Statue of King Mentuhotep II standing in the Jubilee Garment

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This statue boldly announces renewal with its vibrant iconography and style, marking its place within a procession that marched along the path to Mentuhotep II's temple. The sturdy base was originally planted firmly into the ground. Mentuhotep II's powerful fists once grasped the scepter and flail of Egyptian kings and the revered god Osiris, probably forged from metal. Nearby, the head sat with the red crown of Lower Egypt, though it may not belong to this specific body. Mentuhotep II proudly wears the traditional short mantle of the pharaoh's thirty-year jubilee, or Sed festival, a celebration of rejuvenation. The upright posture and stately lower limbs give the figure an intentionally archaic appearance that echoes early Egyptian Art. In reuniting the country after the collapse of the Old Kingdom, Mentuhotep II replicated the heroic deeds of Egypt's pioneering kings.