The Coffin of Tuthmosis II

 

 The mummy of Tuthmosis II was unwrapped by Maspero on July 1st 1886, the body had been badly damaged by tomb robbers and it had to be pieced back together again.

The coffin was not the original coffin of Tuthmosis II, although dating from the 18th dynasty it did belong to a non-royal person (whose identity is unknown).

Like the coffin of Amenhotep I, the titles of the king are written in black paint on yellow bands which run down the centre and around the coffin.

   
Hieratic text on the restoration mummy cloth gives the date of Year 6 of Pinudjem  

 Length of body: 1.684 metres
   

 Length of coffin: 1.95 metres
 Who was Tuthmosis II?
His reign has been overshadowed by that of his wife and chief Queen - Hatshepsut. Because of this Tuthmosis has been assumed to have been a weak and sickly king, however military campaigns have been recorded in his reign.
The main building work by Tuthmosis II was at Karnak - the pylon IX was begun and half the doorway inscribtion completed (finished by his son Tuthmosis III). Two statues before pylon IX were of Tuthmosis II and several of the chambers were decoratedby him..
Before he died (between the age of 25 - 30) Tuthmosis II had named Tuthmosis III his heir.
The tomb Tuthmosis II
KV42 - Although generally identified with being the tomb of Tuthmosis II, there is still some doubt as to whether kv42 is actually the tomb of Tuthmosis II- The sarcophagus was found to be unfinished, empty and out of position in the tomb. Although some decoration had been started it had not received the proper Amduat burial text. Any objects found in the tomb had been washed in with rainwater flooding, no items belonging to Tuthmosis II have been found. Howard Carter himself ('Inspector General of the Monuments for Upper Egypt' at the time when the tomb was discovered in 1902) believed that the tomb was probably made for a favoured prince or queen from the reign of Tuthmosis III.