Archaeologists discover massive statues in Egypt
Cairo - Archaeologists have discovered two ancient statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority announced Thursday.
One of the monolithic statues, carved from quartzite, depicts the pharaoh as a sphinx, archaeologists said. The second statue, carved from black granite, shows Amenhotep III in a seated position. They were unearthed in front his mortuary temple near modern Luxor, the site of the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes.
Amenhotep III (ca. 1379 - 1340 BC) left more images of himself than any other pharaoh. Archaeologist Hourig Sourouzian has been directing the excavation of Amenhotep III's mortuary temple, known in modern times as Kom al-Hitan, for years. (dpa)