ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PHARAOH RECOVERED
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[ June 7th 2005 ]

A team of French archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Egyptian pharaoh dating back more than 3,600 years. The rare statue of Egypt's King Neferhotep - measuring 1.8 meters in height - was unearthed as archaeologists carried out repairs around the Karnak Temple in the southern city of Luxor, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Francois Larche, one of the team that found the limestone statue of the king, whose name means "beautiful and good", said it was lying about 1.6 metres below ground near an obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, the only woman to have reigned as a pharaoh in Egypt, ruling from 1504-1484 BC, reports AFP.

Neferhotep was the 22nd king of the 13th Dynasty. The son of a temple priest in Abydos, he ruled Egypt from 1696-1686 BC. Experts believe his father's position helped him to ascend the throne, as there was no royal blood in his family.