CAIRO, EGYPT—Live Science reports that statue fragments have been uncovered at the site of a temple dedicated to Ra, the sun god, within the ancient city of Heliopolis, which is located in the Matariya district of eastern Cairo. Dietrich Raue of the German Archaeological Institute said that, according to ancient Egyptian beliefs, the world was created at Heliopolis with the first sunrise. “Here the connection of kingship to the creator and sun god was celebrated,” he added. The stone fragments came from depictions of Ramesses II, who ruled Egypt from about 1279 to 1213 B.C.; Ramesses IX, who ruled from about 1126 to 1108 B.C.; Horemheb, who ruled from about 1323 to 1295 B.C.; and Psamtik II, who ruled from about 595 to 589 B.C. These statues, made up of the pharaohs’ heads on sphinx bodies, would have been placed in front of gates or beside obelisks at the temple. By placing their statues in Heliopolis, the pharaohs honored Ra and legitimized their rule, Raue explained. The statues were eventually destroyed and the pieces reused as building material in antiquity. For more on excavations at Heliopolis, go to "Egypt's Eternal City."
