It isn’t everyday that archaeologists stumble upon mind-blowing discoveries. But this is exactly what happened to Tony Robinson and an Egyptologist, John Ward. The duo stumbled upon a 3,500-year-old tomb when they dug into a small hole on the bank of the Nile river.

Robinson and Ward were initially examing an area, known as Gebel el-Silsila, about 40-miles from the city of Aswan. They were looking for remnants from the 19th Dynasty when they came upon their discovery. Robinson explained that Ramses II was one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs from that era and had many workers serving him. “Just like the pharaohs, Egypt’s workers liked to be buried with their possessions and ensure they would be looked after for eternity,” he said.

The archaeological team made a breakthrough by making a small crack in the rock. “This is a sizeable chamber, cut of solid rock, most likely 3,500 years ago,” Robinson narrated. “But it's almost entirely filled with sand,” he said.

Great pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images

Ancient Egypt continues to captivate the world to date and discoveries continue to be made of the era that has gone by.