The statue that scared the workers. The story of Ra Hetep and Nefert in Meidum
One of the finest ancient Egyptian statues was hidden in a secret tomb for more than four thousand years and when it was discovered excavation workers were horrified when they first saw it, this is what happened with the statue of Prince Ra Hotep and his wife Nefert, who lived in the Fourth Dynasty, which now adorns the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
Rahotep was the son of King Sneferu, founder of the Fourth Dynasty, and brother of King Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid. Rahotep was a high priest of Ra in Heliopolis, an army commander, and a supervisor of architectural works. He married Princess Nefert, meaning beautiful, with whom he had six sons and daughters.
Ra-Hotep built himself a beautiful tomb next to his father's Sneferu pyramid in Meidum, and placed a magnificent statue of himself and his wife, made of limestone, inlaid with semi-precious stones, and inlaid with vivid colors. The statue showed the couple sitting in two connected chairs, bearing their important titles.
But Rahotep feared that his statue would be demolished, after King Khufu ordered the removal of all non-royal statues from Meidum's tombs. He decided to move his statue to the north side of the cemetery, hiding it behind the wall. Because the statue was so large, he had to separate it in half, and have each of them sit on a separate chair.
The statue remained hidden until 1871, when French scientist Auguste Mariette discovered it excavating the tomb of Rahortep. When Mariette lit the torches, he was surprised to see the couple's eyes shining in the dark, looking at him with a vivid expression. The workers who were with him were terrified and frightened, thinking they were in front of real people.
Source: websites