AN ancient rose granite statue of Ramses II, one of Egypt's most glorified pharaohs, has been unearthed at the Giza plateau. Archaeologists say it could help fill gaps in the area's mysterious history.
After months of routine scrapping and digging at the foot of the Pyramid of Mycerinos, the smallest of three at Giza, the Egyptian excavators literally ran into the 3.5 tonne statue showing Ramses as the pharaoh and then, with the disc of the sun, as the god Re'-Harakhty.
Excavators found the incomplete double headed statue, which is almost 3.4 metres (11.2 feet) tall, jostled by limestone bricks and coated in centuries old dust and sand in what they believe was an ancient workshop.
Archaeologists hail the area around the Giza pyramids, which is littered with artefacts, as one of ancient Egypt's most important cemeteries.