Colosse restauré d' Aménophis III, à Thèbes (Statue vocale ou Colosse de Memnon) 1849 - 1850

This 19th-century photograph by Maxime Du Camp depicts the Colossi of Memnon in Thebes, Egypt. A towering sandstone statue, the Colossi were built in the 14th century BC by the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the colossi gained notoriety because they would "sing" at sunrise, a phenomenon caused by cracks in the stone that would make sounds when the sun warmed them. This evocative image captures the colossus in a desert landscape, highlighting the scale and majesty of the ancient statue. Du Camp was a prominent photographer and writer, known for his documentation of the Middle East and other travels.