IRAQ: SMALL STATUE OF EGYPTIAN PHARAOH FOUND
Michael Cohen [email protected]
Allnewsweb.com
http://www. allnewsweb.com/page5995991.php
Feb 16 2009
Australia
Archaeologists have discovered a small ancient statue of the Egyptian
pharaoh Tutankhamen in Kurdish Northern Iraq. The discovery was
made by a team led by noted Iraqi archaeologist Mr Hassan Ahmad in
an area known as Dohuq Valley in a place referred to by locals as
‘Pharaoh’s Palace’.
Experts have estimated the age of the statue at around 3500 years old,
dating from around 1400 BC. The statue confirms historical data that
the ancient Egyptians, during the ‘New Kingdom’ period, enjoyed warm
relations with the Hittite Mitanni Kingdom and often travelled into
their territory many hundreds of miles from the Nile. The Mitanni
Kingdom was a powerful force around 15-1300 BC and are regarded by
many historians as the ancestors of the modern day Armenians.
The find also confirms that the name of the area where the statue
was unearthed ‘Pharaoh’s Palace’ has a historical basis. Some have
suggested that the pharaohs might have come here to escape the harsh
heat of the Egyptian summer.