- CAIRO: Egypt’s antiquities chief says archaeologists have unearthed the upper half of a double limestone statue of a powerful pharaoh who ruled nearly 3,400 years ago.
Zahi Hawass says the statue was discovered in Kom el-Hittan, the site of the temple of Amenhotep III. The temple is one of the largest on the west bank of the Nile in the southern temple city of Luxor.
The statue portrays Amenhotep III seated on a throne accompanied by the Theban god Amun and wearing the double crown of Egypt.
Hawass said in a statement Saturday the statue is 4 feet (1.3 meters) tall and 3 feet (0.95 meters) wide and is the third double statue to be found at the site.
Amenhotep III was the grandfather of the famed boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun.