Stunning discovery in Luxor
A massive red granite sculpted head of pharaoh Amenhotep III has been unearthed behind the famous Colossi of Memnon in Luxor.
Not only huge in dimensions, the 2.5m (8ft) head is one of the best preserved and finely carved image of the king, recently identified as the grandfather of Tutankhamen thru DNA and CT scan tests conducted on several 18th dynasty royal family mummies.
Other parts from the colossal statue were found several years ago in the excavation site of what once was the largest mortuary temple of ancient Thebes.
The head of the benign looking pharaoh is wearing the crown of Upper Egypt. His almond shaped eyes, slightly broad nose and full lips are characteristic of the idealized image of this pharaoh, who has the distinction of having the most surviving statues of any Egyptian pharaoh. Over 250 statues of the king have been discovered. Since these statues cover his entire life, they provide the most complete portraiture over time of any ancient Egyptian ruler.
An equally powerful and more famous pharaoh, Ramses the Great, copied his predecessor penchant for monumental depiction of his image. A side by side comparison of these two faces reveal racial differences, with scholars still debating whether Amenhotep III was 100% Nubian.
Amenhotep (“Amen is in Peace”) III ruled Egypt from about 1387 to 1348 BC. His lengthy reign was a period of great peace, prosperity, and artistic splendor, when Egypt reached the very heights of artistic and international power. He celebrated three Jubilee Festivals in his Year 30, Year 34 and Year 37. The pharaoh built extensively at the temple of Karnak and oversaw the construction of the Temple of Luxor.
His mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile was, in its day, the largest religious complex in Thebes but, unfortunately, he chose to build too close to the floodplain and less than 200 years later, it stood in ruins. Much of the masonry was reused by later pharaohs for their own construction projects. The Colossi of Memnon, two massive 18-meter stone statues of Amenhotep that stood at the gateway of his mortuary temple, are the only elements of the complex that remains standing.
Egyptian authorities mentioned plans for the reconstruction of the colossus.
New Discovery at Kom El-Hettan
The discovery was carried out by the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project, a multi-national Egyptian-European team.
Dr. Zahi Hawass said that the newly discovered head is intact and measures 2,50m high. It is a masterpiece of highly artistic quality, and shows a portrait of the king with very fine youthful sculptured features.
The head is smoothly polished and perfectly preserved, with some traces of red paint on the head of the ureaus (cobra).
Dr. Hourig Sourouzian, the head of the mission, said that the granite head belongs to a large statue representing the king standing, hands crossed over his chest and holding the royal insignia.
The king wears the Upper Egyptian white crown. The ceremonial beard is broken under the chin but, according to Sourouzian, it may still lie under the rubble below.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Massive Pharaoh Head Unearthed In Egypt (huffingtonpost.com)
- Traveling Back in Time to see Egyptian Art
- Frescoes, Pharaohs, Temples and Tombs
- Egyptian Hieroglyphics
