Why did Tutankhamun's tomb stay hidden until 1922?
TL;DR — Debris from later tomb building covered Tutankhamun’s tomb and its location was lost; the tomb itself was sealed, and floodwater, the Theban Mapping Project says, never filled it.
Tutankhamun’s tomb, KV62 in the Valley of the Kings, stayed hidden because later builders buried it. The Theban Mapping Project of the American Research Center in Egypt explains that “after the final restoration of the burial, perhaps under Horemheb, the location of the tomb was lost as the debris from subsequent tomb construction filled the floor of the center of the Valley.” The tomb was also small, and it may not have been dug for him at all.
Quick facts
- When
- Reign of about nine years, c. 1333–1324 BC by the 2010 JAMA study or c. 1336–1327 BC by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; tomb found in November 1922
- Where
- Tomb KV62, in the center of the Valley of the Kings, Thebes
- Who
- Tutankhamun, first named Tutankhaten; Queen Ankhnesamen; Ay; Horemheb
- Outcome
- Later tomb building buried the entrance and the tomb's location was forgotten, so it reached the twentieth century with about 5,000 objects inside
A minor king who changed his name
Tutankhamun did not begin his reign under that name. The Theban Mapping Project describes the right armrest of his throne, now in Cairo, as bearing “King’s original royal name ‘Tutankhaten’,” and its back as showing “Tutankhamen and one of his great wives (queens) Ankhnesamen in the presence of the god Aten.”
He ruled briefly. A 2010 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that “he died in the ninth year of his reign, circa 1324 BC, at age 19 years,” and dates his reign to about 1333–1324 BC. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities gives about 1336–1327 BC, also around nine years. The ministry calls it “one of history’s great ironies that Tutankhamun, a relatively minor king who was erased from history because he was related to the unpopular King Akhenaten, has come to surpass many of Egypt’s greatest rulers in fame.”
A tomb made for someone else
KV62 may not have been planned for a king. The Theban Mapping Project suggests that it “may have been constructed for an important official or member of the royal family, probably in the latter half of Dynasty 18,” and that when it “was taken over for the burial of Tutankhamen, still unfinished, a burial chamber with side chamber was cut into the right (north) end of the first chamber.”
The project offers a reason. “A tomb that was originally planned for him in the West Valley (KV 23 or KV 25) was not ready. It may have been decided to bury Tutankhamen in the main Valley in a tomb originally intended for Ay.”
Buried by later building, not by floods
The tomb’s position helped save it. It lay in the center of the Valley, where later work piled up. The Theban Mapping Project’s account of how the entrance disappeared names building debris, and it rules out water: “since KV 62 was sealed throughout its history, flood debris did not fill the tomb.”
When Howard Carter found the first step on November 4, 1922, it lay, in his own words, “beneath almost the first hut attacked.”
About 5,000 objects in a small tomb
The small size of the tomb shaped what Carter found. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says that “the small size of the tomb of Tutankhamun meant that the approximately 5000 artefacts that were discovered inside were stacked very tightly.” Carter catalogued them under numbers that, in the Griffith Institute’s list of his records, run from 1 to 620, many subdivided by letter. A king remembered as minor, buried in a borrowed tomb under other men’s rubble, is the one whose burial reached the modern world with about 5,000 objects still inside.
Key facts
- Tutankhamun’s throne bears his original name, Tutankhaten (Theban Mapping Project).
- He died in the ninth year of his reign at about 19; the 2010 JAMA study dates the reign c. 1333–1324 BC and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities c. 1336–1327 BC.
- KV62 may first have been built for an official or a member of the royal family; the tomb planned for Tutankhamun in the West Valley, KV23 or KV25, was not ready (Theban Mapping Project).
- The tomb’s location was lost under debris from later tomb construction; floodwater did not fill the sealed tomb (Theban Mapping Project).
- About 5,000 objects were stacked tightly in the small tomb (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities); Carter’s main object numbers run from 1 to 620 (Griffith Institute).
FAQ
Why was Tutankhamun's tomb not found earlier?
Its location was forgotten after debris from later tomb construction covered the floor of the center of the Valley of the Kings, according to the Theban Mapping Project. Carter found the first step on November 4, 1922, "beneath almost the first hut attacked," in his words.
Was Tutankhamun's tomb built for him?
Probably not originally. The Theban Mapping Project suggests KV62 was begun for an official or a member of the royal family and adapted for Tutankhamun when the tomb planned for him in the West Valley was not ready; it may have been meant for Ay.
Did floods bury Tutankhamun's tomb?
No. The Theban Mapping Project states that "since KV 62 was sealed throughout its history, flood debris did not fill the tomb." The entrance was buried by debris from later building work.
What was Tutankhamun's original name?
Tutankhaten. The name appears on the armrest of his throne, according to the Theban Mapping Project.
How many objects were in Tutankhamun's tomb?
About 5,000, according to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, packed tightly because the tomb was small.
Sources
- American Research Center in Egypt, Theban Mapping Project, "KV 62: Tutankhamen"
- Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, "Tomb of Tutankhamun"
- Z. Hawass et al., "Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family," JAMA 303 (2010), PubMed record
- Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, Howard Carter's journal, first season (transcript)
- Griffith Institute, University of Oxford, "Carter Archives: Main Object List"
Cite this article
- APA
- Song Letter. (2026, October 11). Why did Tutankhamun's tomb stay hidden until 1922? Our Earth's History. https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-valley-of-the-kings/
- Chicago
- Song Letter. “Why did Tutankhamun's tomb stay hidden until 1922?” Our Earth's History, October 11, 2026. https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-valley-of-the-kings/.
- MLA
- Song Letter. “Why did Tutankhamun's tomb stay hidden until 1922?” Our Earth's History, 11 Oct. 2026, https://ourearthshistory.com/africa/ancient/tutankhamun-valley-of-the-kings/.
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