Huge head of pharaoh unearthed in Egypt
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<H1>Huge head of pharaoh unearthed in Egypt </H1></DIV></TD></TR>
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<DIV><IMG border=0 hspace=0 alt="Head of Amenhotep III" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47394000/jpg/_47394113_008863634-1.jpg" width=416 height=200>
<DIV class=cap>The head was part of a gigantic statue with its hands crossed over its chest</DIV></DIV><BR clear=all><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF -->
<P class=first><B>A colossal red granite head of one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs has been unearthed in the southern city of Luxor, officials said.</B>
<P>The 3,000-year-old head of Amenhotep III - grandfather of Tutankhamun - was dug out of the ruins of the pharaoh's mortuary temple. </P>
<P>Experts say it is the best preserved example of the king's face ever found. </P>
<P>The 2.5m (8ft) head is part of a larger statue, most of which was found several years ago. </P><!-- E SF -->
<P>Antiquities officials say the statue is to be reconstructed. </P>
<P>"Other statues have always had something broken - the tip of the nose, or the face is eroded," said Dr Hourig Sourouzian, who has led the Egyptian-European expedition at the site. </P>
<P>"But here, from the top of the crown to the chin, it is so beautifully carved and polished, nothing is broken." </P>
<P><B>Vast empire</B></P>
<P>Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, described it as "a masterpiece of highly artistic quality". </P>
<P>Amenhotep III ruled Egypt from about 1387 to 1348 BC and presided over a vast empire stretching from Nubia in the south to Syria in the north. </P>
<P>Scientists using DNA tests and CT scans on several mummies have identified him as the grandfather of Tutankhamun - the boy-king born of an incestuous marriage between Akhenaten and his sister, both the offspring of Amenhotep III. </P>
<P>The massive mortuary temple in Luxor was largely destroyed, possibly by floods, and little remains of its walls. </P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>