A Massive Pharaoh Has Been Unearthed
In early March archaeologists, from Egypt and Germany, unearthed the remains of an ancient Egyptian statue they believe could depict one of history's most famous rulers. Although there aren't many clues as to which Pharaoh it directly depicts, there is one hint - the inscription: Nebaa.
This discovery was made by the joint effort Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities and researchers from the University of Leipzig. This was especially helpful considering that there were multiple factors that made this a tough dig site, such as a rising water-table, industrial waste, and even a growing rubble pile.
It was discovered in a working class neighborhood in Cairo. Cairo is built over the ancient city of Heliopolis. It has been submerged in ground-water for goodness knows how long. In fact, it is believed to be King Psammetich I, who ruled Egypt from 664 to 610 BC. This means it could be up to 3,000 years old. Originally, it was thought it was a depiction of Ramses, given its proximity to a temple worshipping Ramses. But, as noted earlier, they know believe it to be King Psammetich.
So far, they have found the bust of the statue, the head, the crown, an ear, and a fragment of the right eye. The statue is believed to be roughly 26-feet long. It is constructed from quartzite.
However, this wasn't the only artifact discovered. The archaeological team also discovered a limestone statue of Pharaoh Seti II the grandson of Ramses II.
The above picture is not related to the story and is by Flickr User Chris Buckridge. It is liscensed under Creative Commons 2.0.