2,000 mummified rams’ heads were gifted to long-dead ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2023

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Some of the horned skulls that were recently uncovered at a temple dedicated to Ramesses II in Abydos. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

More than 2,000 mummified rams’ heads have been unearthed at an ancient temple in Egypt. The severed skulls were likely prepared as an offering to the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, around 1,000 years after he died.

The severed heads were uncovered at the Ramesses II temple in Abydos, an ancient city around 430 miles (692 kilometers) south of Cairo. The temple was built in the honor of Ramesses II, who reigned between circa 1279 B.C. and 1213 B.C. The temple, which was built after the pharaoh’s death and does not hold his remains, was discovered over 150 years ago. Its noteworthy features include pillars bearing the depiction of Osiris, a god famous for dying and then coming back to life, and an imposing black stone arch, according to Tour Egypt (opens in new tab) .

The eerie cranium collection was found by researchers from New York University inside a previously undiscovered ancient storage building in the northern part of the temple, representatives from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a translated Facebook post (opens in new tab) .

Some of the rams’ heads were covered in bandages and had been partially preserved, but the majority are now fleshless skulls.

The team also found the remains of goats, dogs, cows, deer and an ostrich at the site. All of the animal remains likely date to around 1,000 years after Ramsses II ruled Egypt and were likely left as an offering to the much-revered king in the afterlife, ministry representatives wrote.

Related: Ancient Egyptian pharaoh-sphinx statues unearthed at sun temple Image 1 of 2One of the partially preserved mummified heads uncovered at the site. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) more of the rams skulls collected in a larger pile. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

Ramesses II is renowned for his unusually long 66-year reign and for expanding ancient Egypt’s empire while also maintaining alliances with its neighbors. Artwork depicting the pharaoh often shows him as a great warrior king, which is probably why he was so revered so long after his death. However, historical records suggest his military prowess may have been overhyped, according to Britannica (opens in new tab) .

The ministry said excavations at the temple also revealed another previously unknown building that dates to Egypt’s sixth dynasty (circa 2323 B.C. to 2150 B.C.) which predates Ramsses II by around 1,100 years.Image 1 of 2The crumbled remains of a thick wall from the newly discovered ancient building. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) A collection of some of the artefacts found in the ancient building. (Image credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)

The new building has unusually thick walls — around 16.4 feet (5 meters) across — and contains a number of unusual artifacts, including statues, stone slabs, clothing, leather shoes, papyruses and the remains of a tree.RELATED STORIES—Ancient Egyptian mummification was never intended to preserve bodies, new exhibit reveals

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The new building will “greatly contribute to rethinking the activities and architecture of the old state in Abydus,” ministry representatives wrote.

This is not the only recent noteworthy discovery tied to Ramsses II. In 2019, a massive 13-ton (11.8 metric ton) sphinx depicting Ramsses II made its public debut after being hidden away for more than a century. In 2021, an elaborate tomb belonging to one of the pharaoh’s highest-ranking officials was discovered in Saqqara. And in January, Ramsses II was brought back to life with a stunning facial reconstruction that shows what the ancient king might have looked like in his prime.

Politics

Starmer ran the gauntlet with Trump but just about emerged intact

Published

2 hours ago

July 28, 2025

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Starmer ran the gauntlet with Trump but just about emerged intact

When TV cameras are let in to film world leaders meeting in person, the resulting footage is usually incredibly boring for journalists and incredibly safe for politicians.

Not with Donald Trump.

Sir Keir Starmer ran the gauntlet on Monday.

Trump latest: President treats PM to a ride on Air Force One

Put through a total of almost 90 minutes of televised questioning alongside the American leader, it was his diciest encounter with the president yet.

But he still just about emerged intact.

For a start, he can claim substantive policy wins after Trump announced extra pressure on Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire and dialled up the concern over the devastating scenes coming from Gaza.

There were awkward moments aplenty though.

Top of the list is Mr Trump’s trashing of the prime minister’s Labour colleague, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

But more important than that, Monday’s meeting was the clearest representation of the political gulf that separates the two leaders.

“He’s slightly more liberal than me,” Mr Trump said of Sir Keir when he arrived in Scotland.

What an understatement.

On green energy, immigration, taxation and online regulation, the differences were clear to see.

Sir Keir just about managed to paper over the cracks by chuckling at times, choosing his interventions carefully and always attempting to sound eminently reasonable.

At times, it had the energy of a man being forced to grin and bear inappropriate comments from his in-laws at an important family dinner.

But hey, it stopped a full Trump implosion – so I suppose that’s a win.

My main takeaway from this Scotland visit though is not so much the political gulf present between the two men, but the gulf in power.

Sir Keir flew the length of the country he leads to be the guest at the visiting president’s resort.

He was then forced to sit through more than an hour of uncontrolled, freewheeling questioning from a man most of his party and voters despise, during which he was offered unsolicited advice on how to beat Nigel Farage and criticised (albeit indirectly) on key planks of his government’s policy platform.

In return he got warm words about him (and his wife) and relatively incremental announcements on two foreign policy priorities.

So why does he do it?

Because, to borrow a quote from a popular American political TV series: “Air Force One is a big plane and it makes a hell of a noise when it lands on your head.”

World

Israeli human rights organisations accuse country of genocide

Published

2 hours ago

July 28, 2025

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Israeli human rights organisations accuse country of genocide

Two Israeli human rights organisations have said the country is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

In reports published on Monday, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said Israel was carrying out “coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”.

The two groups are the first major voices within Israeli society to make such accusations against the state during nearly 22 months of war against Hamas.

Israel has vehemently denied claims of genocide. David Mencer, a spokesperson for the government, called the allegation by the rights groups “baseless”.

He said: “There is no intent, (which is) key for the charge of genocide… it simply doesn’t make sense for a country to send in 1.9 million tonnes of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide.”

B’Tselem director Yuli Novak called for urgent action, saying: “What we see is a clear, intentional attack on civilians in order to destroy a group.”

The organisation’s report “is one we never imagined we would have to write,” Ms Novak said. “The people of Gaza have been displaced, bombed, and starved, left completely stripped of their humanity and rights.”

PHR said Israel’s military campaign shows evidence of a “deliberate and systemic dismantling of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems”.

Both organisations said Israel’s Western allies were enabling the genocidal campaign, and shared responsibility for suffering in Gaza.

“It couldn’t happen without the support of the Western world,” Ms Novak said. “Any leader that is not doing whatever they can to stop it is part of this horror.”

Hamas said the reports by the two groups were a “clear and unambiguous testimony from within Israeli society itself regarding the grave crimes perpetrated by the occupation regime against our people”.

Dire humanitarian conditions

Since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, nearly 60,000 people – mostly civilians – have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

Much of the infrastructure has been destroyed, and nearly the whole population of more than two million has been displaced.

An increasing number of people in Gaza are also dying from starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza health authorities.

On Monday, the Gaza health ministry reported that at least 14 people had died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths during the war to 147.

Among the victims were 88 children, with most of the deaths occurring in recent weeks.

UN agencies say the territory is running out of food for its people and accuse Israel of not allowing enough aid deliveries to the enclave. Israel denies those claims.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said “there is no starvation in Gaza” and vowed to fight on against Hamas.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that many in Gaza are facing starvation and implied that Israel could take further steps to improve humanitarian access.

Israel has repeatedly said its actions in Gaza are in self-defence, placing full responsibility for civilian casualties on Hamas. It cites the militant group’s refusal to release hostages, surrender, or stop operating within civilian areas – allegations that Hamas denies.

UK

Two killed in stabbing at business premises in London

Published

2 hours ago

July 28, 2025

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Two killed in stabbing at business premises in London

Two men have died after a stabbing in central London.

Police were called to a business premises in Long Lane, Southwark, at 1pm on Monday, where they found four people had been stabbed.

A 58-year-old man died at the scene while three others were taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said. These included a 27-year-old man who has since died.

A third man, who is in his thirties, remains in hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Another man in his thirties, who has been detained in connection with the incident, remains in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said: “Our investigation is in the early stages and we are working hard to understand the full circumstances of this shocking incident.

“At this point, we do not believe it to be terrorism-related and there is no further risk to the public.”