandages, they uncovered the first of many treasures wrapped up with the king.

They took their time to carefully document and photograph everything they found.

The inner layers of bandages were in pretty bad shape, >> >> mostly turning to dust, making it tough to figure out how everything was originally wrapped.

Still, the overall methods matched what was seen in other nobles mummies from that time.

Lots of folded linen pads were used to shape the torso and thighs.

The outer and inner bandages were made from fine linen, while the middle layers were coarser.

They had some intricate bandaging around the shoulders and chest with a similar style around the groin.

Each limb, along with fingers and toes, which were fitted with gold caps, was wrapped separately.

Tutankhamun even wore gold foil sandals on his feet.

They hoped to separate the mummy from the coffin by removing the outer bandages, >> >> but the resins had stuck the body to the coffin.

So, the researchers ended up chiseling it out.

>> >> To do this, they had to cut the torso in half at the hips and disarticulate the arms to continue unwrapping.

Each part was treated with hot paraffin wax for stability, and later, the hands and feet were reattached with resin.

Finally, they used hot knives to detach the head from the mask.

To check the teeth, it was decided to make an incision around the jaw and neck, which was later fixed with resin.

So, technically, the scientists did all they could to preserve the mummy, but still, in a way, it ended up being damaged beyond repair.

What do you think? Should they have left it in the coffin, or did they do the right thing? Let us know in the comments.

>> So, look here.

Scientists discovered ancient artifacts near King Tut’s tomb.

Turns out his VIP final resting place looks more like a public graveyard with about a dozen wooden coffins that’s been there for around 3,600 years.

Okay, I might have exaggerated a tad.

The 11 tombs weren’t exactly right next to King Tut, but they were close, near the same city of Luxor.

New findings in Egyptian tombs can help us piece together what life was like in ancient Egypt.

And guess what? Ancient Egyptians seem to have been remarkably like us, modern humans.

Say, the women have always loved jewelry, and archaeologists retrieved a beautifully made necklace with 30 amethyst beads and two agate beads, plus a hippo head amulet.

Bet it was all the rage back then.

Researchers also discovered two copper mirrors.

One had a handle shaped like a lotus, and the other was decorated with Hathor, the ancient Egyptian deity of the sky, women, fertility, and love.

These recent excavations near Tutankhamun’s burial site led to another jaw-dropping revelation.

For the first time in thousands of years, fragments of Queen Hatshepsut’s valley temple were uncovered.

This fearless woman was thought to be the second female pharaoh who ruled with both courage and wisdom, leaving a legacy as solid as the stones themselves.

Her temple, hidden for ages, opens a window into a time filled with power, intrigue, and spiritual devotion.

Archaeologists found over 1,000 beautifully decorated stone blocks on the outskirts of Hatshepsut’s funerary temple.

There were a very few women who managed to take the throne in ancient Egypt.

Another tomb was found nearby, and it belonged to the overseer of Queen Tetisheri’s palace, whose name was Jehutimes.

Queen Hatshepsut seems to have even more tombs, I mean, aces up her sleeve.

These tombs were carved into the rock instead of being built as pyramids, showing a unique ancient perspective on how to protect the soul in the afterlife.

Experts managed to retrieve some cool ancient pieces from the site.

Toys made of clay, mummy masks, winged scarabs, and some amulets.

Sadly, there surely used to be way more artifacts, but over the last centuries, there have been people other than archaeologists to stumble upon this site.

It’s likely that looters got to these tombs before them and may have taken some valuable items.

But they did leave behind some cool stuff for the researchers, like pottery used for offerings of bread and meat, along with archers’ bows that connect the tomb’s owners to the Egyptian military.

Meanwhile, soul protection is way more important than you might think, especially if you’re roaming around Luxor looking for ancient secrets.

You aren’t scared of King Tut’s curse, are you? Uh-huh.

Let me tell you what happened to those who weren’t scared, but promise me to take it with a dash of salt, okay? For years, Egyptologists, especially those who believed in paranormal activity, were convinced that there was an unsettling curse surrounding Tutankhamun’s archaeological discoveries.

This belief stemmed from the mysterious and untimely demise of several excavators who discovered the tomb in 1922 with no logical explanation for why they passed away.

It was just easier to chalk it up to something supernatural and avoid the whole mess.

But it turns out it wasn’t a curse at all.

It was likely the radiation that caused those excavators to perish.

Now, you might wonder where the radiation came from.

After all, while radioactivity was discovered in the 19th century, ancient Egyptians, despite their impressive pyramids, didn’t have any radium lying around to make Tut’s tomb glow like crazy.

So, what could be the real story? It might have been toxic waste behind it all.

Toxic levels of radiation from uranium and hazardous waste have been lurking inside the tomb since it was sealed over 3,000 years ago.

The burial chamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb reportedly has such high radiation levels that anyone who steps inside could easily end up with a fatal dose of radiation sickness or an incurable condition.

By the way, you can have a somewhat similar level of radioactivity if you don’t get rid of those moldy dinner leftovers you left to perish in your fridge a month ago.

But, this radioactivity isn’t exclusive to Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Ancient Egyptian artifacts discovery is rewarding, yet dangerous, due to unusually high radiation levels in Old Kingdom tombs all over Egypt.

Geiger counters have detected radiation at two sites near the Giza pyramids, and radon, a radioactive gas, has been found in several underground tombs in Saqqara.

Interestingly, experts believe that the builders of these ancient tombs were aware of the toxins, as some eerie warnings were carved into the walls of many tombs.

One inscription ominously declared, “They that break this tomb shall meet their end by a malady that no doctor can diagnose”.

Other ominous phrases like forbidden due to evil spirits only added to the fear that supernatural curses haunted these ancient sites.

Ominous signs have stunned archaeologists since forever, but the fear grew even stronger a century ago with the mysterious passing of Lord Carnarvon, who funded King Tut’s excavation in 1922, and reportedly explored the treasure-filled rooms along with several others who entered the tomb.

Arthur Weigall, another British Egyptologist who was present at the tomb’s opening and is credited with starting the curse myth, passed away young when he was just in his 50s in 1934.

Chances are the condition that made him pass was connected to radiation.

In total, six out of the 26 people who were there when the tomb was opened met their end within a decade from various causes.

Not only x-ray exposure.

Those reasons include asphyxia, stroke, heart failure, pneumonia, and even poisoning.

Well, isn’t this getting a little grim? There was one guy who opened the tomb and somehow managed to avoid the infamous curse, Howard Carter, or so it seemed.

Some folks pointed to his survival as proof that the curse wasn’t real.

After digging up the tomb, Carter published several books on the topic and shifted gears from archaeology to dealing in antiquities for various museums.

Despite dodging demise or injury, rumors swirled about how the curse may have impacted him in other ways.

One of the big stories linked him to Lord Carnarvon’s daughter, Evelyn.

Some said he was madly in love with her, but she married someone else, so he chose to stay single.

Others claimed they had an affair while she was in Egypt, which ended when her father passed away and she left the country for good.

However, there wasn’t much evidence to support these stories.

Evelyn was just six when they met, and they remained friends until his last breath.

She was even one of the few attendees at his funeral, but denied any romantic involvement, saying they weren’t that close.

A year after the revolutionary discovery near King Tut’s tomb, Evelyn married politician Sir Brograve Beauchamp and had a daughter.

That same year, Beauchamp toured the tomb with his parents, guided by Carter himself.

Carter never married, and aside from those posthumous rumors about Evelyn, had no other romantic connections.

While the curse adds an intriguing twist to his life story, his tendency to keep relationships at arms length was evident long before the tomb was opened.

It seemed Carter just wasn’t a people person.

In 1939, after battling a serious illness, he ultimately succumbed to fate.

He was 64, which was a pretty common life expectancy in the UK back then.

So, no one really thought it was off and linked it to an ancient curse.

When he passed, it turned out he had several artifacts from Tutankhamun’s tomb in his London apartment, which were eventually sent back to Egypt, marking what some viewed as the curse’s end.

Who knows? Maybe if he hadn’t had all those ancient souvenirs at his place, he would have lived way longer.

But, all the other demises might seem off.

The curse theory was likely fueled by some strange events during the excavation.

Carnarvon got a mosquito bite that became severely infected, and around the time they opened the tomb, Cairo experienced a bizarre power outage and a freak sandstorm.

Back in England, the Earl’s dog, Susie, managed to escape from Carnarvon’s house and began barking frantically at seemingly nothing.

At least, that’s what the staff and family saw.

Strangely enough, at the very moment her owner’s heart stopped, Susie started howling and fell down without showing any signs of life.

Maybe radiation didn’t play a crucial role after all, and those were indeed ancient artifacts from King Tut’s tomb that made them all perish.

Spooky, huh? >> In November 1922, a boy walked through the desert mountains of Egypt and discovered some ancient steps carved into the rock.

Subsequently, this find became one of the world’s largest and most significant archaeological discoveries.

This step was part of Tutankhamun’s untouched tomb.

Archaeologists found about 5,000 ancient objects, including jewelry, fabrics, painted vases, and funeral masks.

You’ve probably seen one of them.

It has become one of the most recognizable attributes of ancient Egypt.

More than a hundred years have passed since then, and now humanity has finally become close to another large-scale discovery, the tomb of Cleopatra.

This queen was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, who sat on the throne from 51 to 30 BCE.

There are many ancient records about Cleopatra, her reign, and her unusual personality.

But until now, no one has discovered the secrets about her passing away and the burial place.

So, one archaeologist, Dr. Kathleen Martinez, has been studying ancient records and temples around Alexandria for decades and concluded that the tomb of the queen should be located under the ancient city of Taposiris Magna, founded in 280 BCE.

It was a big city on the northern coast of Egypt, where tens of thousands of people were engaged in trade and industry.

And it seems that Dr. Martinez’s guesses turned out to be correct.

>> >> She and a group of archaeologists have discovered a secret underground tunnel near Alexandria, with a length of about 0.

8 miles.

It was cut into the rock under Taposiris Magna’s temple.

During further excavations, they found many things that indicate Cleopatra’s tomb lies in the tunnel’s depths.

It’s also possible that she is buried there together with the Roman commander, Mark Antony.

According to ancient records, Cleopatra and Mark Antony loved each other and together opposed the Roman Senate, which declared Antony a traitor.

The fact that natural disasters have occurred on the territory of Taposiris Magna for thousands of years can complicate the excavations.

Earthquakes and floods destroyed the city and possibly flooded its underground tunnels.

But archaeologists hope the ancient tomb remains untouched and that it hides many treasures and records about the royal life of ancient Egypt during the reign of the last dynasty.

There’s a chance that excavations will go underwater and in the mud.

This will require much time and funding, but archaeologists are sure it’s worth it.

Anyway, it’s too early to say that Cleopatra is really buried there, but scientists have found many things in the tunnel that confirm this, including clay pots, dozens of coins with the image of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, as well as a bust with the image of the Egyptian queen.

Cleopatra is still one of the most popular personalities in Egypt on an equal footing with Ramesses III and Tutankhamun.

She inspired many films, paintings, and books.

But what made her so popular? She became famous for her inconsistency.

She was a beautiful, intelligent ruler who pulled Egypt out of the crisis and made it a prosperous power.

Medieval Arabic texts say she knew chemistry, mathematics, and philosophy, and may have written several scientific books.

She knew several languages and had excellent diplomatic skills.

At the same time, there are many legends that she was a femme fatale who drove many men crazy.

However, there’s no evidence that her beauty was incomparable.

The image of a stunning model was created by Hollywood when it made several films where famous actresses performed the role of Cleopatra.

And the Roman Emperor Octavian, >> >> the adopted son of Julius Caesar, specially created the image of Cleopatra as an insidious seductress because he was her enemy.

Even though she was born in Egypt, Cleopatra wasn’t an Egyptian.

Her ancestors were Greeks, among whom was one of the generals of Alexander the Great.

However, the people of Egypt loved her.

She learned the language and was very sensitive to the traditions of this country.

She knew the history, mentality, and customs of ancient Egypt well.

She raised the level of its economy and strengthened its status as a world power.

Much of this was made possible thanks to her cunning and impressiveness.

She loved theatrical performances and lavish celebrations.

She knew how to surprise people and put on a show.

But behind the exterior image of a luxury lover was an intelligent and calculating ruler.

Ancient Egypt was a rich, luxurious country, and Cleopatra did everything to increase its wealth and strengthen its position in the international arena.

For example, she was once in conflict with her brother Ptolemy the 13th.

The queen knew that she wouldn’t be able to resist him, so she decided to attract Julius Caesar to their side.

The Roman emperor arrived in Alexandria, where Cleopatra wanted to meet him, but Ptolemy knew about her plans and was about to prevent her from coming to Caesar.

Then, instead of a rich and noisy arrival, Cleopatra decided to make her visit inconspicuous.

She wrapped herself in a carpet or linen bag the emperor’s servants carried into Caesar’s private chambers.

Cleopatra emerged from the carpet and impressed the Roman emperor with her beauty and determination.

As a result, they fell in love with each other and became close allies.

After some time, she impressed another influential Roman for diplomatic purposes.

She arrived to meet Mark Antony on a golden barge with purple sails and silver oars.

Cleopatra was dressed in the image of Aphrodite and sat under a magnificent canopy.

Her servants dressed like cupids and were blowing her fan and burning incense, but Cleopatra created such a show for a reason.

She knew that Antony revered Greek mythology and considered himself the embodiment of Dionysus.

As a result, he was so impressed with this woman that he ended up marrying her.

Cleopatra defended her crown, >> >> strengthened her alliance with Rome, and bore Anthony three children.

In Egypt, >> >> they threw big parties and enjoyed wealth with power.

However, the relationship of a high-ranking official with the Egyptian queen caused a scandal in Rome.

Octavian was Anthony’s primary opponent in the struggle for power, so he exploited the situation to darken the competitor’s reputation.

He used propaganda to make Cleopatra an insidious seductress in the eyes of Roman citizens.

He accused Anthony of succumbing to her charms.

The Roman Senate supported Octavian and declared Cleopatra an enemy.

In 33 BCE, this conflict reached a high point when Anthony’s navy clashed with Octavian’s fleet.

The latter won and forced his enemy to flee to Egypt with Cleopatra.

According to some records, they took refuge near Alexandria.

Pursued by the Romans, they hid in one of Cleopatra’s palaces and met their end.

Some legends say that Cleopatra was an expert in poisons.

She provoked a venomous snake, a viper or an Egyptian cobra, to bite her.

Also, according to another legend, she pricked herself with a poisonous needle.

There’s a theory that Cleopatra always carried an ampule with poison inside her hairbrush.

And when she was cornered, she soaked the needle with this poison and pricked herself.

None of this can be said for sure.

Scientists are still trying to find out the truth.

Perhaps when they reach Cleopatra’s tomb, the world will get more answers about her tragic fate.

She is considered the last ruler of Egypt.

After her passing, Octavian plundered her palaces and temples and returned to Rome, where he became the main emperor.

He successfully ruled the country and expanded its borders.

His reign ended when he turned 75.

World history would have looked different if Cleopatra and Mark Anthony hadn’t lost that naval battle.

By the way, did you know that more time has passed between Cleopatra’s reign and Neil Armstrong’s flight to the moon than between the reign of the Egyptian queen and the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza? Armstrong took a step on the Earth’s satellite in 1969, 2038 years after the birth of Cleopatra.

And the construction of the pyramid took place in 2560 BCE.

Imagine how long the history of ancient Egypt is.

Cleopatra is closer to us in time than to the pyramids.

>> For more than 3,000 years, the gold mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun stayed hidden in the Valley of the Kings.

This artifact, which stands about 21 in tall, shows how skilled and artistic the ancient Egyptians were.

But nobody expected that x-rays would reveal its biggest secret.

King Tut was the last ruler of his family during the 18th dynasty.

>> >> He took the throne at just 9 years old, but ruled for only 10 years before he passed away unexpectedly.

If we’re being honest, back in ancient Egypt, he was mostly forgotten by the rulers who came after him.

His tomb wasn’t a big deal for them.

So much so that even the grave robbers forgot about him.

>> >> It might sound a bit sad, but the truth is that it was actually great news for us.

Since his tomb was practically forgotten, it ended up being perfectly preserved.

While the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings were looted, his remained sealed and untouched.

So, when it was discovered back in 1922, it had over 5,000 precious objects inside.

That made Tutankhamun basically an instant celebrity and one of the best-known pharaohs nowadays.

Among the treasures was the most stunning piece, his golden mask.

This mask is said to be an exact image of the king’s face, or at least it was supposed to be, but we’ll get to that later.

The purpose of this accurate representation of his face was to make sure that his soul would recognize him in the afterlife and return to his mummified body.

In ancient Egyptian beliefs, this would allow him to continue living in the afterlife.

The details of the mask clearly looked incredibly difficult to create, but people didn’t realize how complex it truly was until many years later.

The first x-rays of the mask were taken in 1967.

Back then, the main reason for these scans was practical, conservation.

The mask was heading to Paris for an exhibition, and it was the first time it had ever left Paris.

This would help them keep track of any changes during the exhibit.

Plus, the images could give clues about how the mask was made, but back then, they probably didn’t fully realize just how complex its construction was.

I mean, Egyptian goldsmiths didn’t use modern soldering techniques.

So, how did they make this mask? New x-rays taken in 2007 gave us some answers.

It turned out the Egyptians didn’t use pure gold, which is 24 karats.

The mask was actually made of 23 karat gold, meaning it was mixed with another material.

So, specialists discovered that the gold sheets contain a small amount of copper, a reddish-brown metal.

This was likely done to make the material more flexible and easier to shape.

They would then shape the gold sheets by heating and hammering them over and over again.

But, there was one more secret inside the mask that wasn’t discovered until 2015.

The year before, the staff at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum were working on the mask display when the long beard of the mask >> >> accidentally got knocked off.

Another theory is that the beard had become loose over time and just fell off.

Either way, the fact that King Tut’s beard came off caused a lot of stress.

After all, we’re talking about one of Cairo’s biggest tourist attractions.

So, the experts had to fix the problem quickly.

The restoration process started with a detailed recording of the mask’s condition.

To do this, they had to take a full three-dimensional scan of the artifact.

And by accident, they found something very interesting in the mask.

Inside the royal beard, there is a gold tube, an intriguing structure that the Egyptians likely used to attach the beard to the rest of the mask.

And that proved once again that the process of making this mask was even more complex than experts thought.

But the mysteries don’t stop there.

Remember how we mentioned that the mask was thought to perfectly represent King Tutankhamun’s face? Well, that might not be entirely true.

Some popular theories suggest the mask was never meant for him and was actually made for someone else.

A study published in 2015 suggested the mask was originally made for a female pharaoh, his supposed stepmother, the famous and beautiful Egyptian queen Nefertiti.

The biggest clue comes from an inscription on the mask.

At first glance, it seemed to belong to Tutankhamun.

But after close examination, researchers noted that something else was actually written underneath King Tut’s name.

The real name stamp seems to have been altered, and originally, it had something written on it that translates to Queen Nefertiti.

There is another feature of King Tut’s golden mask that was overlooked for years, which adds even more mystery.

As we mentioned earlier, experts believe he wasn’t respected much by by pharaohs who came after him.

And one of the clues that made archaeologists think this is the pierced ears on the mask.

Some researchers believe that King Tutankhamun wouldn’t have worn earrings after he was a kid.

So, according to their theory, by the time he passed away at 18, he shouldn’t have been represented with pierced ears.

This could also support the idea that the mask originally belonged to Nefertiti or maybe to someone who wasn’t even connected to King Tut.

But the mask isn’t the only source of mystery.

In fact, his whole tomb is full of puzzles.

Recently, historians found a sign that the place where King Tut was supposed to be buried was changed at the last minute.

For years, experts wonder why a pharaoh who ruled for 9 years ended up in such a simple tomb.

When compared to the grandeur of other pharaohs’ tombs, his tomb seemed, well, a bit plain.

The idea that a king like Tutankhamun would have such an unremarkable resting place just doesn’t match up with the power and importance he must have had in ancient Egypt.

So, what happened? Well, apparently, this might have something to do with his successor, Pharaoh Ay.

After King Tutankhamun passed away, researchers believe that Ay made sure to erase him from Egypt’s history.

So, one theory suggests that he was probably behind the quick decision to place King Tut’s body in a smaller, less impressive tomb.

When experts looked at Ay’s own tomb, they found something interesting.

There is a large wall covered in painted baboons.

This is the same type of artwork found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

It seems like the same person might have chosen the artwork for both tombs.

Now, the design and decoration of the two tombs are almost identical, suggesting there was a shared hand behind both.

But there is one key difference.

Ay’s tomb is fit for a king.

It’s much bigger and more impressive, even though the style and artwork are similar to what you see in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

So, the theory suggests that Ay decided what went into both tombs.

Since Tut passed away unexpectedly at a young age, his grand tomb wasn’t finished in time.

Normally, pharaohs start building their tombs while they’re still alive to make sure everything is perfect.

But, Tut passed away when he was just 18, so there wasn’t enough time.

Ay may have taken advantage of the situation, ordering a smaller tomb for Tut and keeping a larger one for himself.

Experts believe this theory explains why Tutankhamun’s tomb is so simple and how Ay managed to wipe his memory from history so easily.

But, in the end, the story of King Tut’s mask and tomb is full of mystery and intrigue.

Each new discovery sheds more light on what really happened all those years ago.

>> >> But, one thing is for sure, the secrets of ancient Egypt still have much to reveal, and King Tutankhamun will continue to fascinate people for years to come.

>> We all know some iconic symbols.

The Statue of Liberty screams USA.

The Eiffel Tower represents Paris.

And this mask? >> >> Undoubtedly, it’s Tutankhamun’s, right? Sometimes it feels like historians have squeezed every last drop out of the King Tut story.

But, guess what? The most obvious details often slip right under our noses.

Like the fact that this famous mask didn’t actually belong to him.

Nor was it ever meant for him.

Stick with me for the details.

Can we get a close-up of that mask? Thanks.

See those holes? Yep, they’re for earrings.

And no, it’s not that they had anything against jewelry, but back in ancient Egypt, earrings were typically worn by high-status women or kids.

Now, if you know your history, you might say, “But Tut was a boy king, wasn’t he?” You’re spot-on.

He began his reign at just 9 years old.

Sadly, that didn’t last long as he passed away at a very young age.

So, when he was 9, he might have worn earrings, but he probably took them off when he hit that no earrings age.

Sounds reasonable, right? Actually, not quite.

That would have been pretty strange since nobody expected him to pass away young, certainly not at 9.

So, no one was preparing a kid’s mask for a burial.

It’s this untimely demise that suggests that the mask used was simply the best option available when Tut passed away.

There are more clues pointing to the idea that the mask was found in a hurry.

Let’s think about this.

Even though Tut was mummified and his body could wait a bit, his loved ones wanted him to reach the afterlife ASAP.

Some experts even believe the paint in the tomb was still wet when it was sealed.

But look at his mask.

It’s a masterpiece.

There’s no way it was made in a rush.

It’s way more elaborate than other simpler cartonnage pieces.

The renowned mask of King Tut stands 21 in tall, adorned with precious stones, and features a golden beard that weighs 5.

5 lb, making the entire mask 22.

5 lb.

Okay, I’m a bit confused here.

So, it seems like it was probably a kid’s mask, but it had a beard.

I’ve never seen a 9-year-old with a goatee, and I’m guessing you haven’t either.

Just think about it.

A grown man’s face compared to a kid’s face.

Fun fact for you.

Our face is pretty much stopped growing at the age of 16.

So, by 19, Tut would have definitely had the face of an adult man.

Can you imagine trying to fit a relatively small kid’s mask on a grown man? That would have been super embarrassing, and no one would have let that happen.

Right, let’s dismiss the kids theory.

Now, the second option, if you remember, is that the mask could have originally belonged to a woman.

This is where the beard theory comes into play.

Some researchers believe the beard might have been added later on.

Here’s another twist.

What if the mask was actually made for Nefertiti herself, who ended up maskless? In this case, there are two discoveries.

Ahem, two birds with one stone.

For now, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, I know, but let’s give it a shot and delve deeper into the details.

So, Tut passed away in around 1323 BCE, probably due to malaria.

He had other health issues, too, like when he broke his leg, and records suggest he wasn’t in the best shape.

As for Nefertiti, we have no solid data about her demise.

Plus, nobody knows exactly when or where she was buried.

The supposed year when she passed away is around 1330 BCE, but she could have lived longer, and the mask was intended and prepared for her.

Or, maybe they just took her mask right from the burial chamber.

After all, they were family.

Well, sort of.

She was said to be his stepmom, having been married to Akhenaten, who was likely Tut’s father, but this is not 100% accurate.

Some scientists doubt it.

Ah, these ancient Egyptian families.

It’s hard to keep track of who’s who.

I know, you’re not yet convinced that Tut wore a lady’s mask.

Let me share one more theory with you.

Meet Howard Carter, the enthusiastic archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb.

It was located in the Valley of Kings outside Luxor and to everyone’s surprise was nearly intact.

When he entered, >> >> he noticed something odd.

This didn’t feel like a pharaoh’s burial chamber.

It was classy and all, but it had a vibe that suggested it was made for a woman.

Typically, Egyptian pharaohs had larger tombs that suited them better and >> >> even more strangely, it was oriented to the right of the entrance.

This didn’t add up.

That orientation was typical for female chambers which Egyptian queens used.

Another red flag was that the chamber appeared to have been built in stages and all the artifacts, around 2,000 of them, seemed hastily placed there.

Even more curious, they looked like they were meant for other royals.

Carter discovered this burial site in 1922, but it remained a mystery as to why it was so bizarre.

Almost a century later, Nicholas Reeves thought he may have solved the puzzle.

He claimed that King Tut might not have been the original resident of the tomb.

Instead, he suggested that the undisturbed resting place of the legendary Queen Nefertiti could be hidden behind the walls of the boy king’s burial chamber.

Nicholas studied high-resolution photos for months, meticulously examining every pixel.

One day, he focused on detailed scans that revealed the texture of the tomb’s walls beneath layers of paint.

He spotted what he believed to be outlines of two doorways that have been blocked and plastered over to hide them from view.

The more he looked, the more it seemed real.

Could it be a tomb within a tomb? Nicholas theorized there was a hidden storeroom behind the western wall of King Tut’s tomb and his chamber might just be the outermost section of a larger corridor-style network of rooms.

It all sounds fancy, but sorry to break it to you.

Reeves’ theory was debunked.

To find out if he was on to something, experts had to use ground-penetrating radar to see the unseen.

Reeves’ idea was that if there were gaps, it could indicate the presence of additional rooms.

And at first, in 2015, one expert even thought he had found a hidden room.

But the glory didn’t last for long.

A year later, after double-checking, it turned out there were no hidden doorways.

By the way, Nefertiti isn’t the only legendary woman from Egypt whose burial site remains a captivating mystery.

There’s a cool legend about Cleopatra that you might enjoy.

It’s said that she once declared, “No man will ever find my tomb”.

Kind of fitting, right? After all, the person who’s come closest to uncovering her final resting place is a woman.

Fast forward a few millennia after she passed away, and while no man has located it, archaeologist Kathleen Martinez believes she might have cracked the code.

She’s been on the quest for Cleopatra the VII’s tomb for nearly 20 years, and recently discovered a bust that she thinks represents the famous queen.

However, not everyone is on board with her claim.

Some experts argue that the bust doesn’t resemble Cleopatra at all.

Alongside this intriguing marble statuette, Martinez’s team also unearthed 337 coins, some of which, less controversially, feature Cleopatra’s likeness.

But the real part is that it’s still not officially confirmed.

There’s no doubt about the existence of the small bust.

>> >> It’s carved from white marble, fits in one hand, and shows a woman wearing a royal crown, according to a translated statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The big question though is who it actually depicts.

While Martinez insists this statue is a representation of Queen Cleopatra VII, many other archaeologists argue that the facial features don’t match.

Suggesting it likely belongs to a princess instead.

Sorry, I can’t resist the temptation of breaking the magic for a moment.

Some folks believe that the whole idea of no man will find my tomb is misunderstood.

Even if she did say it, what she probably meant was no living soul, and it wasn’t about gender at all.

It can as well be just a beautiful legend.

Toodaloo.

Not many civilizations are as mysterious as ancient Egypt.

A powerful empire that lasted over 3,000 years.

It gave us pyramids that still stand and myths that still inspire.

It’s one of the most explored places on Earth, yet somehow we still find exciting stuff.

In Abydos, archaeologists just uncovered a 3,600-year-old royal tomb.

It’s huge.

It has golden hieroglyphs of deities covering the entrance, but the pharaoh’s name, it’s not there.

It’s missing.

Who was this ruler? And what new chapter could this open in Egypt’s story? If there’s one place in Egypt where the line between life and demise feels thinner, it’s Abydos.

To the ancient Egyptians, this was sacred ground.

They believed it was the burial place of Osiris, the god who literally passed away, had his remains separated, and came back to life to rule the underworld.

Because of that, Abydos became Egypt’s spiritual gathering place.

Pharaohs built amazing temples here, like the temple of Seti, famous for its king’s list, a wall that has the names of 76 pharaohs carved in it.

Pilgrims came from across Egypt, leaving offerings and participating in Osiris festivals, where his demise and rebirth were ritually reenacted.

It wasn’t just symbolic worship, it was Egypt’s version of Comic-Con.

But instead of cos playing superheroes, people reenacted gods coming back to life.

Obviously, pharaohs competed to be buried as close to Osiris as possible.

Abydos became part cemetery, part holy city, part afterlife insurance policy.

Fast forward thousands of years and we still uncover remarkable stuff around Abydos.

That’s the case with the recently discovered tomb.

In early 2025, a joint team of researchers from the US and Egypt decided to dig beneath a rocky rise ominously called Anubis Mountain.

You remember Anubis, the jackal-headed deity who guarded cemeteries.

The uncovered royal burial was hidden 23 ft below the surface.

Sadly, even though it alluded archaeologists for so long, robbers had already taken away with treasures ages ago.

They could definitely tell this was a tomb of someone super important.

Similar to how you can walk around a mansion with no furniture, but still deduce that someone rich must have lived there.

The chamber had mud-brick vaults rising over 16 ft.

That’s taller than a female giraffe standing upright.

For something built 36 centuries ago, it still felt enormous.

However, when you remember that Egyptians were masters of architecture, nothing seems surprising.

So, no treasures, no golden mask, and sadly, no name.

The cartouche that should have spelled the king’s identity was unreadable.

Egyptian tombs usually bragged about who was inside.

In ancient Egypt, a cartouche was basically a big oval name tag for kings wrapped in hieroglyphs.

Think of them as VIP passes that worked in both this life and the next.

Without it, your soul couldn’t check into the afterlife hotel.

That’s because to the Egyptians, your name, your ren, wasn’t just so your teacher could distinguish you from kids with the same haircut.

It was a core part of who you were.

As long as your ren survived, so did you.

To have your name forgotten was considered a fate worse than passing away.

A soul cannot journey without a name.

That’s why you’d see cartouches all over the place, on temples, obelisks, jewelry, statues, and tomb walls.

It wasn’t there just [snorts] for the marketing.

It kept the pharaoh’s presence front and center everywhere you looked.

Imagine building a massive tomb only for 3,600 years later to walk in and go, uh, who was this guy again? Not cool at all.

>> >> That’s why it’s fair to imagine our nameless pharaoh haunting the robbers for all eternity.

So, yeah, cartouche was considered very significant.

One of the most famous and mind-blowing examples comes from the tomb of Thutmose III.

His burial chamber and sarcophagus were literally shaped like a cartouche.

In other words, the entire room was a living architectural symbol of his name.

Thankfully, in the recently discovered tomb, not everything was erased.

>> >> Painted in golden hues at the entrance were two familiar guardians, deities Isis and Nephthys.

Isis was the magician who stitched Osiris back together and breathed life into him.

Nephthys, her sister, was the eternal mourner and protector of the mummy.

Together, they promised that whoever rested here would not face the afterlife alone.

And it’s one additional proof of the importance of the mysterious pharaoh.

So, who could this be? To answer that, we need to go down history lane.

This tomb dates back to Egypt’s messy chapter called the Second Intermediate Period.

Instead of one ruler in charge, the country had many rival kingdoms, each with its own little power base, like a real-life Egyptian version of Game of Thrones.

And right in the middle of that chaos was Abydos.

For a while, it was home to its own line of kings, the so-called Abydos Dynasty.

Those weren’t the pyramid builders everyone knows, and that’s why they’re so mysterious.

They left behind almost nothing.

>> >> No great monuments, no sprawling cities, just fragments of names on broken blocks.

For centuries, many scholars even doubted they existed at all.

That sort of changed in 2014 when archaeologists uncovered the tomb of Senebkay, one of those shadowy kings.

Now, everything we know about Senebkay points to him having quite a story to tell.

His bones revealed 18 deep wounds, the kind you get in battle.

He had blows to his skull, back, and hands, and likely lost his life fighting, making him one of the few pharaohs we know who sadly fell in combat.

His tomb was modest with reused artifacts from earlier kings, but it delivered one priceless thing, >> >> proof.

Until Senebkay, the Abydos Dynasty was just a theory.

With him, it became real.

And that’s why the new discovery could be a big deal.

The newly uncovered royal tomb at Abydos >> >> shares the same layout and style as Senebkay’s.

It has limestone chambers, mud-brick vaults, and protective deities, although it’s much bigger.

Which again raises the possibility that we’re looking at an even earlier, more powerful ruler of Abydos.

Whoever he was, he wanted to be remembered alongside the greats.

>> >> Which is ironic cuz it seems that history tried erasing him.

Perhaps additional findings alongside his tomb could tell us more.

Yes, there’s more and it’s actually pretty cool.

Not far from Abydos in the village of Banawit, archaeologists uncovered a Roman era pottery workshop.

Yeah, you heard that right.

A pottery factory close to a pharaoh’s burial ground.

The site had huge clay kilns, storage rooms, and even broken shards called ostraca.

They were basically ancient sticky notes.

Except instead of shopping lists, those had receipts scratched onto them in Greek and Demotic Egyptian.

Little records of everyday transactions.

The kind of thing you’d never expect to find near a lost dynasty king.

Honestly, the potters missed a chance.

Forget boring receipts, they should have been selling Osiris’s mugs and Anubis figurines to pilgrims and tourists.

But that’s not all.

It seems that centuries later during the medieval period, the same ground became a cemetery.

Archaeologists found mud-brick graves with skeletal remains.

This could mean that Abydos kept its aura of significance for hundreds of years after the age of pharaohs.

So why this hill again and again? Is this place really a getaway to the afterlife? It is after all the very place where Osiris is said to rest.

That belief lingered like a shadow for thousands of years, strong enough to pull in pharaohs and later medieval families.

Different rituals, same sacred ground.

Although to be fair, the Romans weren’t here for Osiris.

They came to make pots.

The story of Abydos is not over.

The excavations will continue and who knows what else could be discovered in the future.

Today, archaeologists are armed with tools that are basically x-ray glasses for the desert.

Every scan could reveal a hidden chamber or, if we’re lucky, finally give our nameless pharaoh his ren back to him.

In fact, I became strangely invested in finding out who he was.

So, let’s hope for some news soon.

It’s only a matter of time.

Do you have your own theories? Let me know.

>> Miles and miles of yellow sand, treeless mountain ridges, and scorching hot sun over your head.

And suddenly, something you never expect to come across in a barren desert.

A small group of overexcited people.

They’re as happy as you would be if you had won a lottery.

They’ve just found an ancient tomb, once flooded with its walls in bad shape.

But the stuff they discovered inside proves that this is the burial site of one of Egypt’s most mysterious pharaohs.

Historians have been hunting for his tomb for years, but no one expected it to hide ancient treasures.

Fast forward.

After careful examination of the site, Egyptian officials have announced the discovery of the tomb of King Thutmose II.

It’s the last missing tomb from Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.

And this is also the first royal tomb found since King Tutankhamun’s was discovered in 1922 in more than 100 years.

>> >> A team of Egyptian and British archaeologists found the tomb in the Theban Mountains area, west of Luxor, near the famous Valley of the Kings.

Before this, the site was only known as tomb C4.

But during their excavation, the team found clear evidence proving it belonged to King Thutmose II.

Archaeologists actually found the entrance and main tunnel leading to the tomb in 2022.

But at first, they thought it belonged to a queen because it was near the graves of Thutmose the Third’s wives.

It was also close to Queen Hatshepsut’s tomb.

Originally, it was prepared for her when she was just a royal wife, but everything changed when she became pharaoh.

But, we’ll talk about this twist of fate a little later.

But soon, they realized that their discovery was much more significant.

They found alabaster jars with Thutmose the Second’s name and the words deceased king written on them.

That’s when they realized that the tomb was actually his final resting place.

Sadly, Thutmose the Second’s tomb has seen better days.

According to the head of Egypt’s Antiquities Sector and the leader of the Egyptian Excavation Team, the tomb suffered major damage from ancient floods not long after the pharaoh’s death.

Water swept through the burial chamber, likely destroying or displacing many of the original artifacts.

Much of what had been once inside the tomb was moved elsewhere in an attempt to salvage it.

The researchers found out that the tomb had a basic design with an entrance, a sloping main corridor, and a burial chamber.

The corridor was coated in white plaster and rose about 4 and 1/2 ft above the floor of the burial chamber.

A large staircase and a very large descending corridor of the tomb indicated its grandeur.

It took the team a long time to navigate through though, as the tomb was blocked by flood debris and collapsed ceilings.

Only after crawling through a 32-ft passageway with a small 16-in gap at the top, the worst nightmare for those of us with claustrophobia, were they able to reach the burial chamber.

There, they were in for another surprise.

They cleared the debris >> >> expecting to find the crushed remains of a burial beneath, but the tomb turned out to be completely empty.

And it was not due to robbery.

It had been deliberately empty.

The researchers soon realized that the tomb had been flooded since it had been built underneath a waterfall.

It happened just a few years after the king’s burial.

So, the contents of the tomb were moved to another location.

That’s why there was a second corridor in the tomb.

It was most likely made to help remove King Thutmose II’s body from his flooded tomb.

Despite the damage, the excavation team made some really exciting discoveries.

They found traces of mortar decorated with blue inscriptions, yellow stars, and fragments from the Book of Amduat, one of the most significant funerary texts in ancient Egypt.

The book was meant to guide the deceased through the underworld, ensuring a safe journey to the afterlife.

Now, how about we sneak a peek at ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty? It was all about conquering lands, expanding the empire, and building jaw-dropping monuments.

Some of the biggest names from that era, Thutmose I and Thutmose III, both legendary warrior kings who left their mark in history.

Thutmose I was a fierce fighter who led major military campaigns, pushing Egypt’s border further south than ever before, all the way to the fourth cataract of the Nile.

His victories gave Egypt access to new trade routes, >> >> stronger political ties, and more wealth.

His conquests were so significant that they were recorded in the tombs of his top officials.

Thutmose III, sometimes called Thutmose the Great, took things even further.

He was not only an incredible military strategist, but also the commander of Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s armies before becoming king himself.

He led between 17 and 20 military campaigns, winning every single one, and expanding Egypt’s empire to its peak.

He even created the world’s first navy.

Thutmose the third is often remembered as Egypt’s greatest warrior pharaoh.

And sandwiched between these two powerhouses was Thutmose the second, a pharaoh who doesn’t get nearly as much attention.

Hey, the middle child, right? His reign lasted only about 5 years before he passed away at around age 30 in 1479 BCE.

He is kind of a mystery.

No one really knows what he accomplished.

For the longest time, even the location of his burial site was totally unknown.

His body was actually found in the 19th century.

It was just lying around in the mortuary temple of Deir el-Bahari in a secret chamber where priests used to hide royal mummies centuries after their original tombs were looted by grave robbers.

In other words, Thutmose the second’s body must have been moved from his original resting place at some point in history to protect it.

During his lifetime, Thutmose the second made at least one major impact on Egyptian history.

He married his half-sister Hatshepsut.

That might not sound like a big deal, but it helped her become Egypt’s greatest female pharaoh after he passed.

The catch? She kept her stepson, Thutmose the third, off the throne for decades.

When he finally took power, he erased her name from history out of spite.

And still, Hatshepsut is one of Egypt’s greatest pharaoh, no matter if you’re talking about a man or a woman.

She brought a lot of wealth and art to Egypt.

She led a big trading trip to a place called Punt where she brought back things like gold, ebony, and incense.

She also made sure her name lasted by building amazing structures that we can still see today.

At Karnak, she added huge obelisks.

One of them is still standing tall.

She also was the one to build the temple of Deir el-Bahari with its countless columns.

She was buried there.

Interestingly, Hatshepsut was often shown in art as a man with muscles and a beard, like how pharaohs were usually depicted.

But, she made sure there was always something in the artwork that reminded people she was a woman, like calling herself daughter of Ra or his majesty herself.

When she passed away in 1458 BCE, Egypt wouldn’t have a female ruler as powerful as her until Cleopatra, about 1,400 years later.

According to Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Secretary General, isn’t that a mouthful? >> >> Hatshepsut’s name actually appears in Thutmose II’s tomb, meaning she might have even handled his burial.

As for their final resting places, well, Hatshepsut was buried in the Valley of the Kings, and Thutmose II’s mummy is now in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization alongside other ancient Egyptian rulers.

It gives visitors a rare chance to see the remains of a nearly forgotten pharaoh.

Now, experts consider the discovery of his tomb to be one of the most significant in recent years.

The artifacts found there add important details to our understanding of the history of the region and Thutmose II’s rule.

And even though the tomb’s design is fairly simple and follows the same architectural style preferred by later Egyptian rulers, its historical importance is undeniable.

In any case, the mission isn’t over yet.

Archaeologists are now focusing on solving another mystery.

Where did the rest of the tomb’s contents end up? The team is determined to continue their search.

Who knows what other secrets they will uncover that have remained hidden beneath the sands for thousands of years.

You’re digging in Egypt’s famous Saqqara Necropolis, also known as the ultimate VIP graveyard for pharaohs, when suddenly you find a giant pink door hiding something no one knew existed.

Behind this giant stone door, one that wasn’t supposed to open by the way, you find a lost tomb of Egyptian royalty.

All right, history lovers, it’s time to buckle up because archaeologists just pulled off something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

Let’s travel all the way to Saqqara, one of Egypt’s most mysterious and treasure-packed ancient sites.

The star of the show? The prince you’ve probably never heard of, Prince Userkaf, son of King Userkaf.

Uh, no one important, just, you know, the founder of Egypt’s fifth dynasty.

No big deal.

But the way his tomb was discovered it all started with a massive door made of pink granite, no less.

But this isn’t just a regular stone slab.

This thing is about 14 to 15 ft tall and 4 ft wide.

A giraffe could easily walk through it.

This door is also definitely heavier than your neighbor’s SUV.

But here’s the twist.

It wasn’t a real door.

It was a false door, a symbolic gateway meant to allow the spirit of the deceased to pass between the world of the living and the afterlife.

Normally, that’s where the story ends.

After all, false doors are common in tombs.

But this one was extra special.

You see, false doors were usually made out of limestone, which was pretty common and found everywhere in Egypt.

To build one out of red or pink granite, people had to bring these rocks from a quarry located 400 mi away, and you can bet this wasn’t a cheap trip.

According to Egyptologists, this is the first time a false door of this size and material has ever been found in Egypt, making it a totally unique piece of architecture.

Aside from being super expensive, this one had a surprise behind it, too.

When the team of researchers investigated further, they realized that this false door actually hid a real entrance.

And what did it lead to? A hidden tomb packed with statues, relics, and secrets from over 4,000 years ago.

The tomb belongs to Prince Userkaf, but you can call him Userkaf or Userkaf, too.

>> >> Despite being totally erased from history, this fellow was no minor noble.

The hieroglyphs on the pink granite door listed him as the hereditary prince, governor of Buto and Nekheb, >> >> royal scribe, minister, judge, and priest of chants.

Phew.

He was like the ancient Egyptian version of Daenerys Targaryen.

These inscriptions not only identify his political and religious roles, but also suggest he held significant power in lower and upper Egypt, bridging both regions through his titles.

One title in particular, the priest of Seker, links him to the deity of the necropolis, the one with the falcon head.

This god was the patron of the living and god of the dead at the same time.

So, I guess the forgotten prince was sort of a big deal, considering that his tomb was placed in such a prestigious location within Saqqara.

What’s even more mysterious is that Prince Userkaf doesn’t appear in official king lists or royal family trees, which makes us wonder if he passed away before he could rule, or if his legacy was deliberately erased in one of ancient Egypt’s classic political dramas.

Some scholars now believe his erasure might be connected with shifting religious or political power struggles during the early 5th Dynasty, especially as his father Userkaf was reshaping Egypt’s religious order.

And speaking of his father, King Userkaf was a total game-changer.

>> >> He wasn’t just the founder of the 5th Dynasty.

He also kicked off a religious revolution by promoting the sun god Ra over older deities.

That’s right.

Userkaf built the very first sun temple at Abusir, setting off a dynasty-wide obsession with solar worship.

After Userkaf wrapped up his short but revolutionary reign, a whole lineup of pharaohs took the stage.

Sahure, Neferirkare, Nyuserre Ini.

Basically, the boy band of the 5th Dynasty.

And these guys were all about two things: building pyramids and making money.

They weren’t just stacking stones, they were expanding Egypt’s influence.

Opening up trade routes to far-off lands and bling out their temples like it was nobody’s business.

Back in the tomb, things got even cooler.

There was a beautiful red granite offering table covered with inscriptions detailing ritual foods, like an eternal menu for the afterlife, because they believed the deceased could magically eat this food.

>> [sighs] >> Fun fact, it was the funerary priests and their families that actually ate the food.

There were also pottery shards, amulets, and painted walls, but the real showstoppers were the statues.

And this is exactly where things get weird, in a good way.

The team found statues of King Djoser, the guy who built Egypt’s first pyramid, his wife, and their 10 daughters inside Prince Userkaf’s tomb.

Hold up.

Djoser lived a few centuries before Userkaf.

So, what were his statues doing there? Turns out, scientists don’t really know.

These statues were built during the reign of King Djoser himself and probably belonged to that first ever built pyramid.

Experts believe these statues were probably relocated during the 26th Dynasty, thousands of years after Djoser, maybe to protect them from destruction or maybe because they were still venerated.

Basically, ancient Egyptians were hoarders, but classy ones.

Scientists also know for a fact that some engravings and statues found there were made way later, which means that this tomb probably turned into a deposit for fancy stuff.

Or maybe this was just really ancient interior decorating.

Anyway, that wasn’t all.

There was another pink granite entrance on the eastern side of the tomb with inscriptions linking back >> >> to King Neferirkare, another 5th Dynasty pharaoh who also tried to build his own pyramid, but failed.

And near this second entrance, archaeologists found something never seen before in Saqqara, a set of 13 pink granite statues, all sitting in a row on a high-backed bench like they were waiting at the DMV of the afterlife.

Some had elevated heads, probably representing the prince’s wives, while others were missing their heads entirely.

One black granite statue was found upside down.

Maybe it had taken a tumble sometime during the tomb’s long, quiet centuries underground.

According to archaeologists, the positioning and head shapes suggest that these statues followed a strict social hierarchy with the central figures likely representing higher status individuals, while the headless ones might indicate unfinished work or later vandalism.

And speaking of black granite statues, another one was found standing proudly inside the tomb.

Based on its design and inscriptions, it looks like it was placed there during the 26th Dynasty, the same time those Djoser statues were probably moved in.

This suggests the tomb didn’t just sit abandoned.

It was reused, adapted, and maybe even honored by later generations.

And by the way, black granite was associated with Osiris, the god of the underworld, during the late period, which means that this statue’s presence is a clue that the tomb was a ritual space long after the prince’s death.

All of this, giant granite doors, surprise statues, reused tombs, adds up to a truly thrilling find.

Prince Userkaf may not be a household name, yet, but his tomb is now one of the most fascinating ever found in Saqqara.

It tells a story not just of the Old Kingdom, but of how ancient Egyptians kept connecting to their past, even thousands of years later.

So, what does it all mean? Why hide a tomb behind a fake door? Why pack it with statues from different eras? And who exactly was Prince Userkaf? These are the kinds of mysteries that keep archaeologists digging, and keep the rest of us fascinated.

In the end, this discovery isn’t just about one tomb.

It’s about how much is still waiting beneath the sands of Egypt.

As more gets uncovered, we’re reminded again and again that ancient history isn’t gone.

It’s just sleeping behind massive pink granite doors.