Originally constructed around 1350 BC, the two gigantic twin statutes of Pharaoh Amenhotep III stood guard at the entrance to his immense mortuary temple across the Nile from the city of Luxor. Weighing over 700 tons each, the statues are made of quartzite stone, which was transported over 400 miles from an area near the city of Cairo. Throughout the years, the mortuary temple was destroyed and the statutes themselves, run down. At one point, cracks in the statues' remains cried or whistled early in the morning when the wind blew. Many people believed the cries to be the voice of Memnon, a hero of the Trojan War, whose name means "Ruler of the Dawn." It was said good luck favored those who heard the cries causing thousands of people to flock to the statues. However, a reconstruction of the upper-half of one statue, around 199 AD, silenced them forever.
Slight reconstructions of this statue make the twins appear more fraternal than identical.
The smaller statues along Amenhotep's legs depict his mother and wife.
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