List of colossal sculpture in situ
A colossal statue is one that is more than twice life-size.[1] This is a list of colossal statues and other sculptures that were created, mostly or all carved, and remain in situ. This list includes two colossal stones that were intended to be moved. However, they were never broken free of the quarry in which they were carved, and therefore they would be considered carved in situ. Most of these were carved in ancient times.

In most cases, especially in India, the sculptures were carved out of "soft" rock like sandstone or volcanic tuff. However, in some cases they were carved out of harder rock like basalt, or even granite in the case of the unfinished obelisk. The Egyptians may have been limited to using 4.5-kilogram (10-pound) dolerite balls to chip away at the granite.[2] Dynamite was used in the carving of Mount Rushmore, another of the few colossal sculptures that was carved out of granite.
Africa
- Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt – limestone
- Abu Simbel temples, Egypt – sandstone
- The unfinished obelisk at Aswan, Egypt – granite
- Seti I , Egypt – limestone
- Lalibela, Ethiopia – tuff
Asia
- Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan – sandstone, destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban
- Geghard Monastery, Armenia
- Leshan Giant Buddha, China
- Bingling Temple, China
- Ajanta Caves, India
- Badami Cave Temples, India
- Elephanta Caves, India
- Barabar Caves, India
- Ellora Caves, India
- Kailashnath Temple, Ellora, India
- Kanheri Caves, India
- List of India cave temples
- List of Caves in India
- List of rock-cut temples in India
- Vijayanagara, India
- Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram, India
- Behistun, Iran
- Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran
- Taq-e Bostan, Iran
- Colossal Statue of Shapur I, Shapur cave, Iran
- Petra, Jordan – sandstone
- "The stone of the south" near Baalbek, Lebanon – limestone
- Mada'in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
- Avukana Buddha statue, Sri Lanka – granite
- Gal Vihara, Sri Lanka – granite
- Sigiriya, Sri Lanka – granite
- Cappadocia, Turkey
- Tombs of the kings of Pontus, Amasya, Turkey
- Rock tombs, Kaunos, Turkey
- Mount Nemrut, Turkey
- Buddha, Buryatia, Russia
- Fuxi, Xianshan Mountain, Xiangyang
Americas
- Chachapoya cliff tombs at Revash, Peru[3]
- Chavín de Huantar's Old Temple, Peru[4]
- Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, United States – granite
- Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota, United States – pegmatite granite – (work in progress)
- Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States – granite
- Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
- El poder brutal, Quito, Ecuador
Europe
- Lion Monument, Switzerland
- Čertovy hlavy, Czech Republic
- Madara Rider, Bulgaria
- Rock sculpture of Decebalus, Romania
- Pantalica, Sicily, Italy
- Santoni, Sicily, Italy
See also
Footnotes
- Collins online dictionary: Colossal "2. (in figure sculpture) approximately twice life-size."; entry in the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus® Online
- Edwards, Dr. I.E.S.: The Pyramids of Egypt 1986/1947 p. 269-273
- Archeology magazine Jan/Feb 2008 p. 40-45
- The Early Ceremonial Center of Chavín de Huántar, Berger p. 130