Top Half of Ramesses II Pharaoh Statue Found by Archaeologists, Unraveling a Long-Standing Mystery

The missing top half of a massive ancient Egyptian pharaoh statue has been uncovered by archaeologists.

Top Half of Ramesses II Pharaoh Statue Found

The part of the statue was discovered as part of a joint Egyptian-American archaeology mission done in the town of el-Ashmunein in the Minya governorate, as noted by the MTA (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities).

Outside the Upper Egypt modern town is the archaeological site of the ancient Khmun city, or Hermopolis Magna. This has been a provincial capital since the Old Kingdom of Egypt. It then developed to become a primary settlement in the Roman era.

The upper-part statue found shows a depiction of King Ramesses II. It consists of limestone and towers at a height of around 12 feet. It depicts the king sitting and wearing a headdress and crown with a royal cobra. The back column of the part shows a hieroglyphic inscription that notes titles that glorify the ancient ruler.

An archaeological study of the statue's upper part found that it was a continuation of the statue's lower piece, which Günther Roeder, a German Egyptologist, found in 1930. If the two parts were joined to each other, the statue could tower at a height of 23 feet.

Excavations in the area started as part of an attempt to uncover the ancient city's religious center during the New Kingdom up until the Roman period. The discovery of a portion of the statue shows the site's archaeological importance. The area may likely yield further archaeological discoveries.

Adel Okasha, an official of the antiquities who oversaw the excavations, explains that though they did not find the complex that they were supposedly searching for, the discovery of the statue shows that they are exploring the right area.

Moving forward, the team will make a model that shows what the statue could have looked like back in antiquity when it was still full.

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Ramesses the Great

The ancient pharaoh, known as Ramesses the Great, governed from B.C 1279 to B.C. 1213 in the New Kingdom. This period is generally thought to be when ancient Egypt was at the peak of its prestige and power.

Ramesses II, who is the third pharaoh of the 19th dynasty of Egypt, is also usually regarded as the New Kingdom's most powerful pharaoh. The ruler is also noted for having over a dozen military campaigns that yielded success.

His reign was the second-longest one in the history of Egypt. Under his rule, the pharaoh had various building programs, and the kingdom progressed into a golden age of wealth and power. Several massive statues of the pharaoh are also found all over the country. He is believed to have lived to the age of 90, which is exceptionally long based on the standards of ancient Egypt.