2025 Poster Session

The statue of King Amenemhat III (𓂋𓈙𓋴𓈙𓇬𓏏𓊪𓏏𓄂𓇋𓎼), which was previously displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, is a recumbent lion statue, also known as a "Sphinx," carved from granodiorite, a gray, highly durable, and low-porosity igneous rock. The statue is cataloged under GEM: 1381.

King Amenemhat III (𓂋𓈙𓋴𓈙𓇬𓏏𓊪𓏏𓄂𓇋𓎼) was the sixth ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty, reigning from 1860 to 1814 BC. The statue features a recumbent lion on a base also carved from the same block, with a human-like face that conveys expressive features and a lion's body symbolizing power, stability, and dominance.

The statue is distinguished by its large, non-human ears (lion’s ears), and traces of the royal beard can still be seen under the chin. The statue is fragmented with several missing parts, with the back separated into four different-sized sections, the smallest of which weighs about three kilograms.

The total weight of the statue with its separated parts is 2 tons and 227.5 kilograms, while the weight of the statue without the separate parts is approximately 2 tons and 55 kilograms.

The statue was discovered in 1863 AD in the San el-Hagar area and was transferred in 2019 AD from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the heavy artifacts area of the Grand Egyptian Museum. After completing all conservation and restoration operations, the statue was placed in its final storage location on the Grand Staircase in the Middle Kingdom section in January 2020.

A specialized restoration team conducted radar scanning to examine the statue and reveal any internal supports or assembly structures. An engineering unit and mounting specialists were involved in reassembling and properly displaying the statue. The work yielded significant findings that will be disclosed later.

The restoration process also involved a thorough analysis of previous damage and the use of modern techniques to correct past mistakes and restore the statue to its original condition as much as possible. This process adheres to established standards for archaeological conservation, including thorough assessment, use of modern techniques, and transparency in the restoration and conservation process.

This statue stands as a testament to the collaboration among diverse disciplines and highlights groundbreaking techniques in restoration and archaeological investigation. Further insights and secrets revealed by these techniques will be presented in future disclosures.