CAIRO – Egypt’s antiquities minister says a massive statue recently discovered in Cairo and thought to be of one of the country’s most famous pharaohs may actually be of another ancient Egyptian ruler.
The minister, Khaled el-Anani, told a news conference Thursday that the colossus discovered last week in an eastern Cairo suburb almost certainly depicts Psamtek I, who ruled Egypt between 664 and 610 B.C.
El-Anani spoke in the front yard of the famed Egyptian museum in the heart of Cairo. Sitting just yards away from him were parts of the statue, including the torso and a partial head, which were ferried from the site to the museum early on Thursday.
The statue was thought to be of Ramses II, who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago.
