NEW CLUE TO LOST WEALTH OF EGYPT'S GREATEST PHARAOH

Ramses ruled when Moses fled

A SARCOPHAGUS stone from the tomb of Egypt's mightiest king, Ramses II, believed to be the pharaoh at the time of the biblical story of Moses and the Hebrew slaves, has been discovered following a massive identification blunder by experts 18 years ago.

The five-foot long, three inch thick piece of granite, found under the floor of a religious center in east-central Egypt in 2009, has now been identified as part of the box sarcophagus that like once held the gold coffin with the embalmed mummy of Ramses the Great, who ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1279 to 1213 B.C.

But while the huge statues and monuments he had erected to honor himself survived more than 3,000 years, Ramses' burial chamber did not last long.