A joint archaeological team from Egypt and the United States has unearthed at a dig in El Ashmunein, south of Minya, Egypt, the upper part of a colossal statue of King Ramses II. This find, announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday, adds a remarkable piece to the country’s rich historical tapestry. The limestone statue, standing 3.8 meters (12 feet 6 inches) tall, features a seated Ramses II adorned with a double crown and a royal cobra headdress. According to Bassem Jihad, the Egyptian leader of the mission, the back column of the statue is inscribed with hieroglyphs praising one of Egypt’s most formidable rulers, known for his extensive building programs and military exploits.
This discovery, when paired with the statue’s lower portion found decades earlier, suggests the complete figure would have stood approximately 7 meters tall. The upper section matches the lower part discovered by German archaeologist Gunther Roeder in 1930.
The site of El Ashmunein, the ancient city of Khemnu, played a pivotal role in Egypt’s history, serving as a regional capital during the Greco-Roman period.
Mustafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted the team’s efforts to clean and prepare the statue for eventual reassembly, offering a glimpse into what the majestic statue would have looked like in its entirety.