| Memnon is the Greek form of the name of Amenhotep III. These two quartzite statues represent the king seated upon his throne (which bears the symbols of the Upper and Lower Nile) They have not always stood where they are today. They once stood before the mudbrick pylon of a mortuary temple. Few of its remains can be seen, but its layout has been established from soundings of the area. The temple was destroyed during antiquity and its blocks reused in the construction of Karnak. The northern colossus lost the upper part of its torso during an earthquake of 27 BC. As a result, it emitted a strange musical sound at dawn, an effect caused by the rock as it changed temperature. Thus it was called the"singing Colossus". When Septimus Severus had the torso repaired it quit "singing". |
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| The Southern Colossus | The Northern (Singing) Colossus |
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| The Great Colossi Of Memnon, Thebes |
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