Workers preparing to lift parts of a statue for restoration after it was unearthed at Souq al-Khamis district in Cairo, Egypt, last Thursday. According to the Ministry of Antiquities, a German-Egyptian archaeological mission found two 19th dynasty royal statues in parts in the vicinity of the King Ramses II temple in ancient Heliopolis. The first is an 80cm-tall bust of King Seti II carved in limestone, while the second is an 8m-tall quartzite carving, which was discovered at the entrance of the King Ramses II temple, suggesting that it could belong to him. Ramses II was a formidable figure, not only in Egypt but also across much of the ancient world. During his reign from 1279 to 1213 BC, he expanded his empire east to present-day Syria and south into Sudan.