Study of The Processes of Loss - Completion and Reconstruction of The Archaeological Stone Statues on The Rams Road - Luxor - Egypt, Applying on Selected Models

Abstract

The Rams Road is one of Luxor's most important tourist attractions, and it connects the temples of Luxor and Karnak with a length of 2,700 m. The number of statues on both sides of the road is more than 1200 statues, which are statues of rams and sphinxes. In the recent period, attention has been paid to restoring these statues, most of which were lost as a result of damage and the lack of periodic preservation, the statue consists of a base consisting of three courses next to the foundation course in addition to the body of the statue. Some of the statues were removed from their places, and therefore it was necessary to reconstruct these statues, as well as to complete the missing parts. Two statues were chosen on the road, one of which was not in its original position, and thus the reconstruction was carried out in the original position of the statue, and the other suffered from breaking into several parts and therefore it was installed on the base and carrying out various restorations, including assembly and completion. Samples were taken from these statues and analyzed by X-ray diffraction in addition to examination by polarizing microscope and scanning electron microscope. A soil sample was also taken to determine its components and type, it was found that the type of stone is a Nubian sandstone and that the soil type is a sandy soil, the soil containing halite as a result of the presence of ground water on the site. The two statues have undergone many restoration processes , such as: mechanical and chemical cleaning, consolidation, reconstruction, assembly and completion.