Ancient Egyptian King’s Colossal Statue Is Discovered in Luxor
A 13-meter-tall statue of ancient Egyptian king Amnhotep III was uncovered during excavation work in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, the country’s Ministry of State for Antiquities said today in an e-mailed statement.
The statue, which consists of seven large quartzite blocks, is one of a pair that once flanked the northern entrance to the king’s funerary temple in the West Bank of the city and was damaged by a severe earthquake in 27 B.C., the ministry said.
The blocks are currently being restored in an attempt to re-erect the statue in its original place, according to the Cairo-based ministry.
Two other statues, one depicting the god Thoth as a baboon and one of the lion-headed goddess, Sekhmet, were also discovered, Abdel Ghaffar Wagdi, the supervisor of the excavation said in the statement.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ola Galal in Cairo at ogalal@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss in London at sev@bloomberg.net
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