The key facts

  • Parts of two colossal statues of a pharaoh found in Behbeit El-Hagar; the head of the first is about 1.6 m
  • A fragment of pink granite with hieroglyphs associated with Ramesses II was found
  • The second statue is a surviving portion about 2.4 m tall, also believed to depict Ramesses II

Circumstances of the discovery

As Naked Science reports, citing Heritage Daily, the finds were made by an expedition of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities in the village of Behbeit El-Hagar. Excavations began after one of the local residents, while working the land near his home, discovered a fragment of stone with an inscription and reported it to the monuments protection inspectorate. An initial check confirmed the archaeological significance of the find, after which a special committee and an excavation team were sent to the site.

The first statue and inscriptions

Archaeologists found fragments of two monumental statues of a pharaoh, as well as a fragment of pink granite with hieroglyphs associated with Ramesses II. According to Secretary-General of the Supreme Council Mostafa Waziri's colleague Hisham El-Leithy, the head of the first statue depicts the so-called "pschent" — the double crown combining the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt, symbolizing the unity of the two lands under the pharaoh's rule. Also preserved is part of the back pillar behind the statue with an inscription — the Horus name "Hor-ka-nakht-meri-maat," which was part of the ruler's official titles and emphasized his connection with the god Horus and his legitimate right to the throne.

The second statue

The second find is the surviving portion of another statue of a pharaoh, about 2.4 meters tall. In the archaeologists' opinion, it may also depict Ramesses II. The statue is missing its legs and base, but the upper part shows the striped nemes headdress characteristic of pharaohs. Although the upper part of the headdress is partially lost, the head and facial features are quite well preserved.

About Ramesses II

Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt of the New Kingdom period and, according to available data, ruled from approximately 1279 to 1213 BC. His more than sixty-year reign was marked by large-scale construction, military campaigns, and the erection of major temples and statues in Egypt and Nubia.