The sarcophagus of Ramses II, one of Egypt’s greatest leaders, is coming to Australia as the star attraction of an antiquity blockbuster opening in November.
The coffin of Ramses II and its occupant was discovered in 1811 within the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahari – an Egyptian archaeological site located on the west bank of the Nile River, opposite the city of Luxor and east of the Valley of the Kings.
The sarcophagus once contained the mummified remains of Ramses II, who ruled for almost 67 years during the 13th century BC and oversaw major military conquests and monumental construction projects while fathering more than 100 children. The exceptional loan was announced by the Egyptian government in Cairo on Monday evening Australian time as renowned archaeologist, Dr Zahi Hawass, revealed his team had made major discoveries while excavating the burial chamber of the 19th Dynasty king. These include never-before-seen funerary texts and burial chamber reliefs ushering the king into the afterlife, and showing Ramses’ god-like status in ancient Egypt.
“The tomb of Ramses had been completely damaged by floods and nobody had excavated the tomb,” Hawass says. “Now, I’m looking for the tunnel from the burial chamber of Ramses II to the tomb of his sons.
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