Archaeologists uncover massive artifact depicting pharaoh thought to have challenged Moses in Exodus

Archaeologists in Egypt recently uncovered a massive statue believed to depictKing Ramses II, the pharoah believed to be a major character in the Old Testament.

The statue was found at the Tel Pharaoh site in Husseiniya Center, Sharqia Governorate, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said on April 22.The site is in Egypt’s Nile Delta, northeast of Cairo.

Officials also described the statue as “remarkable” in size, weighing between 5 and 6 tons and measuring over 7 feet long.

TEXAS ROAD CONSTRUCTION UNEARTHS ‘COLOSSAL’ PREHISTORIC REMAINS OF ‘BIG OL’ ANIMALS’

In a translated statement, the ministry described the statue as being in a “relatively poor condition of preservation,” with its legs and base missing.

Still, officials described the statue as “likely represent[ing] King Ramses II.”

The statue is believed to depict Ramses II, a ruler often linked by historians to Moses and the Exodus story.The excavation site is seen at left.(Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities;Rischgitz/Getty Images)

Ramesses II, born in 1303 B.C., is considered one of the most influential and powerful Egyptian rulers of the New Kingdom era.

Read More → Home robot cooks, cleans and organizes your life

biblical Book of Exodus, though no name is given in the Old Testament.

Ramesses II is said to have retaliated against Moses and refused his requests, which resulted in a series of plagues. He died in 1213 B.C.

Officials said the statue was discovered at the Tel Pharaoh site and may depict Ramses II.(Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

Egyptian antiquities official Mohamed Abdel Badie said the statue was likely moved in ancient times and reused at the site.

Read More → Pediatricians group stands up for kids’rapidly shrinking recess time: ‘Very powerful benefit’

ancient times as ‘Imet,’to be reused within one of the religious complexes, reflecting the religious and historical importance of the site across different periods,” said Badie.

The statement also described the statue as “one of the important archaeological pieces of evidence that shed light on aspects of religious and royal activity in the eastern Delta region.”

The biblical account describes Moses challenging a pharaoh, whom some scholars identify as Ramses II.(Culture Club/Getty Images)

“As part of efforts to preserve this discovery, the statue was immediately transferred upon its discovery from within the temple complex at the site to the museum storage facility in the San El-Hagar area,” the statement noted.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

The move was “in preparation for the start of precise and urgent restoration work, in accordance with the highest scientific standards followed in the conservation and preservation of antiquities.”

The find adds to a growing list ofarchaeological discoveriesrecently announced across Egypt.

Ramses II, born in 1303 B.C., is widely considered one of ancient Egypt’s most influential rulers.(Prisma/UIG/Getty Images)

Read More → Simple diet change could relieve painful bathroom symptoms, experts say

In late March, officials revealed eightrare papyrus scrollsdating back nearly 3,000 years, with their contents still unknown.

Read More → Too loud?Ticket’s in the mail

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

Officials also recently unveiled the remains of an ancient religious complexin North Sinai, a site often identified with a biblical city mentioned in the Old Testament.