The unearthing of a life-sized statue in limestone of King Zoser, the builder of the famous Step Pyramid of Sakkara, reported by Reuter’s is confirmed by the “Egyptian Gazette” today. It is the first statue of the Third Dynasty ever found in position, and the first statue of King Zoser ever discovered.
This statue was unearthed at the base of the Step Pyramid, and is in a good state of preservation, the paper states. It is anticipated that further important discoveries will result from the excavation now in progress.
“The Step Pyramid of Sakkara lies out in the dessert, a day’s journey from the better known pyramids which stand in line with the Sphinx near Cairo. It was built for King Zoser by Imhotep more than 5,000 years before Christ, according to some authorities. It is, therefore, 3,500 years older than Tutankhamen and the objects found in his tomb.
“Imhotep, the builder, wrote the first known books on morality and the wise ordering of life. His works were read and reverenced in Egypt for 5,000 years.
“The magnificent pyramid which he built to conceal the mummy of King Zoser, is the oldest pyramid in Egypt. It contains numerous passages, and the burial chamber lies in the rock beneath the great pile. It was entered and robbed thousands of years ago, but when opened in modern times one chamber contained a human skull and the gilded soles of two feet. The important excavations at Sakkara are illuminating a period of history which is so distant that little or nothing is known of it beyond the fact that civilization had reached a high stage of development then. The Pharaohs of 5,000 years ago built ships of cedar wood from Lebanon, made war on the Negroes of the south, and erected monuments which have ever since been among the wonders of the world,” the Egyptian Gazette states.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
