In 1930, German archaeologists discovered the lower half of a massive statue, estimating that it was probably originally about 23 feet tall.
Today, American and Egyptian archaeologists announced the discovery of the long-lost upper half, fortunately in perfect condition.
A proposal has already been submitted to unite the lower part with the long-gone upper half, and the discoverers are confident of its approval.
About 96 years ago, German archaeologist Günther Roeder unearthed the lower half of what is believed to have been a massive 23-foot-tall statue of Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of the 31 dynasties of the history of ancient Egypt. Roeder found the statue 240 kilometers south of Cairo, in Minya governorate, near the present-day town of El Ashmunein. In ancient times, this area along the Nile was known as Khemnu. It served as the provincial capital in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (2649-2130 BCE) and was later called Hermopolis Magna when the Romans ruled the Mediterranean.
Many treasures from the region’s illustrious past were buried in the surrounding desert, and while Roeder’s discovery proved remarkable, the rest of the enormous statue he found remained lost to time…until until today.
Last March, Egyptian archaeologists, in partnership with American experts, announced that after 96 years, they had finally found the missing upper half of Roeder’s statue. Speaking to Reuters, experts from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that the upper half was about 12.5 feet tall and depicted Ramses II wearing a headdress topped with a king cobra.
However, the discovery of this ancient statue – and its exquisite preservation – was far from certain when the statue was first discovered lying face down in January.
“One of the problems of Hermopolis is that it is close to the Nile. After (the construction of) the Aswan Low Dam, the water table became a major problem. There was no guarantee that the stone would be in good condition,” said Yvona Trnka-Amrhein, assistant professor of classical sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and co-leader of the team in a press release. “Sometimes you find sandstone that is basically just sand or degraded limestone. It could have just been a piece of rock.
Fortunately, after further excavation, the team confirmed that the statue was remarkably well preserved and contained another astonishing discovery: traces of blue and yellow pigment could be found on the surface of the statue. Hopefully, further analysis of this pigment will help researchers understand the context of the statue’s creation, as well as its original appearance.
“We knew he might be there, but we weren’t specifically looking for him,” Trnka-Amrhein said in a press release. “It was plausible that the rest of the statue was there, but it was a complete surprise.”
Fortunately, the hunch proved correct and Egyptian co-leader Basem Gehad has already submitted a proposal to finally bring the two sides together (Roeder’s lower half still remains put in El Ashmunein). Trnka-Amrhein hopes it will be approved.
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