A team of archaeologists from the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of Karnak Temples has made a new discovery near the temple of Ptah at Karnak, Luxor, Egypt, during routine excavation works.
Osiris statuette and figurine. Image credit: © CNRS-Cfeetk / J. Maucor.
“Built during the reign of Thutmose III (1479 – 1424 BC), the temple of Ptah was restored, enlarged and adapted throughout the period before the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD),” the scientists said.
“It is dedicated to Ptah, a divinity associated with the Egyptian town of Memphis.”
The archaeologists have been studying the Ptah temple, which has inscriptions dating from the time of Tuthmosis III to that of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, since October 2008.
They have just completed the excavation of a favissa, a pit discovered in December 2014 to the east the temple, in the northern area of the Amun temple complex.
“The dig has yielded 38 statues, statuettes and precious objects, making this an exceptional find, both for the quantity and quality of the religious artifacts brought to light,” they said.
Head of 2,800-year-old statue probably representing Imhotep, an architect, high priest, and physician who lived around 2650 BC. Image credit: © CNRS-Cfeetk / J. Maucor.
These artifacts date from the 25th Dynasty, also known as the Nubian Dynasty (760 – 656 BC) – the last dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt, and include 14 statues and figurines of Osiris, three statuettes of baboons, two statuettes of the goddess Mut, head and fragments of a cat statuette, two unidentified statuette bases, and several inlays – iris, cornea, beards, headdresses.
Among the newly-discovered statues are a sphinx statue and a small statue head probably representing Imhotep, a famous polymath and counselor to the Pharaoh Djoser.
“The sphinx is a small white limestone statuette, measuring 50 x 20 x 30 cm. It was placed upright in a pit at the back of the temple of Ptah,” the scientists said.
Statuette of a goddess discovered near the temple of Ptah. Image credit: © CNRS-Cfeetk / J. Maucor.
“The sphinx represents a lion’s body and the royal facial features of a pharaoh, believed to be of the New Kingdom. The human head has the traditional nemes retained on the forehead by a horizontal band on top of which stands an uraeus.”
“The statuette is complete, with the exception of the nose that seems to have disappeared in antiquity. The left front paw, broken, was found positioned on top of the right front paw of the sphinx against the edge of the pit. No inscription was found for the moment, but the restoration of the sphinx starts only.”
