The Great Discovery
"This is an as-yet unexcavated pyramid. At first our archaeologists thought it would be an early one, a simple mound. These preceded the bench-shaped mastabas, which were in turn followed by the so-called step pyramids that looked something like layer cakes. But we have found this discovery to be easily the equal of the wondrous pyramids in this valley - all built to comfortably house the bodies of pharaohs and the queens, who would bless the land forever. And now it houses us!"
- Brother Dimitrios ("Lost in Babylon" by Peter Lerangis)
There are two more reasons to visit Luxor, a city in Upper (southern) Egypt.
Luxor is the site of Thebes, which Homer rhapsodize over, in the Iliad no less. ("...in Egyptian Thebes the heaps of precious ingots gleam, the hundred-gated Thebes."). Archaeologists on Sunday unveiled two colossal statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which for tourists, gave them no excuses not to pass by this part of Egypt. After all, Luxor was described as the world's greatest open-air museum.
Amenhotep III, son of Thutmose IV, ruled Egypt from June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC. Under his reign, Egyptian civilization reached its zenith. His accomplishments were inscribed in commemorative stone scarabs, found in several archaeological sites from Syria to Sudan. Furthermore, he had that great distinction of being the pharaoh with the most surviving statues, with two hundred fifty having been discovered and identified (so far). Amenhotep ascended the throne while still a child, between six and twelve, married Tiye two years later. They have four daughters, namely Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Iset, and Nebetah. Amenhotep's rule was peaceful and uneventful. As a matter of fact, his reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity and artistic splendor. By the time of his death, Egypt commanded immense respect in the international world, the empire stretching from the Euphrates to Sudan.
The statues were raised at the original sites on the west bank of the Nile, close to Amenhotep's funerary temple. Tourists would remember this structure well, as there were two massive figures of Amenhotep, showing him seated. Now there were two more additions. "The statues had lain in pieces for centuries in the fields, damaged by destructive forces of nature like earthquake, and later by irrigation water, salt, encroachment and vandalism," Hourig Sourouzian said. She's a German-Armenian archaeologist, head of the project to converse Amenhotep's temple.
One of the new sculptures depicted the pharaoh seated, again, his hands resting on his knees. He wore a royal pleated kilt held at the waist by a large belt decorated with zigzag lines. Beside his right leg stood Tiye, who wore a large wig and a long tight-fitting dress. She was a complete figure, but archaeologists said the double crowns were missing. It was still impressive, weighing 250 tons, standing 11.5 meters tall.
The second statue was shown Amenhotep standing. It was installed at the north gate of the temple. Sourouzian and her team shown more ancient pieces, including a well-preserved alabaster head from another Amenhotep sculpture. It was a unique find, she pointed out, as there weren't many statues carved from this mineral. These were great additions to Luxor, a metropolis of intricate temples and pharaonic tombs. This and the Great Pyramid of Giza are must-see.
