CAIRO: Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the granite head and bust of one of the most powerful 19th Dynasty pharaohs, Ramses II (1279-1213 BC), in Tell Basta, Egypt. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced the discovery on Wednesday, saying that the head once belonged to a colossal statue of the king. Excavators found the pink granite head during routine excavations in Tell Basta, which was once a capital of ancient Egypt, 80 kilometres north of Cairo in the Nile Delta, Hosni said. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the head alone is 76 cm high, has a broken nose and a missing false beard. He explained that the finding was extremely significant as it may lead them closer to a major temple of Ramses II in the area. Tell Basta is currently undergoing some major developments, Egyptian officials said, adding that a museum and visitor's center in the near future are currently being constructed. The site was important to the ancient Egyptian cat-goddess Bastet and was a significant center from the old kingdom until the end of the Roman period. Only two years earlier, a large statue of the daughter and wife of Ramses II, Meritamum, was discovered and re-erected at the site. Ramses II ruled over Egypt for about 68 years and is one of Egypt's longest-serving pharaohs who is believed to have lived up to 90 years. His reign marks the last peak of Egypt's imperial power. Known as 'Ramses the Great' he is believed to be the pharaoh mentioned in the biblical story of Moses. The great king led over the period of military expansion in Egypt. His tireless and continuous building of palaces and temples, including the well known Abu Simbel temple in the far south, was the most notable in Egyptian history. His mummy was found in 1881 and was moved to Cairo's Egyptian Museum where it quickly became one the biggest tourist attractions in the country. Other monuments at the site included a huge temple for Bastet and large group of mudbrick structures, from the 26th Dynasty, which were used for the burial of mummified cats.
