Remnants of ancient Egyptian statue unearthed in Israel

Archeologists said on Monday they have discovered remnants of an ancient statue depicting an Egyptian official in northern Israel.

The team, led by researchers from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said the find was unearthed in Tel-Hazor, north of the Sea of Galilee, a biblical site where a sphinx fragment of the Egyptian king Mycerinus, who ruled Egypt in the 25th century BC, was discovered three years ago.

The crouching foot, the only remaining part of the statue, is seated on a square base on which a few lines in the Egyptian hieroglyphic script are inscribed, the researchers said in a statement.

The statue was originally placed either in the official's tomb or in a temple, most probably a temple of the Egyptian god Ptah, the statement said.

The inscription engraved on the statue's base includes words of praise to the official, who most probably served in the region of Memphis, the primary cult center of the god Ptah.

The inscription also includes the customary Egyptian funerary formula ensuring an endless supply of offerings for the statue's owner. Endit