Huge statue of Ramses II found

2004-08-01 21:13

Cairo - Egyptian archaeologists recently discovered parts of what appears to be the biggest yet statue of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II.

Sabri Abdel Aziz, an official at the Egyptian Higher Council for Antiquities (HCA), said on Sunday that an Egyptian mission had recently discovered the head, chest and base of a statue of Ramses II (1298-1235 BC).

The discovery was made in the city of Akhmim, 474 km south of Cairo.

The statue, depicting Ramses II in a sitting posture, was believed to have stood 12 metres high, Abdel Aziz said, and dates from the ninth dynasty

Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great, was the third ruler of the 19th Dynasty and one of the most significant of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. He is noted among Egyptologists for having built or enlarged more temples during his reign then any other ruler.

Search for the rest of the statue in the city is ongoing where an Egyptian excavation mission has been working on the city tomb for three years.

- SAPA