Statue of Egypt’s most powerful pharaoh is uncovered after thousands of years: Archaeologists find broken figure of Ramesses II at a sun temple in Heliopolis
- Archaeologists have been excavating a temple in Heliopolis, near Cairo, Egypt
- They found fragments of statues of the Pharaohs from up to 4,000 years ago
- These were placed amongst statues of gods to reinforce their divine authority
Archaeologists have uncovered a number of broken statues of ancient Egyptian royalty at a temple near Cairo.
These include Pharaoh Ramesses II, who was the most powerful and celebrated ruler of Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
The statues also depict Ramesses IX, Horemheb and Psamtik II, who reigned from 1126 BC to 1108 BC, 1323 BC to 1295 BC and 595 and 589 BC respectively.
They were found during excavations of the Matariya sun temple in Heliopolis, an archaeological site located in the north eastern part of modern-day Cairo.
The temple was founded by Ramesses II, meaning finding statues of him there is not surprising.
Archaeologists have uncovered a number of broken statues of ancient Egyptian royalty at a temple near Cairo. These include Pharaoh Ramesses II, who was the most powerful and celebrated ruler of Egypt more than 3,000 years ago
The statues also depict Ramesses IX, Horemheb and Psamtik II, who reigned from 1126 BC to 1108 BC, 1323 BC to 1295 BC and 595 and 589 BC respectively
Sun temples were built between 1550 and 1070 BC and were dedicated to the worship of the sun god, Ra.
WHAT IS HELIOPOLIS?
The ruins of Heliopolis, which means ‘city of the sun’ in ancient Greek, are located in the north eastern part of modern-day Cairo.
The sun temple in Heliopolis was founded by Ramses II, which increases the likelihood that the statue is him.
Ancient Egyptians believed Heliopolis was the place where the sun god lives, meaning it was off-limits for any royal residences.
It was one of the largest temples in Egypt, almost double the size of Luxor’s Karnak, but was destroyed in Greco-Roman times.
Many of its obelisks were moved to Alexandria or to Europe and stones from the site were looted and used for building as Cairo developed.
Pharaohs were seen as the earthly representation of Ra, so were responsible for maintaining these temples.
They were raised in various locations across Egypt, including Heliopolis, Abu Ghurab and Amarna.
The temples typically were built as a wide open courtyard surrounded by rooms, and housed a stone obelisk which represented the sun’s rays.
They were also filled with statues that were meant to represent the gods and goddesses being worshipped there.
As well as acting as physical objects to be worshipped during rituals, they were also seen as vessels of divine power.
Worshippers who presented them with offerings believed they could have this bestowed on them as a blessing.
The statues were usually made of stone or metal, but were adorned with precious gemstones and decorations that were meant to enhance their power.
But they did not only represent the ancient gods, as statues were also placed among them which depicted the Pharaohs of the era.
These were commissioned by the royalty themselves, and helped reinforce their divine authority over the civilisation.
Ancient Egyptians believed Heliopolis was the place where the sun god lives, meaning it was off-limits for any royal residences.
Its name means ‘city of the sun’ in ancient Greek, and hosted one of the largest temples in Egypt, almost double the size of the Karnak temple in Luxor.
Statues of pharaohs were commissioned by the royalty themselves and placed in sun temples. They helped reinforce their divine authority over the civilisation
The German team discovered multiple parts of statues of Ramses II with the body of a sphinx made of quartz, and a fragment from the reign of Ramses IX
The statues were found during excavations of a sun temple in Heliopolis, an archaeological site located in the north eastern part of modern-day Cairo
The new discoveries were announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday. Pictured: Excavations at the Matariya sun temple
The new discoveries were announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Monday.
The excavations which unearthed them were conducted by the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt and the University of Leipzig Museum in Germany.
Digs were made near the Museum for the Cultural Heritage of Heliopolis in the Matareya region of Egypt.
‘This contributes to a better understanding of the history of this area,’ wrote Dr. Mostafa Waziri, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The Egyptian team found a number of sarcophagi made of quartzite that date back to the reign of Horemheb, about 3,300 years ago.
Another shows King Psamtik II made from greywacke stone, who ruled about 1,400 years ago.
They also found fragments of a limestone floor and parts of another royal statue that has yet to be identified, but its features suggest it could be over 4,000 years old.
The German team discovered multiple parts of statues of Ramses II with the body of a sphinx made of quartz, and a fragment from the reign of Ramses IX.
They also found an inscribed, pink granite stone that is likely to be the upper part of an obelisk from the reign of Ramses II.
The Egyptian team found a number of sarcophagi made of quartzite that date back to the reign of Horemheb, about 3,300 years ago
The German team also found an inscribed, pink granite stone that is likely to be the upper part of an obelisk from the reign of Ramses II
The statement added that traces of mud-brick walls and flooring were also found north of the museum, which date back to the second half of the first thousand BC.
This suggests there was ‘stability in this part of the temple during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods’.
The temple was largely destroyed in Greco-Roman times, and many of its obelisks were moved to Alexandria or to Europe.
Stones and statues from the site were also looted and used for building materials as Cairo developed.
Dr Waziri added that work in the area is ongoing, and more results will be published in the upcoming months.
WHO WAS RAMSES II? THE SELF-PUBLICIST WHO COULDN’T STOP BUILDING STATUES OF HIMSELF
The fame of Rameses II, the third king of the 19th dynasty of Ancient Egypt, is put down to his flair for self-publicity.
He is remembered principally for the colossal statues he commissioned and for his massive building programme.
Dubbed Rameses the Great by the Egyptologists of the 19th century, his reign from 1279 to 1213BC marked the last peak of Egypt’s imperial power. He ascended the throne as the third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty at the age of twenty-five.
t’s thought that during his 67-year reign, he built more temples and fathered more children than any other pharaoh.
Rameses, born around 1303BC, was appointed regent at 14 by his father Seti I. He had been made a captain of the army aged just ten. Becoming king in his early 20s, he expanded his empire, leading an army north to recover the lost provinces his father had failed permanently to conquer in modern-day Syria and Israel.
In Kadesh, Syria, he was fed false information by two captured enemy spies, which saw Rameses II and his small corps of household troops surrounded by 2,500 enemy Hittite chariots.
He was saved by reinforcements and although he had failed to take Kadesh, the pharaoh had a long poem about his proud last stand carved on temple walls in Egypt.
In Nubia, part of which is now in northern Sudan, Rameses II built six temples, including Abu Simbel, whose image of his face cut into the rocky sides of the Nile Valley may have inspired the vast depictions of American presidents at Mount Rushmore.
The king, who kept a harem of 100 women and had more than 100 children, dedicated Abu Simbel’s smaller temple to his favourite queen, Nefertari. His building projects included the Great Hypostyle Hall, with its roof supported by columns, at Thebes – part of modern-day Luxor – and his own funerary temple, known as the Ramesseum, across the Nile from Luxor. He also built a city – Per Ramessu, also known as Pi-Ramesses – north-east of Cairo where he lived surrounded by gardens and orchards.
Experts say he understood that visibility was central to the success of his reign, and built bombastic structures to project his strength as a leader.
He founded a new capital, Piramesse and built temples throughout Egypt and Nubia. The most famous of these buildings is the Abu Simbel, cut into rock, and ‘the Ramesseum’ – his mortuary temple at Thebes.
The tomb of his principal wife, Nefertari, is one of the best preserved royal tombs and the resting place of some of his sons has recently been uncovered in the Valley of the Kings.
Rameses II was lived to about 90. He was originally buried in the Valley of the Kings but his mummy, which has the face of an old man with a long, narrow face, striking nose and large jaw, was moved to the nearby Deir el-Bahari to thwart looters. Still with its hair, some skin and teeth It was rediscovered in 1881 and is kept in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.
Nine subsequent pharaohs took the name Rameses, as it was seen as an honour to be descended from him.
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