Bust of King Merneptah
This gray granite bust from a statue of King Merneptah shows the king as a middle-aged man. He wears the Nemes headdress topped by the uraeus, or royal cobra. His names are engraved upon his shoulders.
The torso shows a strong, well-built body, serious face but softer features. The statue was once painted; the headdress was yellow, and the eyes were white and black. It was found in the king’s mortuary temple at Thebes.
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Merneptah, ca. 1213-1203 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 31414
On this day, 25 August 1944, the liberation of Paris was completed by the Free French forces and the occupying German troops surrendered. However, the Free French unit which recaptured the city had been ethnically cleansed of black soldiers - who made up nearly two thirds of the Free French army, as US and UK military commanders only allowed the French to liberate the city if they excluded black troops. Black servicemen were also excluded from the liberation celebrations. Pictured is resistance hero Georges Dukson, right, who had been shot and wounded in action, near General De Gaulle during the official celebrations. After this photograph was taken, he was removed from the event at gunpoint. This is a short account of this travesty: https://libcom.org/history/whitewashing-french-forces-liberation-paris-steven-johns https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1195828077269007/?type=3
