Two giant limestone sphinxes of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and a statue of goddess Sekhmet have been discovered In Luxor.
The discovery was made in Luxor’s West Bank by a German Egyptian mission while carrying out recent restoration works on the Memnon colossi and the Temple of Millions of Years, the mortuary temple of Ramses the Great (pharaoh in 1279 – 1213BC), also known as the Ramesseum.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said scientists had found “huge stones for two royal statues in the form of sphinxes, and the goddess Sekhmet, and had uncovered the remains of walls and columns decorated with ceremonial and ritual scenes.” The two sphinxes once measured about eight metres long.
Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the two colossal limestone statues depicted King Amenhotep III, who was pharaoh from 1386 to 1349BC, in the form of a Sphinx wearing a mongoose headdress, a royal beard, and a wide necklace around the neck. The Gate of the Third Pylon indicates that all the pieces of these two statues have undergone careful cleaning, strengthening, and restoration, which showed the presence of an inscription in the chest area bearing the royal name of Amenhotep III; which is “the beloved of the god Amun-Ra.”
Dr Waziri said the mission also found three black granite busts of the goddess Sekhmet at the front of the open courtyard and the great pillared hall of the temple. These pieces will be grouped with other pieces found earlier at the site in preparation for displaying them in their original places in the temple, he said.
A number of column bases and stone blocks were found in the southern half of the great pillared hall, which shows that this hall was more extensive than what is known with more columns. Studies indicated that it is likely that this statue dates back to the post-Amarna period when the works continued restoration in this temple by artists and writers.
These pieces were moved from the places they were discovered inside the temple for restoration and re-installation, where the original colours of many of them appeared, in preparation for re-placing them in their actual places in the temple.
Watani International
18 August 2022