Editing Memphis, Egypt (section)

===Statues of Ramesses II===
[[File:Colossal sculpture of Ramesses II.stl|thumb|A 3-D scan of the colossal sculpture of Ramesses II in Memphis museum, Egypt]]
[[File:Flickr - IDS.photos - Cairo sculptures, Egypt. (1).jpg|thumb|The colossus of Ramesses II in the open-air museum]]
The ruins of ancient Memphis have yielded a large number of sculptures representing [[Rameses II|Ramesses II]].
Within the museum in Memphis is a giant statue of him carved of monumental [[limestone]], about 10 metres in length. It was discovered in 1820 near the southern gate of the temple of Ptah by Italian archaeologist [[Giovanni Battista Caviglia|Giovanni Caviglia]]. Because the base and feet of the sculpture are broken off from the rest of the body, it is currently displayed lying on its back. Some of the colours are still partially preserved, but the beauty of this statue lies in its flawless detail of the complex and subtle forms of human anatomy. The king wears the white crown of Upper Egypt, [[Hedjet]].

Caviglia offered to send the statue to Grand Duke of Tuscany, [[Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Leopold II]], through the mediation of [[Ippolito Rosellini]]. Rosellini advised the sovereign of the terrible expenses involved with transportation, and considered as necessary the cutting of the colossus into pieces. The [[Wāli]] and self-declared [[Khedive]] of Egypt and Sudan, [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali Pasha]], offered to donate it to the [[British Museum]], but the museum declined the offer because of the difficult task of shipping the huge statue to London. It therefore remained in the archaeological area of Memphis in the museum built to protect it.

The colossus was one of a pair that historically adorned the eastern entrance to the temple of Ptah. [[Statue of Ramesses II (Mit Rahina)|The other]], found in the same year also by Caviglia, was restored in the 1950s to its full standing height of 11 metres. It was first displayed in the Bab Al-Hadid square in Cairo, which was subsequently renamed Ramses Square. Deemed an unsuitable location, it was moved in 2006 to a temporary location in [[Giza]], where it underwent restoration before being installed at the entrance of the [[Grand Egyptian Museum]] in January 2018. A replica of the statues stands in a suburb of [[Cairo]], [[Heliopolis (Cairo suburb)|Heliopolis]].