Colossi of Memnon
by Unknown Artist, -1350
Details
- Year
- -1350
- Medium
- Quartzite sandstone
- Size
- 18 m (60 ft) tall each
The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, standing guard at the entrance to his ruined mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor. Built around 1350 BCE, each figure stands 18 meters (60 feet) tall and weighs approximately 720 tons. They are among the largest ancient Egyptian statues still standing.
The statues originally flanked a temple larger than any other in Egypt, but floods and earthquakes destroyed the structure. Ancient visitors knew the northern colossus as the "Vocal Memnon" because it produced a singing or whistling sound at dawn, likely caused by rising temperatures expanding cracked stone. Roman Emperor Septimius Severus repaired the statue around 199 CE, and the sounds stopped.
The colossi sit in the Theban Necropolis, the ancient burial ground across the Nile from Luxor. They face east toward the rising sun and the river. No temple remains behind them, only fragments of what was once Amenhotep III's greatest monument. The statues have watched over the necropolis for over 3,400 years.
About Colossi of Memnon
The statues stand on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, Egypt, in the Theban Necropolis. They originally guarded Amenhotep III's mortuary temple. The site is freely accessible to visitors.
Each statue stands approximately 18 meters tall (60 feet) and weighs about 720 tons. They were carved from single blocks of quartzite sandstone transported 675 kilometers from quarries near Cairo.
The northern statue produced whistling sounds at dawn after earthquake damage in 27 BCE cracked the stone. Warming air expanding through the cracks created the noise. Roman repairs in 199 CE sealed the cracks and silenced the singing forever.
Greeks and Romans misidentified the statues as Memnon, a mythical Ethiopian king killed at Troy. The actual pharaoh depicted is Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt during the 18th Dynasty around 1350 BCE.
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