The statue fragment is believed to depict Ramesses II, one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Egypt. Many historians connect him to the Pharaoh described in the Book of Exodus, who refused to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Part of the large statue, including its foot and base, was discovered at Tel Pharaoh in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta, northwest of the Red Sea, during ongoing excavations led by the country’s Supreme Antiquities Council, the Mail reports.
The piece found is about seven feet long. Its weight is estimated to be between five to six tonnes.
Some parts of the statue are worn and damaged, but archaeologists said there are enough details to link it to royal statues made during Egypt’s New Kingdom period, which lasted from about 1550 to 1070 BC. Ramesses, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC, was known for his military prowess.
It has been suggested that the statue may not have been originally made for the location where it was discovered and researchers believe it may have been transported from Pi-Ramesses, the grand royal city founded by Ramesses II in the Nile Delta.
From there, experts suspect it was later taken to Tel Pharaoun, known in ancient times as Emet, where it may have been reused inside a temple complex.
Ramesses is often identified as the Biblical Pharaoh primarily because of Exodus 1:1, which mentions Hebrew slaves building the cities of Pithom and Ramesses (pi-Ramesses). It is believed that these cities were built under Ramesses II in the 13th century BC.
It is believed that the ancient city of Pi-Ramesses was located in the same area of ​​the eastern Nile Delta where the statue fragment was discovered.
Although the pharaoh is not named in the Bible, this geographical connection, combined with his long, influential reign and timing of the 19th Dynasty, makes him a popular historical candidate, often reinforced by popular media.
However, there is no direct archaeological evidence confirming the identity of the Pharaoh described in the Book of Exodus.
