Ancient Egyptian GIANT! The Statue of Ramses II in Memphis

We start with the most famous object here, the 3200 year old statue of Ramses the Great. The limestone giant measures 13 meters from head to knees. Although it didn't survive in one piece, Ramses' face and torso are in excellent condition. We see Ramses' characteristic faint smile. The slightly lowered eyelids give the impression that the king is looking down. The face seems calm and serene. Ramses' ears were carved smaller than those of his predecessors and always pierced. These features allow us to conclude that the image was made for Ramses and wasn't a usurped statue of an earlier ruler, which happened very often. The colossus was discovered in 1821 by the Italian Egyptologist Giovanni Caviglia, famous for the excavation of the Great Sphinx at Giza, first since Roman times a few years earlier. The Colossus of Ramses II was then half buried, lying face down in marshy ground, near what was once the southern gate of the Great Temple of Ptah. Originally, the entrance to the temple through a monumental pylon was guarded by a pair of identical colossi, standing in one row with six slightly smaller statues. One of these was also found by Caviglia. It was restored in the 1950s and decorated Ramses Square, adjacent to the Cairo train station. Since 2006 it's been located in the entrance hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The prenomen, the throne name carved on Ramses' belt and bracelet says User Mad Ra Setepenra. The justice of Ra is powerful. After several unsuccessful attempts, in 1887, with the help of police and neighbors, the colossus was lifted and moved to its current location. At that time, a mud-brick building was erected around the Despite its gigantic size, the workmanship is impeccable. Just look at these details! The discovery of the statue caused a sensation in Europe and several lucrative offers were made. Fortunately, the size of the colossus made it impossible to transport it out of Egypt. Even the British Museum in London, to which the Egyptian authorities wanted to offer the statue free of charge, decided that transport would be too expensive. So the colossus remained in Egypt. The modern shelter we're now in was built in 1958. I must admit, it serves its purpose perfectly. You can admire the statue from different angles, as well as walk around it at a higher level. Relics from various periods found in the area are displayed around the statue. Here we have the unluckily headless god Bess, beautifully carved in limestone.