Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed a colossal statue head of Amenhotep III. The red granite head, part of a larger 3,000 year-old statue, was discovered at the site of the pharaoh's funerary temple in Luxor, Egypt's culture ministry said in a statement.

Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) had said last year that the coffin likely belongs to pharaoh Ames of the 21st Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt from 1070-945 B.C. The nearly 5-foot-long wooden coffin was confiscated by U.S. customs officials at Miami International Airport from a Spanish merchant in 2008. The dealer did not possess the necessary documentation to prove ownership of the artifact.

A DNA study revealed today the 19-year-old died from complications from a broken leg that was exacerbated by malaria. The study is based on two years of DNA testing and CT scans of 16 mummies, including Tutankhamun's. It has managed to identify a number of mummies from King Tut's family tree. These include 'KV35EL' - or Tiye and the KV55 mummy, which is probably Akhenaten, father of Tutankhamun. A mummy previously known as KV35YL is likely to be Tutankhamun's mother, although her identity is still shrouded in mystery.

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said the third stage of the project will be completed in 26 months, noting that GEM would be open for visitors by mid 2012.

Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Dr. Zahi Hawass returned a piece of red granite belonging to an ancient Egyptian temple to its rightful place - the base of Amenemhat I's naos. The naos piece was returned to Egypt last October by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after it was purchased by the Museum from an antiquities collector in New York.

Parliament amended Egypt's antiquities law on Monday to bring in stiffer punishments for the theft and smuggling of relics while granting patent rights to the country's antiquities council. The amendment requires Egyptians who have antiquities to report their possessions to the Supreme Council of Antiquities, headed by Zahi Hawass, in six months. The sale of antiquities is still banned.

Egypt will soon reveal the results of DNA tests made on Pharaoh Tutankhamun, to answer lingering mysteries over his lineage, the antiquities department said. Speaking at a conference, archaeology chief Zahi Hawass said he would announce the results of the DNA tests and the CAT scans on Feb. 17. The results will be compared to those made of King Amenhotep III, who may have been Tutankamun's grandfather.

Excavations on part of an ancient 2.7km avenue of sphinxes that once linked temples in Luxor and Karnak should be completed in March, Egypt's antiquities chief said. Archaeologists have so far uncovered 65 of the 1 350 sphinxes that lined a path between temples during the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered the temple of Queen Berenike as well as 600 Ptolemaic statues in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria in what may be the first traces of the ancient city’s royal quarters, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said.