A joint Egyptian-U.S. archaeological mission has uncovered the upper part of a colossal statue of King Ramses II during excavations south of the Egyptian city of Minya, as announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday.
The limestone block stands approximately 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) tall, portraying a seated Ramses adorned with a double crown and a headdress crowned with a royal cobra, according to Bassem Jihad, the head of the Egyptian team leading the mission.
Jihad stated in a release that the upper part of the statue’s back column displays hieroglyphic writings that extol the greatness of the king, one of ancient Egypt’s most influential pharaohs.
When combined with its lower section, unearthed decades ago, the statue’s total height would reach about 7 meters.
The city of El Ashmunein, situated on the west bank of the River Nile, was referred to as Khemnu in ancient Egypt and served as the regional capital of Hermopolis Magna during the Greco-Roman era.
Mustafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed that studies have verified the upper part of the statue as a match for the lower section discovered by German archaeologist Günther Roeder in 1930.
The mission has initiated the process of cleaning and preparing the block in anticipation of modeling the complete statue by combining the two sections, Waziri added.
Jihad stated in a release that the upper part of the statue’s back column displays hieroglyphic writings that extol the greatness of the king, one of ancient Egypt’s most influential pharaohs.
Known as Ramses the Great, he served as the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and ruled from 1,279 to 1,213 BCE.A joint Egyptian-U.S. archaeological mission has uncovered the upper part of a huge statue of King Ramses II during excavations south of the Egyptian city of Minya, Egypt's tourism and antiquities ministry said today.
— Ancient Hypotheses (@AncientEpoch) March 4, 2024
The limestone block is about 12.5 feet high and depicts a… pic.twitter.com/bsb77wpAug
When combined with its lower section, unearthed decades ago, the statue’s total height would reach about 7 meters.
The city of El Ashmunein, situated on the west bank of the River Nile, was referred to as Khemnu in ancient Egypt and served as the regional capital of Hermopolis Magna during the Greco-Roman era.
Mustafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed that studies have verified the upper part of the statue as a match for the lower section discovered by German archaeologist Günther Roeder in 1930.
The mission has initiated the process of cleaning and preparing the block in anticipation of modeling the complete statue by combining the two sections, Waziri added.
Source: Reuters
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