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Egypt Uncovers Statue Of Queen Tiye

Egypt Uncovers Statue Of Queen Tiye - Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/RT

European archaeologists working around the area of the King Amenhotep III Funerary Temple found what could possibly be a unique statue of Queen Tiye.

The unearhted statue - Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

The unearhted statue – Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Along the west bank of the Nile, just outside of Luxor, team of European archaeologists found what they believe could be the a previously unnoticed statue of Queen Tiye, the grandmother of boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said that the statue was uncovered after a section of another statue, one of King Amenhotep III, was lifted up and moved.

While still under investigation, the experts have reasons to believe that the statue belongs to Queen Tiye, who was not only King Tutankhamun’s grandmother, but also King Amenhotep III’s wife.

The Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Dr. Khaled El Enanym described the statue as “beautiful, distinguished and unique.”

Restoration work will begin immediately to decipher the carvings that date back tens of centuries. The King Amenhotep III Funerary Temple itself was built sometime between 1390 and 1353 BC to house the remains of royal ancient Egyptians after their deaths and serve as their final resting place in this world.

The head of the statue believed to belong to Pharaoh Ramses II - Khaled Desouki - AFP

The head of the statue believed to belong to Pharaoh Ramses II – Khaled Desouki – AFP

A statue to Queen Tiye had never been found inside the temple before, and comes more than a hundred years after French archaeologist Victor Loret found her mummified body in the Valley of the Kings.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced that they had unearthed a statue that depicts Pharaoh Ramses II outside of Cairo. However, they now believe that it might in fact depict Psamtik I, the first king of Egypt’s 26th Dynasty.

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