List of colossal sculpture in situ
Encyclopedia
This is a list of colossal sculptures that were carved in situ or in place, sometimes referred to as "living rock". 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 basalt
or volcanic tuff
. However in some cases they were carved out of harder rock like sandstone
, or even granite
in the case of the unfinished obelisk
. The Egyptians may have been limited to using 10 pound dolerite balls to chip away at the granite. Dynamite
was used in the carving of Mount Rushmore, another of the few colossal sculptures that was carved out of granite.
In most cases, especially in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the sculptures were carved out of "soft" rock like basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
or volcanic tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
. However in some cases they were carved out of harder rock like sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, or even granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
in the case of the unfinished obelisk
Unfinished obelisk
The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan , Egypt. It is unknown which pharaoh created this structure. It is nearly one third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected...
. The Egyptians may have been limited to using 10 pound dolerite balls to chip away at the granite. Dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
was used in the carving of Mount Rushmore, another of the few colossal sculptures that was carved out of granite.
Africa
- Great Sphinx of GizaGreat Sphinx of GizaThe Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
, Egypt – limestone - Abu SimbelAbu SimbelAbu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
, Egypt – sandstone - The unfinished obeliskUnfinished obeliskThe unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan , Egypt. It is unknown which pharaoh created this structure. It is nearly one third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected...
at AswanAswanAswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
, Egypt – granite - Seti ISeti IMenmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
, Egypt – limestone - Ethiopian architectureEthiopian architectureEthiopian architecture varies greatly from region to region and has, over the years, incorporated various styles and techniques.-D`mt :...
, Ethiopia – red volcanic tuff - Church of Saint George, Lalibela, Ethiopia – volcanic tuff
Asia
- Buddhas of BamyanBuddhas of BamyanThe Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters...
, Afghanistan – sandstone, destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban - Somapura MahaviharaSomapura MahaviharaSomapura Mahavihara in Paharpur, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon District, Bangladesh is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archeological sites in the country...
, Bangladesh - Leshan Giant BuddhaLeshan Giant BuddhaThe Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty . It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers...
, China - Bingling TempleBingling TempleThe Bingling Temple is a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River. It lies just north of where the Yellow River empties into the Liujiaxia Reservoir...
, China - Ajanta Caves, India
- Badami Cave Temples, India – sandstone
- Barabar CavesBarabar CavesThe Barabar Caves are the oldest surviving rock-cut caves in India, mostly dating from the Mauryan period , and some with Ashokan inscriptions, located in the Jehanabad District of Bihar, India, 24 km north of Gaya....
, India – oldest rockcut cave of India - Ellora CavesEllora CavesEllora is an archaeological site, from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty . Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually...
, India - Kailash TempleKailash TempleEllora Kailasanathar Temple, also Kailash Temple or Kailasanath Temple is a famous Kailasanathar Temple, one of the 34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km, that were dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff in the complex located at Ellora, Maharashtra, India...
, India - Kanheri CavesKanheri CavesThe Kanheri Caves are a group of rock-cut monuments, located north of Borivali on the western outskirts of Mumbai, India, deep within the green forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It is 6 km from the National Park Main Gate & 7 km from Borivali Station. Tourists can go in after...
, India - List of India cave temples
- VijayanagaraVijayanagaraVijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
, India - Mahabalipuram, India – partly granite
- BagastanaBehistun InscriptionThe Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون The Behistun Inscription (also Bistun or Bisutun, Modern Persian: بیستون...
, Iran - Naqsh-e RustamNaqsh-e RustamNaqsh-e Rustam also referred to as Necropolis is an archaeological site located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars province, Iran. Naqsh-e Rustam lies a few hundred meters from Naqsh-e Rajab....
, Iran - Naqsh-e RajabNaqsh-e RajabNaqsh-e Rajab is an archaeological site just east of Istakhr and about 12 km north of Persepolis.Together with Naqsh-e Rustam, which lies less than a kilometer away, the site is part of the Marvdasht cultural complex...
, Iran - PetraPetraPetra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
, Jordan – sandstone - "the stone of the south" near BaalbekBaalbekBaalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon, altitude , situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire...
, Lebanon – limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera.... - Mada'in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
- SigiriyaSigiriyaSigiriya is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures...
, Sri Lanka – granite - CappadociaCappadociaCappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, Turkey
Americas
- Chachapoya cliff tombs at RevashRevashThe Revash funerary complex is located in Peru's Santo Tomás District, part of Luya Province, approximately 60 km to the south of Chachapoyas, the capital of the Amazonas Region. At an altitude of 2,800 m above sea level, the funeral buildings are located in the calcareous rock formation of...
, Peru - Mount RushmoreMount RushmoreMount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
, United States – granite - Crazy Horse MemorialCrazy Horse MemorialThe Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument complex that is under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota. It represents Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Lakota...
, United States – pegmatite granite - work in progress - Stone MountainStone MountainStone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock in Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet amsl and 825 feet above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain granite extends underground at its longest point into Gwinnett County...
, United States – granite
Europe
- Madara RiderMadara RiderThe Madara Rider or Madara Horseman is an early medieval large rock relief carved on the Madara Plateau east of Shumen in northeastern Bulgaria, near the village of Madara....
, Bulgaria - Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni, Malta
- Statue of DecebalusStatue of DecebalusThe Statue of Dacian king Decebalus is a 40-meter high statue that is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. It is located on the Danube's rocky bank, near the city of Orşova, Romania....
, Romania - Dovbush rocksDovbush rocksThe Rocks of Dovbush is a group of natural and man-made structures carved out of rock at around 980m ASL in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of western Ukraine...
, Ukraine - Tabula TraianaTrajan's bridgeTrajan's Bridge or Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube was a Roman segmental arch bridge, the first to be built over the lower Danube. For more than a thousand years, it was the longest arch bridge in the world, in terms of both total and span length...
, Serbia
Other lists
- List of cave monasteries
- List of rock cut temples in India
- List of statues; by height; in U.S.A.
- List of Roman domes
- List of world's largest domes
- New Seven Wonders of the WorldNew Seven Wonders of the WorldNew7Wonders of the World was an initiative started in 2001 by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments. A popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New7Wonders Foundation based in...
- List of archaeological sites sorted by country
- List of megalithic sites
- List of archaeoastronomical sites by country
- List of Egyptian pyramids
- List of Mesoamerican pyramids