Archaeologists unearth granite statue

drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass)

The upper part of a granite double statue of king Amenhotep III (1410-1372 BC) was unearthed at Kom El-Hittan in the west bank of Luxor. Kom el-Hittan is the site of the temple of Amenhotep III, which was once the largest temple on Luxor’s west bank. The temple originally had two entrances: one on the eastern side where the Colossi of Memnon reside, and one at the northern side, where the double statue was located. The statue was found during a routine excavation carried out by an Egyptian team of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosny reported that the statue depicts Amenhotep III seated on a throne accompanied by the Theban god, Amun. The king wears the double crown of Egypt, which is decorated with a uraeus.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA, remarked that the statue is one of the best new finds in the area because of its expert craftsmanship, which reflect the skills of the ancient Egyptian artisans.

Heritage Key (Ann Wuyts)

With good photos.

A 3,000-year-old double limestone statue of pharaoh Amenhotep III is discovered near Luxor, Egypt.

The statue was found at Kom el-Hittan, at the northern entrance of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III – once one of the largest temples on the west bank of the Nile.

Egypt's Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, said that the statue depicts Amenhotep III seated on a throne accompanied by the – now headless – Theban god, Amun.

The 18th Dynasty pharaoh – who ruled from about 1410 to 1372 BC – wears the double crown of Egypt, which is decorated with a uraeus.

Mr. Abdel Ghaffar, director of the excavations, said that the newly discovered statue of Amenhotep III is 130 cm tall and 95 cm wide.

So far, the upper part of the double limestone statue – found during routine excavations supervised by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) – has been unearthed.

20Minutos

(Thanks to Amigos de la Egiptologia for the link. With photo)

Un equipo de arqueólogos egipcios ha descubierto una estatua del faraón Amehotep III (1410-1372 a.C.) en la ciudad monumental de Luxor, a unos 600 kilómetros al sur de El Cairo, informó este sábado el Ministro de Cultura egipcio, Faruq Hosni.

En un comunicado difundido por el Consejo Supremo de Antigüedades (CSA), el ministro precisó que la parte posterior de una estatua doble de ese rey, esculpida en granito, fue desenterrada en las proximidades de su templo, en el sector oeste del río Nilo.

La pieza representa a Amenhotep sentado sobre un trono al lado del dios Amon, la principal divinidad de Tebas, la capital de Egipto en el Imperio Medio (1975-1640 a.C.) e Imperio Nuevo (1539-1075 a.C), y que se alzaba en lo que hoy es Luxor.