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A joint Egyptian-American archaeological mission uncovered the upper part of a statue of Ramses II near the city of El-Ashmunein, at the site of the ancient city of Hermopolis in Minya Province. The discovery was announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The artifact was found nearly a century after the lower part of the statue was discovered. This ancient Egyptian relic is over 3,200 years old, according to Arkeonews.
Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was one of the most powerful and renowned pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. He ruled for about 66 years during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom period (from 1279 to 1213 B.C.). The pharaoh was famous for his military campaigns and architectural achievements, including the construction of numerous monumental structures such as the grand temples of Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum. Ramses the Great is also remembered as a skilled diplomat.
Mustafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, said the 3.8-meter limestone upper section matches the lower part of the statue that was discovered in 1930.
The archaeological mission leaders, Bassem Gihad from the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Jovana Trnka from the University of Colorado, also commented on the discovery. The statue depicts Ramses II seated on a throne, wearing the pharaoh’s nemes headdress topped by the double crown with the royal cobra. Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the column behind the statue list the pharaoh’s titles and include the sculpture’s date.
Archaeologists have begun cleaning and conserving the statue. Next steps include further research and the final reconstruction of the relic.
The ministry says the reunited statue will stand seven meters tall when the two parts are joined. Previously, we reported that scientists reconstructed the face of the legendary pharaoh for the first time.
