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ColossiofMemnonWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ColossiofMemnon

Coordinates:254314N323638E

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheColossiofMemnon(knowntolocalsasel
Colossat,oresSalamat)aretwomassivestonestatues
ofPharaohAmenhotepIII.Forthepast3400years
(since1350BC)theyhavestoodintheTheban
necropolis,westoftheRiverNilefromthemoderncity
ofLuxor.[1][2]

Contents
1 Description

TheColossiofMemnonin2015

2 Name
3 Sounds
4 Gallery
5 Seealso
6 References
7 Externallinks

Description
ThetwinstatuesdepictAmenhotepIII(fl.14thcenturyBC)inaseatedposition,hishandsrestingonhis
kneesandhisgazefacingeastwards(actuallyESEinmodernbearings)towardstheriver.Twoshorter
figuresarecarvedintothefrontthronealongsidehislegs:thesearehiswifeTiyandmotherMutemwiya.
ThesidepanelsdepicttheNilegodHapy.
ThestatuesaremadefromblocksofquartzitesandstonewhichwasquarriedatelGabalelAhmar(near
moderndayCairo)andtransported675km(420mi)overlandtoThebes.(Theyaretooheavytohavebeen
transportedupstreamontheNile.)TheblocksusedbylaterRomanengineerstoreconstructthenorthern
colossusmayhavecomefromEdfu(northofAswan).Includingthestoneplatformsonwhichtheystand
themselvesabout4m(13ft)thecolossireachatowering18m(60ft)inheightandweighanestimated
720tonseach.[3][4][5]Thetwofiguresareabout15m(50ft)apart.
Bothstatuesarequitedamaged,withthefeaturesabovethewaistvirtuallyunrecognizable.Thesouthern
statueisasinglepieceofstone,butthenorthernfigurehasalargeextentivecrackinthelowerhalfand
abovethewaistconsistsof5tiersofstone.Theseupperlevelsconsistofadifferenttypeofsandstone,and
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aretheresultofalater(RomanEmpire)reconstructionattempt.Itis
believedthatoriginallythetwostatueswereidenticaltoeachother,
althoughinscriptionsandminorartmayhavevaried.

AntonioBeato,ColossesdeMemnon,
19thcentury.BrooklynMuseum

TheoriginalfunctionoftheColossiwastostandguardatthe
entrancetoAmenhotep'smemorialtemple(ormortuarytemple):a
massiveconstructbuiltduringthepharaoh'slifetime,wherehewas
worshippedasagodonearthbothbeforeandafterhisdeparture
fromthisworld.Initsday,thistemplecomplexwasthelargestand
mostopulentinEgypt.Coveringatotalof35hectares(86acres),
evenlaterrivalssuchasRamessesII'sRamesseumorRamessesIII's
MedinetHabuwereunabletomatchitinareaeventheTempleof
Karnak,asitstoodinAmenhotep'stime,wassmaller.

WiththeexceptionoftheColossi,however,verylittle
remainstodayofAmenhotep'stemple.Itstoodonthe
edgeoftheNilefloodplain,andsuccessiveannual
inundationsgnawedawayatitsfoundationsafamous
1840slithographbyDavidRobertsshowstheColossi
surroundedbywateranditwasnotunknownforlater
rulerstodismantle,purloin,andreuseportionsoftheir
predecessors'monuments.

Name
MemnonwasaherooftheTrojanWar,aKingof
EthiopiawholedhisarmiesfromAfricaintoAsiaMinor
tohelpdefendthebeleagueredcitybutwasultimately
slainbyAchilles.ThenameMemnonmeans"Sonofthe
Dawn",andwasprobablyappliedtothecolossibecause
ofthereportedcryatdawnofoneofthestatues(see
below).Eventually,theentireThebanNecropolis
becamegenerallyreferredtoastheMemnonium[6]
makinghim"Rulerofthewest"asinthecaseofthegod
Osiriswhowascalledchiefofthewest.Memnonwas
saidtobethesonofEosthegoddessofdawn.[7]

Sounds

Sidepaneldetailshowingtwoflankedreliefimages
ofthedeityHapiand,totheright,asculptureof
theroyalwifeTiy

In27BCE,alargeearthquakereportedlyshatteredthenortherncolossus,collapsingitfromthewaistupand
crackingthelowerhalf.Followingitsrupture,theremaininglowerhalfofthisstatuewasthenreputedto
"sing"onvariousoccasionsalwayswithinanhourortwoofsunrise,usuallyrightatdawn.Thesoundwas
mostoftenreportedinFebruaryorMarch,butthisisprobablymoreareflectionofthetouristseasonrather
thananyactualpattern.[8]ThedescriptionvariedStrabosaiditsounded"likeablow",Pausaniascompared
itto"thestringofalyre"breaking,butitalsowasdescribedasthestrikingofbrassorwhistling.Theearliest
reportinliteratureisthatoftheGreekhistorianandgeographerStrabo,whoclaimedtohaveheardthesound
duringavisitin20BCE,bywhichtimeitapparentlywasalreadywellknown.Otherancientsourcesinclude
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Pliny(notfrompersonalexperience,buthecollectedotherreports),Pausanias,Tacitus,Philostratusand
Juvenal.[8]Inaddition,thebaseofthestatueisinscribedwithabout90survivinginscriptionsof
contemporarytouristsreportingwhethertheyhadheardthesoundornot.
Thelegendofthe"VocalMemnon",theluckthathearingitwasreputedtobring,andthereputationofthe
statue'soracularpowersbecameknownoutsideofEgypt,andaconstantstreamofvisitors,includingseveral
RomanEmperors,cametomarvelatthestatues.Thelastrecordedreliablementionofthesounddatesfrom
196.SometimelaterintheRomanera,theuppertiersofsandstonewereadded(theoriginalremainsofthe
tophalfhaveneverbeenfound)thedateofthisreconstructionisunknown,butlocaltraditionplacesitcirca
199,andattributesittotheRomanEmperorSeptimiusSeverusinanattempttocurryfavourwiththeoracle
(itisknownthathevisitedthestatuebutdidnothearthesound).
Variousexplanationshavebeenofferedforthephenomenontheseareoftwotypes:naturalormanmade.
Strabohimselfapparentlywastoofarawaytobeabletodetermineitsnature:hereportedthathecouldnot
determineifitcamefromthepedestal,theshatteredupperarea,or"thepeoplestandingaroundatthebase".
Ifnatural,thesoundwasprobablycausedbyrisingtemperaturesandtheevaporationofdewinsidethe
porousrock.Similarsounds,althoughmuchrarer,havebeenheardfromsomeoftheotherEgyptian
monuments(Karnakistheusuallocationformoremodernreports).Perhapsthemostconvincingargument
againstitbeingtheresultofhumanagentsisthatitdidcease,probablyduetotheaddedweightofthe
reconstructeduppertiers.
Afewmentionsofthesoundintheearlymodernera(late18thandearly19thcenturies)seemtobehoaxes,
eitherbythewritersorperhapsbylocalsperpetuatingthephenomenon.
The"VocalMemnon"featuresprominentlyinonesceneofHenrikIbsen'sPeerGynt.
TheyalsoshowupinOscarWilde'sfairytale"TheHappyPrince."

Gallery

AmenhotepIII'sSittingColossi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossi_of_Memnon

West(orSouth)
Colossusof
Memnon

TheEast(or
North)Colossus.

Clippership
Memnon

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Panoramicview

Seealso
ColossalredgranitestatueofAmenhotepIII
Listoflargestmonolithsintheworld

References
1. "Luxor,Egypt".BBCNews.
2. Wilfong,T.,S.Sidebotham,J.Keenan,DARMC,R.Talbert,S.Gillies,T.Elliott,J.Becker."Places:786066
(MemnonColossi)".Pleiades.RetrievedMarch22,2013.
3. R.F.HeizerF.StrossT.R.HesterA.AlbeeI.PerlmanF.AsaroH.Bowman(19731221)."TheColossiof
MemnonRevisited"182(4118).Sciencemagazine.pp.12191225.doi:10.1126/science.182.4118.1219.
PMID17811309.Retrieved20110822.
4. "TheSeventyWondersoftheAncientWorld",editedbyChrisScarre(1999)Thames&Hudson,London
5. TimeLifeLostCivilizationsseries:RamsesII:MagnificenceontheNile(1993)
6. Strabo,book17.4246
7. WilliamGodwin(1876)."LivesoftheNecromancers".p.32.
8. Godwin1876,p.32.

LordCurzon:"TheVoiceofMemnon"inTalesofTravel(1923)
RupertT.Gould:"ThreeStrangeSounds:TheCryofMemnon"inEnigmas:AnotherBookof
UnexplainedFacts(1929)
ArminWirsching:"ExcursionontransportanderectionoftheColossi"in:ArminWirsching:
ObeliskentransportierenundaufrichteninAegyptenundinRom(3rded.2013)ISBN97838334
85138

Externallinks
ColossusofMemnon(Nova/PBS)
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/explore/memnon.html)
BookXVII,Strabo'sGeography

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoColossiof
Memnon.

(http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/17A3*.html)
DescriptionbyCountdeForbin
(http://www.travellersinegypt.org/archives/2004/08/names_on_the_colossus.html)
DavidRoberts:StatuesofMemnonThebesDecr4th1838
(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002717578/resource/cph.3g03963/?
sid=14eb48cef6c101732976c3d02e606561)
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SculpturesofancientEgypt ThebanNecropolis AmenhotepIII Unidentifiedsounds Stonesculptures
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