Ramsés II statues unearthed by Egyptian resident
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A resident of Behbeit al Hegara, a town in the Nile Delta north of Cairo, Egypt, discovered stone blocks with inscriptions while working on his land.
After reporting the find to authorities, archaeologists excavated two colossal statues linked to Pharaoh Ramsés II, along with a pink granite block bearing hieroglyphs. One statue’s head, approximately 1.60 meters tall, clearly depicts Ramsés II wearing the double crown signifying unified Egypt. Specialists estimate the complete statue likely reached 8.5 meters in height.
The team also uncovered a second statue, around 2.40 meters tall, potentially representing Ramsés II, though confirmation requires further study. This statue still shows facial features and part of the traditional nemes headdress. Near the second statue, archaeologists found a 1.30-meter granite block inscribed with two of Ramsés II’s titles, "King of Upper and Lower Egypt" and "Son of Ra," the sun god.
Ramsés II ruled Egypt for roughly 66 years, from 1279 to 1213 BC, and left behind many monuments including the temples at Abu Simbel. The discovery occurred near the remains of a temple dedicated to Isis, a major Egyptian goddess, but archaeologists are still investigating how the statues relate to this earlier structure and whether they originally stood on the same site. The Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt continues to excavate and study the finds.
