The
discovery of the torso of an ancient Egyptian colossus stirs a debate on the
real identity and the manner in which it was retrieved. Written By/ Nevine El
Aref.
International
attention this week turned to Matariya, a slum area of Ain Shams. The
reason: the removal of a seven-tonne
quartzite torso, part of a colossal statue which was pulled out of a muddy pit.
Hundreds of local and foreign journalists, TV reporters, government officials
and foreign ambassadors to Egypt gathered in the gardens of the Egyptian Museum
in Cairo on Friday to admire the newly discovered Matariya colossus.
During
the event, Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany announced that the colossus
probably represented the 26thDynasty pharaoh Psammetick I and not Ramses II as
had previously been thought. “There is a strong possibility that the colossus
is of Psammetick I,” El-Enany told reporters, adding that there was a small
possibility that the statue had originally been made for Ramses II but reused
by Psammetick.
“Further
studies of the hieroglyphics on the back of the torso will reveal more,”
El-Enany told Al-Ahram Weekly, adding that “if the statue was originally carved
for Psammetick I it would be very important as it would show how ancient
Egyptian artisans had succeeded in revitalising sculpture in the Late Period.” “It
would also be the largest colossus of the Late Period ever found in Egypt,” he
said. The colossus is carved in quartzite and originally measured about nine
metres tall. The two fragments of the colossus are now at the Egyptian Museum
in Tahrir Square for restoration and temporary exhibition until they are
transported to the Grand Egyptian Museum where they will be placed on show.
Last week morning Souq Al-Khamis Al-Gadid,
which neighbours the Matariya obelisk site, was a hive of activity as Egyptian
and German archaeologists prepared to raise the newly discovered torso out of
the pit where it has rested for thousands of years, many of them spent
submerged in ground water. The torso was fastened with padded ropes attached to
a hook lift crane. Beside the pit Upper Egyptian workers from Qift prepared a
mat of sand for the torso.
Minister
of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany was present, alongside members of parliament,
ministry officials and Moushira Khattab, Egypt’s candidate for the post of
UNESCO director-general. Hundreds of Egyptian and foreign journalists,
photographers and TV cameras were positioned behind the pit. Residents of Souq
Al-Khamis were hanging out of their windows, the better to catch a glimpse of
the scene. Finally the gigantic ancient Egyptian royal torso emerged.
Local
residents clapped and whistled as restorers dressed in white gowns, gloves and
helmets approached the 3,000-year-old statue. “It is in a very good condition,”
said Eissa Zidan, head of the Restoration Department at the Grand Egyptian
Museum (GEM). There were no scratches or other damage and the statue, he added,
was skillfully carved. The lifting of the part of the colossus’ head, however,
provoked controversy, leading the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) to
begin an investigation into the manner in which the fragment of the colossus
had been raised.
The
controversy was fuelled by some Egyptologists and concerned citizens taking to
social media after they were shocked by images of the statue being lifted with
a backhoe. Rumours soon spread that use of the heavy mechanical digger had
broken the statue.
Criticism
of the ministry grew as photographs were published showing part of the
colossus’ head wrapped in a blanket emblazoned with the cartoon character
Spiderman, and of children playing unsupervised next to the statue and taking
selfies with it. “The Ministry of Antiquities raised the sections of the statue
with great success,” El-Enany told Al-Ahram Weekly.
“The
first part of the statue was not broken during removal. It was found in
pieces,” said El-Enany. Unfortunately, the same applies to many Matariya
monuments. The ancient city of Heliopolis, which is buried beneath the site,
was destroyed in antiquity and subsequently used as a quarry, furnishing
building materials for monuments in Alexandria and in Cairo. El-Enany was
unhappy, however, with photographs “showing children playing beside the first
part of the statue which was left on site without any supervision”. This was
the reason, he told the Weekly, that he had ordered an administrative
investigation.
“We
accept any positive criticism,” El-Enany added before calling on Egyptians to
work hard to present a positive image of the country in order to promote
tourism. “Unearthing the torso was not
an easy task, the team was working in a very difficult condition,” Zidan told
the Weekly. The colossus was embedded on its side in the muddy pit and within
30 minutes of the surrounding ground water being pumped out it had returned to
depths of three metres. “We tried to lift the torso dozens of times before we
succeeded,” he said... READ MORE.
