Egypt unveils 'rare' ancient pharaoh bust
[CAIRO] A "rare" bust of a statue of the pharaoh Ramses II has been discovered near Giza, south of Cairo, the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry announced Wednesday.
The statue is the first rose granite bust of Ramses II found that includes the "ka" symbol, according to a statement from the ministry, which described the find as "rare".
Ka represented in ancient Egypt the spirit of a human or god that could reside in a statue of the person or deity after death.
The excavation last week by a ministry team took place on private land in Mit Rahina near the site of the ancient city of Memphis around 30km south of Cairo, the statement added.
This statue of Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (1301-1236 BC), measures 105cm high and 55cm wide.
Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism, which took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.
AFP
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Lifestyle
Former Zouk morphs into mod-Asian Jiak Kim House, serving laksa pasta and mushroom bak kut teh
Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito
Victor Liong pairs Aussie and Asian food with mixed results at Artyzen’s Quenino restaurant
If Jay Chou likes Ju Xing’s zi char, you might too
Mod-Sin cooking izakaya style at Focal
What the fish? Diving for flavour at Fysh – Aussie chef Josh Niland’s Singapore debut