Rare Pink Statue of Ancient Egyptian King Unearthed near Pyramids of Giza
SOURCE: THE SUN
BY: HARRY PETTIT
A RARE pink statue of Ancient Egypt’s King Ramses II has been unearthed by archaeologists.
The remarkably well-reserved granite bust was dug up in a small village near the famous Giza pyramids.
Standing almost 3.5ft tall, the artefact was imprinted with the symbol “Ka”.
The symbol is thought to have been an aspect of the soul or spirit by the ancient civilisation, according to experts at the Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities.
In a statement, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the rare statue was “intended to provide a resting place for the Ka (life-force or spirit) of the person after death.”
Previously, only a wooden statue of Ramses II featuring a “Ka” symbol had been discovered.
A brief history of Ancient Egypt
Here’s everything you need to know…
- The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilisation who at one point owned a huge portion of the globe
- The civilisation began about 5,000 years ago when ancient humans began building villages along the River Nile
- It lasted for about 3,000 years and saw the building of complex cities centuries ahead of their time – as well as the famous Great Pyramids
- The Ancient Egyptians were experts at farming and construction
- They invented a solar calendar, and one of the world’s earliest writing systems: The hieroglyph
- The Egyptians were ruled by kings and queens called pharaohs
- Religion and the afterlife were a huge part of Ancient Egyptian culture. They had over 2,000 gods
- Pharaohs built huge elaborate tombs to be buried in, some of which were pyramids – at the time among the largest buildings in the world
- The Egyptians believed in life after death, and important people’s corpses were mummified to preserve their bodies for the afterlife
- The Ancient Egytpian empire fell due to a mix of factors, including wars with other empires and a 100-year period of drought and starvation
“This discovery is considered one of the rarest archaeological discoveries,” Waziri told China’s Xinhua news agency.
“It is the first ever Ka statue made of granite to be discovered.”
In a statement, the ministry said the statue was unearthed during excavations last week at a private plot in the village of Mit Rahina, about 20 miles south of Cairo.
The artefact depicts Ramses II, who ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BC, wearing a wig and crown.
It’s not clear how old the object is. It has been taken to a museum so it can be restored and preserved.
Ramses II was the third pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th dynasty.
He is also known also as Ozymandias and as Ramesses the Great.
Ramses is known for his extensive building schemes and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt.