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Divers find long lost carvings of Tutankhamun's grandfather and other Egyptian pharaohs at bottom of Nile River
Ancient carvings featuring the faces of Tutankhamun's grandfather and other ancient Egyptian pharaohs have been rediscovered.
Archaeologists found the giant stone slabs at the bottom of the Nile River while searching for artifacts lost in a flood in city of Aswan in the 1970s.
The slabs included hieroglyphic inscriptions about the kings' achievements, including King Amenhotep III, also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent and ancestor of King Tut.
Archaeologists have discovered mysterious carvings of ancient Egyptian pharaohs that have been submerged underwater for decades
During their exploration of the Nile River, archaeologists uncovered rock slabs containing hieroglyphic inscriptions and carvings of King Tatmas IV who ruled in the early 14th Century BC and King Amenhotab III who ruled from 1390 to 1353 BC
Etches in the stone also discuss King Thutmose IV who ruled in the early 14th Century BC and was celebrated for his restoration of the Great Sphinx of Giza.
Team members said they were surprised that the carvings were in such good condition and hope to extract more artifacts in future dives.
The ancient artifacts were discovered in the area in 1960, but were lost the following decade during the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Aswan.
Archaeologists had rushed to remove them before they were lost underwater, but many couldn't be relocated in time.
The latest dive was to search for the lost objects, but led the team to the remarkably well-preserved depictions of notable pharaohs that have never been studied before.
'For the first time, we [have] gone underwater to study the rock formations between the Aswan reservoir and the Aswan High Dam,' the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities told Smithsonian Magazine.
'Since the site remains in good condition, the mission was able to fully document it.'
King Amenhoteb III, also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent, was featured on one of the slabs and was renowned for his expansion of diplomatic relationships and the period of peaceful prosperity the citizens experienced under his rule. Pictured: Burial mask of King Amenhoteb III
King Apries succeeded his father, Psamtik II and during his reign actively built up four Egyptian temples but was plagued with military problems after he sent his army to help Libya against Greek invaders
The researchers used underwater filming and photographing techniques to document the discovery.
They are also creating 3D models of the images using photogrammetry - the process of using surface measurements from pictures to create an accurate three-dimensional version.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism did not provide a translation for the hieroglyphs nor did they describe what the carvings looked like.
These finds were thought to be lost after the Awan Dam was constructed from 1960 to 1970, as archaeologists raced against time to save the historical Egyptian artifacts and monuments - including the Temple of Dendur now held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Now their new finds are shedding renewed interest in the archaeological significance of the site.
For the first time, a team of Egyptian and French archaeologists have dived to recover the lost treasures including the carvings of at least five rulers who reigned during the 18th and 26th dynasties.
Dr Islam Saleem, the director general of the General Administration for Sunken Archaeological Archaeology, emphasized in a Facebook post that the team's initial findings suggest there are additional carvings yet to be discovered.
The researchers hope the findings can help them gain a better understanding of the 18th dynasty's reigns, which is already renowned for its architectural and artistic accomplishments.
Aswan is a notable area in Egypt because of its historical site that houses the Abu Simbel temple which features four colossal statues of the pharaoh Ramses II that guard the entrance and stand 65 feet tall.
It is also home to the Philae temple which is the location of where the last known hieroglyphic inscription was written in 394 AD.