3,000-year-old double statue of Pharaoh Amenhotep III discovered at his funerary temple in LuxorSubmitted by Ann on Sat, 10/02/2010 - 18:17
Double statue of Amenhotep III and Amun in situ at his funerary temple at Kom el-Hittan near Luxor. Photo courtesy the SCA
Double statue of Amenhotep III and Amun in situ at his funerary temple at Kom el-Hittan near Luxor. Photo courtesy the SCA
A 3,000-year-old double limestone granite statue of pharaoh Amenhotep III is discovered near Luxor, Egypt.
The statue was found at Kom el-Hittan, at the northern entrance of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III – once one of the largest temples on the west bank of the Nile.
Egypt's Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, said that the statue depicts Amenhotep III seated on a throne accompanied by the – now headless – Theban god, Amun.
The 18th Dynasty pharaoh – who ruled from about 1410 to 1372 BC – wears the double crown of Egypt, which is decorated with a uraeus.
Mr. Abdel Ghaffar, director of the excavations, said that the newly discovered statue of Amenhotep III is 130 cm tall and 95 cm wide.
So far, the upper part of the double limestone statue – found during routine excavations supervised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) – has been unearthed.
The statue depicts 18th Dynasty Pharoah Amenhotep III, believed to have been the grandfather of King Tutankhamun. - Photo courtesy the SCA
The statue depicts 18th Dynasty Pharoah Amenhotep III, believed to have been the grandfather of King Tutankhamun. - Photo courtesy the SCA
Excavations are now focusing on revealing the rest of the statue.
Amenhotep III is thought to have been the wealthiest and most powerful of all the pharaohs of ancient Egypt – as well as King Tut’s grandfather.
His funerary temple at Luxor measured some 700 meters by 500 meters, making it one of the largest monuments in Egypt – and even the ancient world.
The sanctuary is best known for the massive statues at the its eastern entrance – the ‘Colossi of Memnon’ massive.
Many statues depicting the ancient Egyptian ruler have been found at the site, featuring him alongside different deities, such as Amun-Re, Re-Horakhti, Bastet and Sobek.
The double limestone statue is the second of its kind found in the area – a previously excavated, similar statue shows the king seated beside the solar god, Re-Horakhti.
Earlier this year, the same team excavated a statue of the god of wisdom, Thoth, depicted as a baboon, as well as what is possibly the best preserved depiction of Amenhotep III’s face found to date – a colossal 2,5 meters granite head.
Antiquities tsar Zahi Hawass sait it is very well possible that a large cache for King Amenhotep III’s statuary may have been buried in the area - and that many more will be discovered still.
Click To Watch Video
The Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III (Featuring Dr. Hourig Sourouzian)
Dr Hourig Sourouzian explains the excavations and work being carried out at the Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, a mortuary monument ten times bigger than any otherin Egypt.
CLICK TO WATCH
The excavations are part of intensive investigation and restoration works at Amenhotep III's funerary monument – which are expected to take upwards of 20 years (to see an inverview with Dr Sourouzian about this daunting task, go here or click the video icon on the right).
The final stage of the works at Amenhotep III's mortuary temple will be the creation of an open-air museum.
http://heritage-key.com/blogs/ann/3000-year-old-double-statue-pharaoh-amenhotep-iii-discovered-his-funerary-temple-luxor
