Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a colossal statue believed to King Ramses II, during the work of an archaeological mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities led in Tell Faroun, an important archaeological site located in the eastern Nile Delta within the centre of Al - Hussainiya – Al Sharqiya province, about 10km south of Tanis, the site of the ancient city of Imet, which served as the capital of the 19th Nome of Lower Egypt.
A<ccording
to information from Sada El - Balad, a
news website and satellite television channel headquartered in Giza, the
secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Hisham El - Leithy,
confirmed that this find is one of the most important archaeological
testimonies that sheds light on the manifestations of religious and royal
activities in the Eastern Delta region, and contributes to understanding the phenomenon of the transfer and
reuse of royal statues during the time of the New Kingdom, especially in the
context of linking sites with the great royal centres.
The statue discovered is characterized by its impressive enormity, as it is
estimated to weigh between 5 and 6 tons, and measures about 2.20 metres in
length.
Despite its relatively poor state of preservation, the remaining parts show artistic and royal features that depict King Ramses II, lacking its lower part that includes legs and base. The statue was part of a triadic group, similar to earlier finds at several archaeological sites in Al - Sharqiya province.
Ramses II, also iknown as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty, reigned c. 1279 – 1213 BCE, recognized as a prolific builder, he ordered the construction of the iconic Abu Simbel temples and the capital city of Pi - Ramses or Per - Ramesses, also known for the military campaigns against the Hittites at Kadesh and the pharaoh who signed the world’s first known peace treaty.
The head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Abdel Badi, noted that preliminary studies indicate that the statue was moved in ancient times from the city of Per – Ramesses to Tell Faroun to be reused within one of the religious complexes of the site, reflecting the religious and historical importance of the site through the ages.
To preserve the find, the statue was moved immediately after the discovery to the museum warehouse in the San Al – Hajar area (ancient Tanis), a major archaeological site in the Sharqia Governorate, in preparation for the start of a urgent restoration work according to the highest scientific standards.
It is worth mentioning that the same site witnessed last September the discovery of a stone slab representing a new version of the famous Canopus Decree, issued by King Ptolemy III in 282 BC to be distributed to the great temples.
Previously the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities had announced an important archaeological find, these are the Amenhotep Rabui linked to the time of Thutmose III, in the 15th century BC and Samut, during the reign of Thutmose IV in the 14th century BC, both discovered in 2016 and currently under restoration in Luxor’s An – Khokha Necropolis, next to the tomb of Nakht already open to the public.
Link
https://tvbrics.com/es/news/egipto-anuncia-el-descubrimiento-de-una-estatua-colosal-que-se-cree-pertenece-al-rey-rams-s-ii/
