- Egyptologists stumble upon huge Ramses II statue August 5, 1996 Web posted at: 12:45 a.m. EDT GIZA PLATEAU, Egypt (CNN) -- Archaeologists last week unearthed a unique 3.5-ton pink granite statue believed to portray Ramses II, one of ancient Egypt's most illustrious pharaohs. They made the discovery during routine excavations, literally stumbling onto the statue after months of work around the ...www.cnn.com/TECH/9608/05/egypt.statue