Cairo, Oct 4

A life-size statue of the nineteenth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II, was unearthed in the Nile delta town of Tel-Basta Thursday, media reported.

The 195-cm high and 160-cm wide red granite statue was found accidentally by a German-Egyptian excavation mission in the Great Temple area inside the temple of cat Goddess Bastet in Sharkiya's Tel-Basta, Xinhua reported citing a report from state-run Al-Ahram.

Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim was quoted as saying that the statue depicts King Ramses II standing between Goddess Hathor and God Petah. Hieroglyphic text and the cartouche of the king are engraved on the back of the statue.

Another statue made of sand stone was discovered by the mission. The statue appeared to depict an unidentified top official. The statue also carried hieroglyphic text.

Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, head of the ancient Egyptian department at the ministry of antiquities, said the discovery is of a great importance as it suggests that Tel-Basta was once home to a New Kingdom temple dedicated to King Ramses II.

By:IANS