by Jenna Higgins

In recent archaeological news, and of special interest to me, there have been new discoveries in that land that keeps on giving – Egypt! Two large red granite statues, attributed to the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, the infamous “King Tut’s” grandfather, were found at the Pharaoh’s mortuary Temple at Luxor (Figure 1) in southern Egypt. The first statue is a large (2.5m) head of Amenhotep III (Image 1), and is said to be the most well preserved depiction of his likeness to date. The head is actually thought to be one of the reaming parts of a larger statue, which had been unearthed in previous years. The other object found was a large (4m) statue of the god Thoth, god of wisdom. Amenhotep III, aside from his famous descendants (Akhenaten and Tutankhamun), is well known for his own impact on Egyptian history. His reign, roughly 1390-1350 BC, saw some of the most expansive developments in the foreign policy, economics and art. He extensively added to the temples of Luxor and Karnack; the giant head just uncovered is one of those remnants of Akhenaten’s enormous building programme. His mortuary temple was one of the largest of Thebes, but now lies in ruins due to its proximity to the Nile floodplains.

I find that both of these discoveries are a testament to the hidden depths of Egypt’s ancient history. All too often I have heard he questions, “What is there left to dig in Egypt?” and “Hasn’t everything been found already?” among others. I usually want to scream and throw a fit, but I somehow avoid the situation and end up calmly explaining to the questioner about the depths of ancient Egyptian history. I have satisfied the person’s hunger for Egyptian historical knowledge, or they have simply been bored to death, either way, they simply just change subjects. But I digress. The fact that these immense statues could remain hidden in the Luxor Temple for almost 3,400 years, just to be uncovered is astonishing. How can we say there is “nothing” left in Egypt?? I guess it depends on what you’re looking for.

Aside from the rant about Egypt, these discoveries to me provoke a sense of excitement. Archaeologists around the globe are continually discovering new artefacts, remains and structures of which we have had no previous knowledge. The head of Amenhotep III is the best depiction of the Pharaoh to date, while this may seem small in some respects, I find it quite exhilarating! What else is waiting for us? What other advancements will we see, not previously thought to have existed? What other theories will the next generations develop, based on these new and exciting excavations? There are so many new excavations in progress, and so much left to explore in this world – what will we discover, or uncover next? I look forward to more from Egypt especially, with all its history, folklore and excellent location, I am sure we shall soon see more answers and questions arising.

More information on these discoveries can be found at:

http://living.oneindia.in/cosmopolitan/cosmo-life/2010/pharaoh-statue-egypt-170310.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8542337.stm

http://emergingminds.org/Archaeologists-discover-statue-head-of-ancient-Egyptian-King-Amenhotep-III.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/amenhotep_iii.shtml