Colossi of Memnon

The two colossal statues of Amenhotep III, originally 21 metres tall have stood in this location since 1350 BCE. The site became legendary for divination after one of the statues began making noises interpreted as oracles. The Greek historian Strabo (65 BCE-23 CE) was the first to record the sound which would later be described as singing, the sound of a lyre, brass instruments, a broken harp or lyre string, and a slap or blow. We have hundreds more ancient Egyptian sites plotted on our interactive map, explore via this page