Amenhotep III & sun god Re-Horakhti statue unearthed at pharaoh's funerary temple in Luxor

Submitted by Ann on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 15:08

Statue of Amenhotep III and sun god Re-Horakhti discovered a the pharaoh's funerary temple at Luxor Archaeologists today discovered the upper portion of a statue of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III at Luxor, Egypt.

The find – part of a double statue featuring King Amenhotep III with the falcon-headed sun god Re-Horakhti – was made at the pharaoh's funerary temple, located on the west bank of the Nile.

In a press statement, Egypt's Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosny said that the discovery was made during routine excavations at Amenhotep III's mortuary temple carried out by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

The dig is supervised by Dr. Zahi Hawass, who thinks of the newly discovered statue as one of the best of the recent finds in the area, because of its expert craftsmanship which reflects the skills of the ancient Egyptian artisans.

Previously, the SCA mission already unearthed a double statue of the pharoah and the god Amun, several sculptures depicting the king with solar god Amun-Re and an unique granite colossus, depicting the god of wisdom Thoth in the form of a baboon.

“This is the first time that we have found a standing statue of the god Thoth,” said Dr. Hawass about the baboon statue.

Video: Saving Amenhotep III's Temple

18th Dynasty king Amenhotep III, (1390-1352BC) is well known for the overwhelming amount of statues dedicated to him, particularly group statuary featuring the king with the ancient Egyptian deities.

These include Amun-Re, Re-Horakhti, Bastet, Sobek, and – most frequently – Sekhmet, the ancient Egyptian goddess of healing (as well as destruction).

So far, more than 80 statues of the goddess have been unearthed by the Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project, directed by Dr. Hourig Sourouzian (watch the video about the project on the left).

It has been suggested that the Sekhmet statues were erected because Amenhotep's failing health during the final years of his reign.

A number of group statues of Amenhotep III are still partially buried under private the farmland surrounding the temple. The government and the SCA are now trying to reach an agreement with the landowner to purchase the section so the statues can be fully excavated.

Amenhotep III's funerary temple - famous for its Colossi of Memnon - was built closer to the Nile than any other temple in Thebes, right on the edge of the floodplain. Consequently, less than 200 years after the pharaoh's reign, it had almost completely collapsed, with most of its stones being removed from the site to be reused in other construction projects.

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Ann Wuyts (follow me: e-mail or

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Last three pieces by this author:

Unique Iron Age Hoard goes on display at Ipswich Museum | Royal Artefacts - Including King Tut's Golden Trumpet - Returned to Egyptian Museum Cairo | SCA releases full list of treasures missing from the Cairo Museum

Ann 'Vint' Wuyts (on Google+) is looking after the Heritage Key community and avatar health & entertainment. She is slightly fascinated by everything to do with 3D technology and what's commonly defined as 'Web 2.0'. When she grows up, Ann - eventually - wants to be a mummy. Favourite game: Buzzword…

Comments

David Duggan:

As I watched the resurrection of the statue of King Amenhotep III with the falcon-headed sun god Re-Horakhti I was reminded of the ability of ancient man to bring people together to take on monumental task such as the building of the pyramids. I say "resurrection" because the Egyptians practice their religion by worshiping their Gods through statues. Maybe not these statues specifically but I wouldn't doubt a prayer or two passed through the lips of a priest or others as they stood or prostrated themselves at the feet of these statues. The discovery and excavation of these and other statues could lead to a whispered prayer by someone in need of divine intervention. Far fetched? Yes. Possible? Yes. As we know even today prayers are offered at the feet of statues, statuettes and prayer figurines in many currently practiced religions.

Sat, 06-11-2010 17:04

Jaap den Haan:

Amenhotep III was the father of Akhenaten who has been taken as a model for Oedipus; the mother is said to have played a role in internal affairs during his reign, realising the cultural revolution of Akhenaten was not understood in the land, as it isn´t today. Amenhotep III ruled Egypt at its height, he had a large harem. Akhenaten is portrayed intimate with his wife, as well as someone himself with female characteristics. This perhaps was not a perversion or an illness he had. The dilemma was there could be only one god, and one king, obviously with the quality of male and female combined. The Aten represents the male quality of the sun, there was also a conflict with the feminine Nefertiti, she allegedly lived in exile later. The dilemma of sex in religion has never been completely solved, and lies at its root.

Mon, 08-11-2010 13:24

Kimberly:

wow cant wait to be an archeologist 2 more years of grade school and then i can start my studys of archelogy cant wait to study king tut , ramsies, and the prehistoric years

Tue, 08-11-2011 20:47

David Duggan:

Is that grad school and not grade school? And what are you majoring in now?

Tue, 08-11-2011 22:58

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