Colossal statue of Ramses II in the first court of Amon. Karnak, Egypt

"From as early as Old Kingdom times, great stones images of kings were carved from monolithic blocks of limestone, sandstone, and granite for erection in temples and shrines. These colossi functioned on several levels. Stationed along the temple approaches and in major processional areas they certainly acted in a protective role, but they also showed the inseparable relationship of the king with the gods at a level close to that of the divine. The second pylon was fronted by two striding colossi of Ramesses II, of which only the feet of one remain. In front of these is a third, standing statue of the king -with the diminutive figure of the princess Bent'anta standing between his feet- which was later usurped by both Ramesses VI and the priest king Pinudjem I." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "A village on East bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt; with Luxor, Karnak is on the site of ancient Thebes; location of temple of Amen, considered one of the finest examples of early New Kingdom religious architecture; also has many Middle Kingdom remains." [The J.P.Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographic Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.