Archaeologists find 4,000-year-old Egypt queen statue

JESSICA SARACENI
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed the life-sized head of an ancient wooden statue, thought to depict a queen who ruled the country more than 4,000 years ago. It was crafted to nearly human proportions, though with a long neck that stretched nearly 30 centimeters
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Archaeologists find 4,000-year-old Egypt queen statue:

More than 4000 years back, ancient Egyptian artisans carved the likenes of a queen into a wooden statue and even bejeweled her highness with wooden earrings, according to a new discovery announced by Egypts antiquities ministry.

The newly found wooden head likely portrays the sixth-dynasty ruler, Queen Ankhnespepy II (also spelled Ankhesenpepi II), the ministry said.

The life-size, 12-inch-tall (30 centimeters)wooden head was discovered in a disturbed layer of Earth near the queens temple in the Saqqara necropolis by a French and Swiss archaeology team from the University of Geneva. 

Ankhnespepy II has a storied history. She was born a commoner, but then her elder sister, Ankhenespepi I, married Pharaoh Pepi I.

The two had a son named Merenre, Egyptologist Vivienne Callender wrote in a 2012 report for The Encyclopedia of Ancient History.

Then, the younger sister, Ankhnespepy II, married the Pharaoh Pepi I. After Pharaoh Pepi I died in about 2350 B.C.,

The queen acted as a regent for her 6-year-old son, Pepi II until he came of age, Callender said. Moreover, Ankhnespepy II married her nephew Merenre, a marriage that scholar considers to be “unique in Egyptian history,” Callender wrote.

Ankhnespepy II and her nephew had a daughter who was also named Ankhenespepi.

Given that Ankhnespepy II was not born a royal, it is astounding that “she was one of the most influential queens in Egyptian history,” Callender wrote in the report.

Earlier this week, archaeologist found a pyramidion — a capstone for an obelisk — in the same area where they discovered the wooden head, which is about an hours drive south of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Philippe Collombert, the head of the French-Swiss archaeology team and an Egyptologist at the University of Geneva, told the Egypt Ministry of Antiquities.

The pyramidion was made out of pink granite, and may belong to the queens funerary temple, Collombert said.

“It is a promising area that could reveal more of its secrets soon,” Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt, said in a statement.

The archaeologist plan to continue their excavations, with the goal of finding other pyramid built for the queen and the associated funerary complex and artifacts, Waziri said.

 

The head was discovered at the ancient necropolis during work led by a French-Swiss team from Geneva University. Experts suspect it was modeled after Ankhesenpepi II – the mother of King Pepi II of the 6th dynasty, who ascended to the throne at the age of six
The head was discovered at the ancient necropolis during work led by a French-Swiss team from Geneva University. Experts suspect it was modeled after Ankhesenpepi II – the mother of King Pepi II of the 6th dynasty, who ascended to the throne at the age of six

Source: dailymail.co.uk


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JESSICA SARACENI

Jessica Saraceni has been a part of Histecho Since 2018, drawn to the site for its quirky character and through Articles about the Mysteries of earth and human behavior. previously, she was an assistant editor and Research fellow at Archaeology magazine, where she gained an appreciation for the field work. A master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental science from the Center for Archaeological Research, the University of Texas at San Antonio. She enjoys all forms of exercise; reading works by her favorite author, Haruki Murakami; and playing with her sons.