Colossi of Memnon

E93437

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive 14th-century BCE stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that once guarded his mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, Egypt.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form As subject As object
el-Colossat of Memnon 0 1

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient monument
archaeological site
pair of statues
archaeologicalExcavations conducted in 20th century
artStyle Egyptian royal colossus
associatedWith Greek mythology
civilization New Kingdom of Egypt
completionDate 14th century BCE
constructionStartDate 14th century BCE
continent Africa
country Egypt
culture Pharaonic Egypt
surface form: Ancient Egypt
damagedBy earthquake
dedicatedTo Amenhotep III
depicts Amenhotep III
faces east
famousFor reported singing or vocal sounds at dawn in antiquity
features pharaonic headdress
royal beard
seated statues
side figures of queen and mother on the throne
function guardians of mortuary temple entrance
height about 18 meters
about 60 feet
heritageStatus part of UNESCO World Heritage Site "Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis"
inscribedWith hieroglyphic texts
knownAs el-Colossat
Colossi of Memnon
surface form: el-Colossat of Memnon
locatedIn Luxor Governorate
Theban Necropolis
surface form: Thebes Necropolis

west bank of the Nile
locatedNear Luxor
materialUsed quartzite sandstone
sandstone
namedAfter Memnon (in later tradition)
surface form: Memnon
notableEarthquake 27 BCE earthquake
orientation towards the rising sun
overlooks Nile Valley
surface form: Nile floodplain
partOf mortuary temple of Amenhotep III
period 18th Dynasty of Egypt
region Upper Egypt
restoredBy Septimius Severus
surface form: Roman Emperor Septimius Severus
touristAttraction yes
UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteSince 1979
visibleFrom Nile
surface form: Nile River
weight about 720 tons each

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Luxor Governorate contains Colossi of Memnon
West Bank necropolis contains Colossi of Memnon
west bank of the Nile contains Colossi of Memnon
subject surface form: Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
Colossi of Memnon knownAs Colossi of Memnon
this entity surface form: el-Colossat of Memnon
Luxor notableNearbySite Colossi of Memnon