Massive head of pharaoh unearthed in Egypt

[Dark Knight]

CAIRO – Archaeologists have unearthed a massive red granite head of one Egypt's most famous pharaohs who ruled nearly 3,400 years ago, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities announced Sunday.


The head of Amenhotep III, which alone is about the height of a person, was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple in the southern city of Luxor.


The leader of the expedition that discovered the head described it as the best preserved sculpture of Amenhotep III's face found to date.


"Other statues have always had something broken: the tip of the nose, the face is eroded," said Dr. Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site since 1999. "But here, from the tip of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken."


The head is part of a larger statue found several years ago, along with the parts of the body, the back slab, and the ceremonial beard which Souruzian says will soon be connected with the head.


Picture at link:


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100228/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_antiquities

 

[Cypros]

Very cool!

 

[Dark Knight]

Very cool!

When I first came across the story headline, I thought they found his actual head and it was unusually large, lol!

 

[Turtles]

When I first came across the story headline, I thought they found his actual head and it was unusually large, lol!

LOL, that was my thought as well.

 

[arielilane]

gorgeous and amazing!!!

 

[Mumsy]

I find this a very interesting subject considering the age of these discoveries. How they are able to date and catalog every bit of the relics is beyond my understanding. And the engineering that went into the construction of their tombs......beyond belief. And all of it done without the help of modern machinery! Just the ability to compute the mathematical details.....WOW! I have a hard time just balancing my checkbook with a calculator!!

 

[wfgodot]

In 1993, I saw the 'Egypt's Dazzling Sun: Amenhotep III and His World" exhibit in Ft. Worth at the Kimball Museum: definitely a "wow, just wow!" afternoon. His chief wife, Queen Tiye, was represented in the exhibit by a small bust which revealed her great beauty, and which has been said to be one of the most beautiful art objects in the world.

 

[BeenaBobba]

That's really cool! It's in excellent condition, too!

 

[butterfly1978]

When I first came across the story headline, I thought they found his actual head and it was unusually large, lol!

:blushing: LMAO I did to that's what lured me in I was like HUH!!!

but still very cool