The Giants of Egypt

Many of Egypt’s most iconic monuments are gargantuan megalithic statues commemorating its pharaohs and gods. How were these colossal structures ever created, and why did the ancient Egyptians feel the need to immortalise their rulers in such grandeur?

The Sphinx

How could one begin anywhere else? The Great Sphinx at Giza is not only one of the foremost symbols of the ancient Egyptian Empire; it is also the largest monolithic statue in the world, measuring 73.5m long, 6m wide and 20m high. Built in the 3rd millennium BC, it is said to have guarded the ancient city of Thebes by asking each prospective traveller a riddle, according to Greek mythology.

However many experts now believe the Sphinx dates to the time of Khafra, for whom the pyramid behind the statue stands. A statue of Khafra was found inside the Valley Temple, and Thutmose IV’s famous Dream Stele appears to link the two (though the scratched wording is sketchy on detail). However, one thing which scholars appear united on is the way by which the Great Sphinx was constructed. From the way it is carved, the Sphinx was once nothing more than a rocky outcrop which was exaggerated with a trench – the rocks from which went to make the nearby Valley and Sphinx temples. It would then have been fashioned by great sculptors.

So why was the Sphinx built? As with most Egyptian monoliths, its raison d’etre focuses on the civilization’s fondness for cultish worship of certain gods, at certain periods in the empire’s history. The orthodox view surrounding the Sphinx is that it represents one of its contemporary pharaohs in his role as the living image of the creation god Atum. However the identity of its intended muse is almost impossible to correlate with other works of the time due to the extensive damage it has incurred in its history. Not only is its beard completely shattered, but its nose is famously missing – as are various parts of its face. The Sphinx’s identity, and its date of birth, may remain a mystery forever, lost through millennia of disrepair.

Amenhotep’s Colossi

But the Great Sphinx is only the poster-boy/god for a huge number of Egyptian giants, each one with its own inimitable storyline. The second most renowned giant statues in the ancient empire may be the Colossi of Memnon – two 18m seated sculptures of the popular king Amenhotep III, who reigned for 40 years during the 14th century BC. They were built to stand, or sit guard before Amenhotep’s huge temple – which today sits as little more than a grand ruin, having been eroded by so much Nile flooding.

Amenhotep was a god-on-earth; a diplomatic genius who ruled as de facto pharaoh from the age of six to 12 and, in his later life, expanded the Egyptian Empire to a zenith in culture and art. As such he was hugely revered, even among the other major empires of the time such as Assyria, Babylon and Hatti – the adoration of whom is immortalised in the Amarna Letters. Amenhotep was loved unconditionally by his own people, and enjoys the enviable title of being the pharaoh most replicated in statue form (over 250 in all). The Colossi were his largest figures, and took a monumental construction effort.

Both seated figures are made from quartzite sandstone, a material too heavy to have been transported via the Nile. Thus they would have been quarried at Giza or Gebel es-Silsila and dragged by beast of burden to the site. There each statue would have been constructed differently. The southern statue is made from one giant block of stone which would have been worked on once hoisted into place. The northern figure, however, is made of five different stones above the waist – possibly the result of a Roman reconstruction effort. Most experts agree that both originally looked identical.

These massive statues did not attempt to revere the existing gods of ancient Egypt, but instead to cement Amenhotep’s status as a living god himself. As such a great cult was built around him, centred on the colossi and his temple. Essentially they embody the meaning behind most ancient Egyptian giants. As pre-eminent Egyptologist Mark Lehner explains when referring to the pyramids; the bigger the statue, the greater the socialising effect on the builders and subjects. They are breathtaking monuments today, and would have had a mesmerising effect on ancient Egyptians. Indeed, as Hourig Sourouzian, lead archaeologist and director of the Colossi of Memnon and the Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project, explains: “"It was the highest moment of the Egyptian civilization, the greatest expansion, the greatest wealth, the greatest power ... and the colossi were accordingly of a very large scale."

Other Giants & Their Meaning

There are many other huge statues still present today, which would have stood proud in ancient Egypt. Amenhotep’s own wife in fact, Tiye, is preserved today in a 3.6m-tall quartzite statue in the grounds of her husband’s formerly glorious temple. Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great, is immortalised in several huge statues – one of which will stand proud at the entrance to the glitzy new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Another memorable incarnation sits as a huge colossus sitting outside the Temple of Abu Simbel. Each statue would be made from great slabs of locally-quarried stone and worked on by master sculptors who epitomised Egyptian cultural supremacy. The temples of Karnak and Luxor both nod instead to the gods, and were built as forums in which Egyptians could show their adoration for their polytheistic faith.

Thus giant monuments were built either to worship gods outright, or to serve as a halfway house between men, i.e. pharaohs, and the gods. Their great scale also served as a reminder to the Egyptian people of their cultural and financial domination – as well as putting off any potential attackers. The giants were not just protectors of their gods’ and pharaohs’ temples – they were the megalithic guardians of Egypt’s great empire.

Images by Nikki & Michi.

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About The Author

Sean Williams

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Join Heritage Key Live from Stonehenge Spring Equinox | Celebrate St. Patrick's by Visiting Loughcrew for Spring Equinox | What can you Expect from Stonehenge Spring Equinox 2010?

Sean is an English Literature graduate, who currently works as a writer and journalist in London. He enjoys ancient history, theatre and sport. He does not enjoy Big Brother.