Two Royal Statues Unearthed at Egyptian Archaeological Site

An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered the remains of two monumental royal statues and an inscribed granite block during excavations at Behbeit El-Hagar in the Nile Delta. The Supreme Council of Antiquities identified one statue as Ramses II; the second may depict the same king, but that identification is not confirmed. The excavation followed a local resident’s report of an inscribed stone found while working on land in the village. Antiquities officials inspected the find, and the Supreme Council of Antiquities then carried out rescue excavations that revealed the statues and the separate granite block. The first statue’s recovered head measures about 1.6 metres high and depicts a ruler wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. According to Hisham ElLeithy, secretary-general of the council, an inscription bearing Ramses II’s royal name on the surviving back pillar identifies the statue. Based on the head’s dimensions, officials estimate the statue stood about 8.5 metres tall, including its base. The figure itself was not recovered intact. The second statue survives in a section about 2.4 metres long, with its legs and base missing.