Which pharaoh commissioned the Colossi of Memnon?

Amenhotep III commissioned the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental seated statues that once stood before the entrance to his mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes, near modern Luxor.

The statues portray Amenhotep III facing east toward the Nile and the rising sun. Smaller figures of his wife Tiye and mother Mutemwiya appear beside his legs, reinforcing the royal family’s presence and the king’s continuing authority. Reliefs on the thrones include imagery connected with the Nile and the unification of Egypt.

Each colossus originally stood about 18 metres, or 59 feet, high. The figures were carved from quartzite quarried near modern Cairo and transported roughly 675 kilometres overland to Thebes. Their enormous scale reflected Amenhotep III’s wealth, power and ambitious building programme during the prosperous Eighteenth Dynasty.

The name “Colossi of Memnon” is misleading. Greek and Roman visitors associated the northern statue with Memnon, a legendary king from Greek mythology, but both statues actually represent Amenhotep III. Earthquake damage and later stone reuse destroyed most of the surrounding temple.