Colossal Statue of Ramesses II

Retrieved from the mortuary temple of Ramesses at Thebes by Giovanni Belzoni in 1816, the Colossal Statue of Ramesses is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum. Ramesses II, King of Egypt (1279-1213 BC) ascended the throne as the third king of the nineteenth Dynasty at the age of 25. In his sixty-seven-year reign he probably built more temples and sired more children than any other Egyptian king. Today he is popularly known as Ramesses "the Great."