A headless granite colossus which may have been part of a statue of King Ptolemy IV has been unearthed at Taposiris Magna on the north coast near Alexandria, reports Nevine El-Aref During routine excavation work at Taposiris Magna Temple in the Abusir archaeological area 50km west of Alexandria, an Egyptian archaeological mission supervised by Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has discovered a huge headless granite statue of an as yet unidentified Ptolemaic king. The mission has also located the original gate of the temple as well as evidence revealing that the temple, which was dedicated to the worship of Osiris, was built according to the traditional ancient Egyptian design. Hawass described the statue as very well preserved, and said it was one of the most beautiful statues ever found carved according to the ancient Egyptian style as it bore the traditional shape of an ancient Egyptian king wearing a collar and kilt. Hawass believes that the statue may have been an image of King Ptolemy IV, the founder of the temple. As for the temple's original gate, Hawass said it was located on the west side of the complex along with a number of limestone foundations that once outlined the entrance. One of these foundations, he said, bore traces suggesting that the entrance was outlined by a series of sphinx-shaped statues similar to those fashioned in the dynastic era. The mission began excavating at Abusir five years ago with the goal of discovering the tomb of the famous lovers Queen Cleopatra VII and Mark Anthony. According to Hawass, there is evidence to prove that Cleopatra was not buried in the tomb built for her beside the royal palace -- which now lies under the waves in the Eastern Harbour on the Mediterranean coast of Alexandria. Hawass pointed out that over its years of excavations the mission had unearthed a number of headless royal statues which might have been destroyed during the Christian Byzantine era. A number of heads featuring Cleopatra VII were also uncovered, along with 24 metal coins bearing an image of the queen's face. A necropolis containing mummies from the Greek and Roman eras was also discovered in the back courtyard of the temple. Hawass said that early investigations showed that the mummies were buried with their heads turned towards the temple, which indicated that the temple housed a significant royal personality.
