Giant Pharaoh Head found in Egypt (March 2010)

March 1 2010

A massive, 3000 year old red granite head of an ancient pharaoh has been unearthed in Luxor, Egypt. NBCs Brian Williams reports.

Giant pharaoh statue head found in Luxor

Sunday, February 28, 2010- http://scinewsblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/giant-pharaoh-statue-head-found-...

AFP - Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a colossal statue head of the pharaoh whom DNA tests revealed last week was King Tutankhamun's grandfather, the government said on Sunday.

The red granite head of King Amenhotep III, part of a larger 3,000 year-old statue, was discovered at the site of the pharaoh's funerary temple in Luxor, Egypt's culture ministry said in a statement.

"The newly discovered head is intact and measures 2.5 metres (8.2 foot) high," antiquities chief Zahi Hawass was quoted as saying.

"It is a masterpiece of highly artistic quality and shows a portrait of the king with very fine youthful sculptured features," Hawass said, adding there were still traces of red paint on the head.

The artefact belongs to a large statue of the king standing with his hands crossed over his chest and holding the royal insignia, said Hourig Sourouzian who headed the team of archaeologists that made the find.