Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:In 1930, German archaeologists uncovered the lower half of a massive statue, estimating that it likely originally stood some 23 feet tall. Now, U.S. and Egyptian archaeologists have announced the discovery of the long-missing top half in thankfully pristine condition. Some 96 years ago, German archaeologist unearthed the lower half of what would’ve been a massive, 23-foot-tall statue of Ramesses II—one of the most celebrated pharaohs throughout all 31 dynasties of Ancient Egyptian history. Roeder found the statue 150 miles south of Cairo in the Minya Governorate, near the modern-day city of El Ashmunein. In March 2024, the Egyptian archaeologists—in partnership with U.S. experts—announced that after 96 years, they’d finally found the missing upper half of Roeder’s statute.