t it contains fragments of a colossal statue of
Rameses, the largest ever found in Egypt. It probably measured
fifty-seven and one-third feet in height, as the various parts show that
it was twenty-two and one-half feet from shoulder to shoulder. The
colossal head of another statue of Rameses was found near by. The great
hall had many fine columns, of which eighteen are still standing. These
columns are very impressive and give one some idea of the majesty of the
temple when it was complete. Not far away are the tombs of the queens,
including the fine mausoleum of the consort of Rameses II, part of whose
name was Mi-an-Mut.

A half mile from the Ramessium brings one to the Colossi of Memnon, the
two huge seated figures of stone, which were long included among the
seven wonders of the world. These figures were statues of King Amenophis
III and were placed in front of a great temple that he built at this
place; but time has dealt hardly with the temple, as scarcely a trace of
it remains. The figures with the pedestals are about sixty-five feet
high and, as they are on the level plain near the banks of the Nile,
they can be seen from a great distance. Though carved from hard
sandstone these figures have suffered severely from the elements, so
that the faces bear little trace of human features; still they are
impressive from their mere size and from the fact that they have come
down to us across the centuries with so little change.

The southern statue is in the best preservation, but the northern one is
of greatest interest because for ages it was believed to give forth
musical notes when the first rays of the rising sun fell on its lips.
The Greeks called it the Statue of Memnon, and invented the fable that
Memnon, who was slain at Troy by Achilles, appeared on the Nile as a
stone image and every morning greeted his mother (Eos) with a song. So
many good observers vouched for these musical notes at sunrise that the
phenomenon must be accepted as an historical fact. The Romans invented
the legend that when these sounds occurred the god was angry. Hence the
emperor, Septimius Severus, apparently to propitiate the god, made some
restorations in the upper portion of the statue, whereupon the
mysterious musical sounds ceased. Some modern experts in physics have
deduced the theory that this statue, carved from hard, resonant stone,
really gave forth sounds when warmed up by the early sun after the heavy
dews of night. Similar