An Egyptian farmer found a mysterious pink stone in his field — it led archaeologists to two giant statues of Ramses II buried for centuries

A normal day of working on his farm in Egypt’s Nile Delta ended up in an incredible way as a local farmer, Khaled al-Shahat, noticed a pinkish stone containing inscriptions resembling ancient hieroglyphs. Rather than taking this strange stone for a common piece of rock, he informed the police about his discovery. The result was a much more interesting discovery as pieces of two large statues belonging to Ramses II – one of the most famous pharaohs in the history of ancient Egypt were discovered.

This discovery occurred on the territory of the farmland located near a village named Behbeit El-Hagar, which is situated to the north of Cairo and is famous for the ruins of the temple dedicated to Isis. As reported by Smithsonian Magazine, this discovery was made by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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This discovery gives scientists new information that will allow them to study the history of the temple complex as well as the construction activities of Ramses II in this region. It is also an example of how much archaeological information may lie hidden under cultivated areas far away from popular Egyptian monuments.

According to Shahat, he was both surprised and happy to discover more artifacts on his lands. It was believed that these finds could revolutionize the way people knew about the history of this area.

A pink granite stone led archaeologists to a much bigger find

The object that began the investigation was a block of pink granite measuring more than four feet in length.

As per Smithsonian Magazine, it was discovered near the body of one of the statues and had markings on it that were from hieroglyphic inscriptions related to Ramses II.

The titles included in the hieroglyphs were “Nesw-Bity,” which stands for “king of Upper and Lower Egypt” and “Sa-Ra,” which stood for “son of Ra.” The ancient Egyptian sun god had these titles, and such titles defined the royal position of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt.

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Recognising the possible importance of the stone, Shahat alerted the authorities, who sent archaeologists to examine the site. Their subsequent work revealed that the granite block was only one part of a much larger archaeological picture.

The find is particularly relevant because the area is already associated with an important religious complex. Researchers are now examining whether the newly uncovered fragments belonged to statues erected as part of construction or renovation work connected with the temple.

The stone alone cannot answer those questions.

Its inscriptions, position and relationship to the other objects will need to be considered alongside evidence recovered during the continuing excavation, Smithsonian Magazine reported.

One statue may have stood nearly 28 feet tall

Some of the most fascinating discoveries are those of a head that stands about five feet tall. It is thought to have been from an enormous statue that portrayed Ramses II. He is seen wearing the double crown, representing his reign over both Upper and Lower Egypt.

Researchers also recovered part of the statue’s back pillar. The surviving section bears the pharaoh’s formal royal title, providing further evidence linking the remains to Ramses II.

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Based on the head’s dimensions, officials estimate that the complete statue, including its base, may have reached nearly 28 feet in height. That measurement remains a reconstruction based on the surviving fragment rather than the dimensions of an intact monument.

Another statue is shown in a statue fragment that is close to eight feet high.

It lacks its base and legs, but its head is wearing a nemes, which is a unique headpiece of a stripe design usually worn by pharaohs. There are similarities observed in the facial structure of both the statues.

With the lack of information on the missing parts, it becomes hard to confirm how the statues initially appeared and how they were displayed. Archaeologists need to figure out whether the statues existed as a pair, had distinct phases of construction, or they were displaced from their initial placement.

As mentioned in Smithsonian Magazine, the discoveries are under study and the link between the two fragments is an important question.

Why Ramses II’s connection to the temple matters

King Ramses II ruled Egypt from around 1279 to 1213 BCE and is most famous for his military exploits and construction projects and for being heavily depicted as the pharaoh. Some of the most prominent ancient Egyptian buildings were built during Ramses II's rule, such as those in Karnak and at Abu Simbel.

The recent discovery can help historians figure out how far the ruler’s construction project reached the Nile Delta.

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Behbeit el Hagar is most popular for its ruins that belong to the temple of Isis, the goddess of motherhood and healing.

The temple was built mostly by Nectanebo II, who ruled between 360 and 343 BCE, while the finishing touches were done by the Ptolemies – Ptolemy II and Ptolemy III. The temple fell down before the third century CE due to some natural disaster, most likely an earthquake, according to the timeline presented by Smithsonian Magazine.

Ramses II died many years prior to the construction of the temple. The presence of the fragments thus begs a number of questions as to the past of this area and whether a building dedicated to the pharaoh used to stand here.

Mahmoud Emam, an Egyptologist from Cairo University who did not take part in the recent archaeological excavations, told Live Science that the fragments were discovered in the western part of the temple complex. Two architectural fragments bearing the name of Ramses II were also discovered in the same place back in 2017.

The researchers were able to infer from their discoveries that the construction projects were carried out by the pharaoh. Recent discoveries give additional evidence which needs to be studied, but they still have not revealed the exact nature of his activities in this place.

The archaeologists will be able to uncover and analyze the excavated artifacts. Their next aim is to figure out the connection between the statues and also find out what else could be found under the ground.

In any case, it is clear that the discovery made by the farmer gave another insight into the history of ancient Egyptian landscape which was much more complicated than we could have thought before.