Colossi of Memnon [Theban Necropolis, Near Luxor, Egypt, Arab States, Africa] .
The Colossi of Memnon (known to locals as el-Colossat, or es-Salamat) are two large stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3400 years they have stood in the Theban necropolis, across the River Nile from the city of Luxor. The twin statues depict Amenhotep III (fl. 14th century BC) in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and gaze turned eastward toward the river and the rising sun. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiy and mother Mutemwiya. The side panels depict the Nile god Hapi. The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was stone quarried at Gebel el Ahmar (near modern-day Cairo) and near Edfu (north of Aswan). Including the stone platforms on which they stand, they reach a 18 metres (approx. 60 ft) in height. The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's mortuary temple, a large centre built during the pharaoh's lifetime, where he was worshipped as a god both before and after his death. In its day, the temple complex was the largest and most opulent in Egypt. Covering a total of 35 ha, even later rivals such as Ramesses II's Ramesseum or Ramesses III's Medinet Habu were unable to match it in area; even the Temple of Karnak, as it stood in Amenhotep's time, was smaller. With the exception of the Colossi, however, very little remains today of Amenhotep's temple. Standing on the edge of the Nile floodplain, successive annual inundations gnawed away at the foundations, a famous 1840s lithograph by David Roberts shows the Colossi surrounded by water, and it was not unknown for later rulers to dismantle, purloin, and reuse portions of their predecessors' monuments. The Greek historian and geographer Strabo, writing in the early years of the 1st century, tells of an earthquake (in 27 BC) that shattered the northern colossus, collapsing it from the waist up. This photograph is part of the Imagine Collection, hosted by Alamy. .
Size: 5068px × 3379px
Location: Theban Necropolis, Near Luxor, Egypt, Arab States, Africa .
Photo credit: © Al Pidgen / Imagine Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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