iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
An Egyptian farmer’s report of an unusual pink-granite block led archaeologists to two enormous statue remains at Behbeit el-Hagar in the Nile Delta. The first is linked securely to Ramesses II by royal inscriptions; the second is considered probably Ramesses II but has not yet yielded a comparable naming inscription. One statue may have stood about 8.5 metres (28 feet) high, while the reason Ramesses II images were found beside a temple complex developed roughly 900 years later remains unresolved.
What the farmer found
Khaled al-Shahat was working his land in Behbeit el-Hagar, Gharbia Governorate, when he encountered a carved pink-granite block about 1.3 metres long. Rather than move or discard it, he alerted antiquities officials. The Egyptian authorities organized a rescue excavation, which exposed additional monumental stonework and the remains of two colossal royal statues.
Al-Shahat told CBS News that he was working on his land on a Friday when he came across an unusual stone and informed the relevant authorities. After the excavation expanded, he said he was “surprised and happy” and that officials told him the discovery might change the history of the area.
How the statues are identified
The first statue: inscription-based identification
The first statue is tied to Ramesses II through multiple pieces of evidence. The 1.3-metre granite block carries two of the king’s standard titles: “King of Upper and Lower Egypt” (Nesw-Bity) and “Son of Ra” (Sa-Ra). A surviving back-pillar fragment also preserves the Horus name “Hor Ka Nakht Mery Maat,” rendered in some reports as “Hor Kanakht Mery-Maat.” Together, these inscriptions provide a direct royal identification rather than an attribution based only on style or location.
#1 Best Overall
The second statue: a probable attribution
The second monument survives as a section about 2.4 metres long. Its legs and base are missing, and its face resembles the first statue. Officials therefore consider it probably another statue of Ramesses II. Available reports do not, however, cite a naming inscription on this surviving section, so its identification is less certain than that of the first statue.
| Statue | Surviving evidence | Current identification | What remains uncertain |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 1.6-metre head; back-pillar fragment with Horus name; nearby block with Ramesses II titles | Ramesses II, supported by inscriptions | Its original setting and how much of the monument survives |
| Second | About 2.4-metre body section; missing legs and base; facial resemblance to the first | Probably Ramesses II | No identifying inscription has been reported on this piece |
How tall was the first statue?
The first statue’s head is about 1.6 metres high. Archaeologists used the head’s proportions to estimate that the complete figure, including its base, would have stood about 8.5 metres (roughly 28 feet) tall. That is a reconstruction estimate, not a measurement of a fully preserved statue. The surviving stone does not allow officials to present 8.5 metres as the height of an intact monument found in place.
Rank #2
No equivalent full-height estimate has been established for the second statue. Its surviving section measures about 2.4 metres, but the missing legs and base make a direct comparison with the first monument impossible.
Recommended Free Tools
Where is Behbeit el-Hagar?
Behbeit el-Hagar is an archaeological site in Gharbia Governorate in Egypt’s Nile Delta. It is known especially for the Iseum, a monumental granite temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The newly reported statue remains were found in this wider archaeological setting, where large blocks and fragments can be associated with more than one period of construction.
Why were Ramesses II statues near a temple built centuries later?
Ramesses II ruled approximately 1279–1213 BCE. The principal construction phase of the Behbeit el-Hagar Iseum is associated with Nectanebo II, who ruled 360–342 BCE. That places the later temple-building phase roughly 870–900 years after Ramesses II’s death.
The chronological gap is important because the statues may not have been commissioned for the Iseum as it survives today. Current reports do not establish whether they were made for an earlier monument at Behbeit el-Hagar, transported from another location, or reused in a later complex. Stone from older royal monuments was sometimes moved or incorporated into subsequent building projects, but excavation has not yet determined which explanation applies here.
Rank #4
What the discovery does—and does not—show
- It shows that a farmer’s decision to report an inscribed block enabled officials to investigate a potentially major archaeological find.
- It provides strong inscriptional evidence linking the first colossal statue to Ramesses II.
- It supports, but does not prove to the same standard, the attribution of the second statue to the same king.
- It demonstrates the scale of royal imagery that once stood in or near the site: the first statue is estimated at about 8.5 metres including its base.
- It does not yet explain the statues’ original location, date of installation at Behbeit el-Hagar, or relationship to the later Iseum.
What happens next
Excavation is continuing. Further clearance may uncover additional fragments, inscriptions, foundations or architectural joins that clarify whether the two statues belonged to one monument, stood in different structures, or were moved into the area during a later building phase. A new inscription on the second statue would also strengthen—or revise—its current provisional identification.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
