|
|
The Colossi of Memnon have
nothing in common with Memnon who was a hero of the Trojan War,
an Ethiopian king that led his armies from Africa to Asia,
helping the ones who were protecting the town. His name
association with the Colossi of Amenhotep III it was more likely
something that the Greeks wanted than a reality. The Greeks were
calling the entire Theban necropolis Memnonium and this name
remained in the popular use for 2000 years. The name of Memnon
means ‘the lord of the dawn’. The Colossi of Memnon are two
massive stone statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III. The two
colossi have been sentinels in the last 3400 years in the Theban
necropolis. The two statues represent the pharaoh staying with
his hands on the knees and with his look towards East, to the
river and the sunrise. Two little figures are craved in the
frontal part of the throne, next to the pharaoh’s feet. They are
the wife Tiy and the mother Mutemwiya. The statues are made from
blocks of stone and have 18 meters, including the platforms on
which they rest. The initial purpose of the colossi was to guide
the entrance of the funeral temple of Amenhotep, a big centre of
cult built while the pharaoh was alive where he was adored as
god on earth not only during his life but also after his death.
At its time, the complex was the biggest and the most opulent
from Egypt. Covering 35 000 miles, it couldn’t be equaled by the
rivals like Ramses II or Ramses III (with his funeral temple
from Medinet Habu). Even the Karnak Temple was smaller, as it
was in Amenhotep`s times. Excepting the colossi, nothing
remained from the temple of Amenhotep III. |
|
