Discovering the statue of Queen Ti of Egypt

The statue of Amenhotep III from the 14th century BC was discovered in Luxor.(AFP)

An archaeological group at Johns Hopkins University unearthed the statue of Queen Ti, one of the most important women in Egyptian history and the wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

The statue, almost intact, was discovered under the statue of Amenhotep III in the disputed temple of Karnak in Luxor, the royal city of ancient Egypt.

Ti is the first Egyptian queen whose name appears in the official law next to her husband's name. She was famous for her influence in political missions during the reign of her husband (1417-1379 BC) and also Akhenaton's son (1379-1362 BC). Her son was remembered as the first pharaoh to support a god's theory.

Queen Ti is also said to be the grandmother of Tutankhamun, the most famous pharaoh in Egyptian history.

Amenhotep III, reigning for 38 years, created a fundamental change in the history of ancient Egypt when conquering its mistress Ti as a queen, against the tradition that his sister could be Queen.

MT