Colossi of Memnon, Luxor, Egypt

The Colossi of Memnon are two large stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which stand at the front of his now ruined Mortuary Temple in the Theban Necropolis, near to modern Luxor. ​

They have stood since 1350 BC and were familiar even to ancient Greeks and Romans. The statues have inscribed upon them ancient texts written in Greek and Latin, dated to between AD 20 and 250; many of these inscriptions make reference to the Greek mythological king Memnon, whom the statue was thought to represent.

The twin statues are in a seated position, hands resting on knees and facing eastwards towards the Nile river. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiye and mother Mutemwiya. 

The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was quarried at el-Gabal el-Ahmar (near modern-day Cairo) and transported 675 km (420 mi) to Thebes (Luxor). The stones were believed to be too heavy to have been transported upstream on the Nile. 

​ Including the stone platforms on which they stand – themselves about 4 m (13 ft) – the colossi reach 18 m (60 ft) in height and weigh an estimated 720 tons each.[5][6][7] The two figures are about 15 m (50 ft) apart.