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Here’s what you’ll learn from reading this story:
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In 1930, German archaeologists uncovered the lower half of a huge statue, and estimated that it was probably originally about 23 feet tall.
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Now, US and Egyptian archaeologists have announced the discovery of the long-missing upper half in fortunately pristine condition.
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A proposal has already been put forward to connect the bottom with the long-missing top half, and the discoverers are confident of its approval.
Some 96 years ago, German archaeologist Günther Roeder uncovered the lower half of what would have been a massive 23-foot statue of Ramesses II—one of the most celebrated pharaohs of all 31 dynasties of Ancient Egyptian history. Roeder found the statue 150 miles south of Cairo in Minya Governorate, near the present day town of El Ashmunein. In ancient times, this area along the Nile was known as Khemnu. It served as a provincial capital in the Old Kingdom of Egypt (2649–2130 BC), and was later called Hermopolis Magna when the Romans ruled the Mediterranean.
Many treasures from the region’s illustrious past were known to be buried in the surrounding desert, and while Roeder’s discovery was remarkable, the rest of the massive statue he found remained lost to time… until now.
In March 2024, Egyptian archaeologists—in partnership with American experts—announced that after 96 years, they had finally found the missing upper half of Roeder’s statute. Speaking to Reuters, experts from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that the top half was some 12.5 feet tall, and showed Ramesses II wearing a headdress covered with a royal cobra.
However, the discovery of this ancient statue—and its exquisite preservation—was far from certain when the statue was first discovered lying face down in January 2024.
“One problem with Hermopolis is that it is close to the Nile. After [the building of] the Aswan Low Dam, the water table has become a huge issue. There was no guarantee that the stone would be OK,” said Yvona Trnka-Amrhein, assistant professor of classics at the University of Colorado Boulder and co-leader of the team in a press release. “Sometimes sandstone is discovered that is basically just sand or degraded limestone. It could have just been a piece of rock.”
Fortunately, after further excavation, the team confirmed that the statue was very well preserved and contained another amazing find—traces of blue and yellow pigment can be found on the face of the statue. Hopefully, further analysis of this pigment will help researchers understand the context of the statue’s creation, as well as its original appearance.
“We knew it might be there, but we weren’t specifically looking for it,” Trnka-Amrhein said in a press release. “It was plausible that the rest of the statue could be there, but it was a total surprise.”
Thankfully, the hunch proved to be correct, and the Egyptian co-leader Basem Gehad has already submitted a proposal to finally reunite the two pieces together (Roeder’s lower half is still on site at El Ashmunein). Trnka-Amrhein expects to be approved.
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