Archaeologists
unveiled a restored colossal statue of Amenhotep III that was toppled
in an earthquake more than 3,000 years ago at Egypt's famed temple city
of Luxor.
The
statue showing him in a striding attitude was re-erected at the
northern gate of the king's funerary temple on the west bank of the
Nile.
The
temple is already famous for its existing 3,400-year-old Memnon colossi
- twin statues of Amenhotep III whose reign archaeologists say marked
the political and cultural zenith of ancient Egyptian civilisation.
The
12.92-metre (43-foot) statue unveiled stands west of an existing effigy
of the king, also depicting him walking, which was unveiled in March.
The world-famous twin Memnon colossi are 21 metres tall but show the pharaoh seated.
The restored statue now stands again for the first time since its collapse 3,200 years ago, Sourouzian told AFP from Luxor.
Consisting of 89 large pieces and numerous small fragments and reassembled since November, the monolith weighs 110 tonnes.
It
had lain broken in pieces after the earthquake in 1200 BC, Sourouzian
said. The statue shows the king wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt,
and each hand holding a papyrus roll inscribed with his name, like the
one standing next to it that was unveiled earlier this year.
His belt, holding a dagger with a falcon-head handle, is fastened with a rectangular clasp bearing the names of the king.
Work
to conserve the Amenhotep III temple is entirely funded through private
and international donations. Pharaoh Amenhotep III inherited an empire
that stretched from the Euphrates to Sudan, archaeologists say.
The
18th dynasty ruler became king aged around 12, with his mother as
regent. Amenhotep III died in around 1354 BC and was succeeded by his
son Amenhotep IV, widely known as Akhenaten.
Luxor,
a city of some 500,000 people on the banks of the Nile in southern
Egypt, is an open-air museum of intricate temples and pharaonic tombs.
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