Ramses II statues unearthed in Egyptian delta region
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Archaeologists working in Egypt’s Western Governorate uncovered remains of two large royal statues, one of which belonged to Pharaoh Ramses II, during rescue excavations in the village of Behbiet El Hagar.
The Egyptian archaeological mission, affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities, found the statues after a local resident discovered a stone block with hieroglyphic inscriptions while working on his land and reported it to authorities.
The team then located the statue fragments and a granite block bearing royal titles of Ramses II. The Western Governorate, like other areas of the Nile Delta, contains archaeological sites that were once capitals of ancient Egyptian dynasties. For example, Tel Basta in the Sharqia Governorate served as the capital during the 22nd Dynasty, and Sa El Hagar was the capital during the 26th Dynasty.
The new discovery, according to Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, is an important addition to recent archaeological finds in Egypt and will shed more light on the history and archaeological significance of Behbiet El Hagar. One of the statues is a 1.6-meter-tall head of Ramses II wearing the double crown symbolizing the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
The other is a larger statue, about 2.5 meters long, missing its legs and base, and depicts the king wearing the royal headdress known as the “nemes”. The discovered granite block is 1.3 meters long and contains two of Ramses II’s royal titles. Behbiet El Hagar itself is known for the remains of a large temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. Dr. Hussein Abdel Basir, an Egyptologist, believes the statues demonstrate that Egypt still holds unread chapters of its history.
He also noted the importance of the citizen who reported the find, emphasizing that protecting heritage is a shared responsibility.
