By Tim Binnall
The sizeable remnants of two massive ancient statues were recently unearthed in Egypt after a man inadvertently found one of the pieces while working on his property. Announced on social media by the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the remarkable relics were initially revealed when the Behebat al-Hijara resident was digging in his front yard and came upon "a block of stone bearing inscriptions." Realizing this was likely no ordinary rock, the man dutifully contacted authorities, who dispatched a "specialized archaeological inspection team" to examine the intriguing discovery.
When the ancient nature of the stone was confirmed, a full-fledged excavation was launched to recover the intriguing find, which ultimately led to additional amazing relics being located. To that end, archaeologists digging in the man's yard first unearthed what was later determined to be an approximately five-foot-tall sculpted head depicting the ancient pharaoh Ramses II. Experts indicated that the remnant relic was likely the top part of an enormous 28-foot-tall statue of the Egyptian ruler.
As the archaeologists conducted the excavation, a second massive artifact was found buried on the man's property. In this instance, they recovered a nearly 8-foot-tall piece of what is thought to have been a smaller statue also representing Ramses II. Additionally, the dig also led to the discovery of a four-foot-long marble tablet featuring "hieroglyphic inscriptions" of the pharaoh's name and various titles. While the property owner who reported his discovery was commended by Egyptian officials, one cannot help but wonder if he might secretly regret that decision, considering the state of his front yard after the extensive excavations.