<p>Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) built a mortuary temple in Thebes that was guarded by two gigantic statues on the outer gates. All that remains now are the 23 meter (75 ft) high, one thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. Luxor, Egypt
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The statues are made from carved blocks of quartzite.  On the sides of the statues are reliefs depicting Nile gods joining together plants symbolizing Upper and Lower Egypt.  Due to an earthquake in 27 BC, these statues became known for a bell like tone that usually occurred in the morning due to rising temperatures and humidity. Thus they were equated by the early Greek travelers with the figure of Memnon, the son of Aurora who's mother, Eos, was the goddess of dawn. To be granted a song meant that you were very much in favor of the gods. Visitors came from miles around to hear the music, including Emperor Hadrian, in 130 A.D.  The Roman emperor Septimius Severus, seeking to repair the statues in 199 AD, inadvertently silenced them forever.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/22490717@N02">Dennis Jarvis</a> from Halifax, Canada
CC BY-SA 2.0
<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/2216591885/">Egypt-4B-054 - Colossi of Memnon</a>
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