15 little-known facts about the Egyptian Sphinx

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The Sphinx of Giza is one of the oldest, largest and most mysterious monuments ever created by man. Disputes about its origin are still ongoing. We have collected 10 little-known facts about the majestic monument in the Sahara Desert.

1. The Great Sphinx of Giza is not a sphinx

Experts say that the Egyptian Sphinx cannot be called a traditional image of the Sphinx. In classical Greek mythology, the Sphinx was described as having the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and the wings of a bird. In Giza, the sculpture of the Androsphinx actually stands as it has no wings.

2. Initially, the sculpture had several other names

The ancient Egyptians did not originally call this giant creature the "Great Sphinx". In the text on the Stele of Dreams dating from about 1400 BC, the Sphinx is referred to as the "Statue of the great Khepri". When the future Pharaoh Thutmose IV slept next to her, he had a dream in which the god Khepri-Ra-Atum came to him and asked him to free the statue from the sand, and in return promised that Thutmose would become the ruler of all Egypt. Thutmose IV dug up a statue covered with sand over the centuries, which after that became known as Khorem-Akhet, which translates as "Mountains on the horizon". The medieval Egyptians called the Sphinx "balkhib" and "bilhow".

3. Nobody knows who built the Sphinx

Even today, people do not know the exact age of this statue, and modern archaeologists argue about who could have created it. The most popular theory is that the Sphinx arose during the reign of Khafre (the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom), i.e. the age of the statue dates back to around 2500 BC.

This pharaoh is credited with creating the pyramid of Khafre, as well as the necropolis of Giza and a number of ritual temples. The proximity of these structures to the Sphinx prompted a number of archaeologists to believe that it was Khefren who ordered the construction of a majestic monument with his own face.

Other scholars believe that the statue is much older than the pyramid. They argue that the face and head of the statue bear traces of clear water damage and theorize that the Great Sphinx already existed during the era when the region faced extensive flooding (6 millennium BC).

4. Whoever built the Sphinx, he ran away from it headlong after the end of the construction

American archaeologist Mark Lehner and Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass discovered large stone blocks, toolboxes and even petrified dinners under the sand. This clearly indicates that the workers were in such a hurry to get away that they did not even bring their tools with them.

5. The laborers who built the statue were well fed

Most scientists think that the people who built the Sphinx were slaves. However, their diet suggests something very different. As a result of excavations led by Mark Lehner, it was found that the workers regularly dined on beef, lamb and goat meat.

6. The Sphinx was once covered in paint

Although the Sphinx is now gray-sandy in color, it was once completely covered in bright paint. Remnants of red paint can still be found on the face of the statue, and there are traces of blue and yellow paint on the body of the Sphinx.

7. The sculpture was buried under the sand for a long time

The Great Sphinx of Giza has fallen victim to the quicksands of the Egyptian desert several times during its long existence. The first known restoration of a sphinx, almost completely buried under the sand, took place shortly before the 14th century BC, thanks to Thutmose IV, who soon after became the Egyptian pharaoh. Three millennia later, the statue was again buried under the sands. Until the 19th century, the statue's forepaws were deep beneath the surface of the desert. The entire Sphinx was excavated in the 1920s.

8. The Sphinx lost its headdress in the 1920s

During its last recovery, the Great Sphinx lost part of its famous headdress, and severely damaged its head and neck. The Egyptian government hired a team of engineers to restore the statue in 1931. But soft limestone was used during this restoration, and in 1988 a 320-kilogram portion of a shoulder fell off, nearly killing a German reporter. After that, the Egyptian government resumed restoration work.

9. After the construction of the Sphinx, for a long time there was a cult that venerated it

Thanks to the mystical vision of Thutmose IV, who became pharaoh after unearthing a giant statue, a whole cult of Sphinx worship arose in the 14th century BC. The pharaohs who ruled during the New Kingdom even built new temples from which the Great Sphinx could be seen and worshiped.

10. The Egyptian Sphinx is much kinder than the Greek

The Sphinx's modern reputation as a cruel creature originated in Greek mythology, not Egyptian. In Greek myths, the Sphinx is mentioned in connection with a meeting with Oedipus, to whom he asked a seemingly insoluble riddle. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Sphinx was considered more benevolent.

11 it's not Napoleon's fault that the Sphinx doesn't have a nose

The mystery of the absence of a nose in the Great Sphinx has given rise to all sorts of myths and theories. One of the most widespread legends says that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to beat off the nose of the statue in a fit of pride. However, early sketches of the Sphinx show that the statue lost its nose even before the birth of the French emperor.

12. The Sphinx was once bearded

Today, the remains of the Great Sphinx's beard, which were removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are kept in the British Museum and in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, established in Cairo in 1858. However, the French archaeologist Vasile Dobrev argues that the bearded statue was not originally, and that the beard was added later. Dobrev argues his hypothesis that removing the beard, if it was a component of the statue from the very beginning, would damage the chin of the statue.

13. Great Sphinx - the oldest statue, but not the most ancient sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered the oldest monumental sculpture in human history. If the statue is believed to date from the reign of Khafre, the smaller sphinxes depicting his half-brother Jedefre and sister Netefere II are older.

14. The Sphinx is the largest statue

The Sphinx, which is 72 meters long and 20 meters high, is considered the largest monolithic statue on the planet.

15. Several astronomical theories are associated with the Sphinx

The mystery of the Great Sphinx of Giza led to the emergence of a number of theories about the supernatural understanding of the ancient Egyptians of the cosmos. Some scientists, such as Lehner, believe that the Sphinx with the pyramids of Giza is a giant machine for capturing and processing solar energy. Another theory notes the coincidence of the Sphinx, pyramids and the Nile River with the stars of the constellations Leo and Orion.