Alongside the statue fragments, a pink granite block bearing several hieroglyphic inscriptions, including two of Ramesses’ titles: “Nesu-Bity,” meaning “King of Upper and Lower Egypt,” and "Sa Ra."
Dental microwear analysis, which allows for the microscopic study of surface textures, confirmed that the marks were made after the animals' deaths, ruling out chewing or dietary wear and tear.
Researchers were working at the site as part of UCF’s Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project (CCAMP).
Previously, a total of 44 other Roman graves were discovered during excavations for the project, however the most recent find is the first to be fully undisturbed.
"The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B residents of Motza were surprisingly able to differentiate calcite and dolomite stones and used both in their plaster making," the study said.
It is expected to be completed and open to the public by summer, before becoming in September a “living-history learning space for school groups."
The six mines may help explain the source of the metal used in Bronze Age Scandinavian artifacts.
In a video published in early May, Reuters revealed that the Iraqi government had announced an initial budget of $382,000 to restore the ziggurat. The work will reportedly be completed by July 2026.
The Ramesseum, located in a necropolis near Luxor, serves as a religious and political record of Pharoah Ramesses II’s reign. It is the second largest temple in Egypt.
Her exact burial date is unclear, according to the Trust’s statement, but it was likely during the late Roman period - lasting from approximately the late 3rd century to early 5th century CE.
The molar showed that the Neanderthal who underwent the dental procedure was an adult, though the researchers do not know the individual's gender.
