The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, west of Luxor, which stand at the front of his ruined mortuary temple. They were completed around 1350 BC. Each is about 60 feet (18 meters) tall, including a platform of about 13 feet (4 meters), and weighs an estimated 720 tons. They are made of quartzite sandstone quarried near modern Cairo.
Figures beside the pharaoh's legs show his wife Tiye and his mother Mutemwiya. The side panels show the Nile god Hapi. An earthquake in 27 BC shattered the northern colossus, and Roman authorities partly rebuilt it.
Afterward the northern statue was reported to sing within hours of sunrise. Strabo reported hearing it around 20 BC. Visitors left 107 inscriptions in Greek and Latin, including poems by Julia Balbilla from a visit with Emperor Hadrian in 130. Excavations by Hourig Sourouzian have re-erected four statues.
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