Another proof was presented to us by the Japanese scientist Sakuji Yoshimura in 1988. He was able to determine that the stone from which the Sphinx was carved is older than the blocks of the pyramids. He used echolocation. Nobody took him seriously. Indeed, the age of a rock cannot be determined by echolocation.

The only serious proof of the “theory of antiquity of the Sphinx” is the “Inventory Stele”. This monument was found in 1857 by Auguste Mariette, the founder of the Cairo Museum (pictured left).

On this stele there is an inscription that Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu) found the statue of the Sphinx already buried in the sand. But this stele was created during the 26th dynasty, that is, 2000 years after the life of Cheops. Don't trust this source too much.

One thing we can say for sure - the Sphinx has the head and face of a pharaoh. This is evidenced by the nemes headdress (or klaft) (see photo) and the decorative element uraeus (see photo) on the forehead of the sculpture. These attributes could only be worn by the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt. If the statue had a nose, then we would be closer to the solution.

By the way, where is the nose?

The mass consciousness is dominated by the version that the nose was shot down by the French in 1798-1800. Napoleon then conquered Egypt, and his gunners trained by shooting at the Great Sphinx.

This is not even a version, but a "fiction". In 1757, the Danish traveler Frederick Louis Norden published sketches he had made at Giza, and the nose was gone. At the time of publication, Napoleon hadn't even been born yet. You can see the sketch in the photo on the right, there really is no nose.

The reasons for the accusations of Napoleon are clear. The attitude towards him in Europe was very negative, he was often called a "monster". As soon as there was a reason to accuse someone of damaging the historical heritage of mankind, of course, he was chosen as the “scapegoat”.

As soon as the version about Napoleon began to be actively refuted, a second similar version arose. It says that the Mamluks fired cannons at the Great Sphinx. We can't explain why public opinion gravitates so much towards the cannon hypothesis? It is worth asking sociologists and psychoanalysts about this. This version also has not received confirmation.

A proven version of the loss of the nose is expressed in the work of the Arab historian al-Makrizi. He writes that in 1378 the nose of the statue was beaten off by a religious fanatic. He was outraged that the inhabitants of the Nile Valley worship the statue and bring gifts to it. We even know the name of this iconoclast - Mohammed Saim al-Dahr.

Nowadays, scientists have studied the area of ​​the nose of the Sphinx and found traces of a chisel, that is, the nose was chipped off with this particular tool. There are two such traces in total - one chisel was hammered under the nostril, and the second from above.

These traces are small, and the tourist does not notice them. However, you can try to imagine how this fanatic could do it. Apparently, he was lowered down on a rope. The Sphinx lost its nose, and Saim al-Dakhr lost his life, he was torn to pieces by the crowd.

From this story, we can conclude that the Sphinx was still in the 14th century the object of worship and worship of the Egyptians, although almost 750 years have passed since the beginning of the domination of the Arabs.

There is another version of the statue's loss of the nose - natural causes. Erosion destroys the statue, and it even fell off part of the head. It was installed back during the last restoration. And this statue had many restorations.

Sphinx is a Greek word of Egyptian origin. The Greeks called this a mythical monster with a female head, a lion's body and bird wings. It was the offspring of the hundred-headed giant Python and his half-snake wife Echidna; other famous mythical monsters also originated from them: Cerberus, Hydra and Chimera. This monster lived on a rock near Thebes and asked people a riddle; who could not solve it, the Sphinx killed him. So the Sphinx destroyed people until Oedipus solved its riddle; then the Sphinx threw himself into the sea, because fate predetermined that he would not survive the right answer. (By the way, the riddle was quite simple: “Who walks on four legs in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?” “A man!” replied Oedipus. “In infancy he crawls on all fours, in adulthood he walks on two feet, and in old age leans on a stick.")

In the Egyptian understanding, the Sphinx was neither a monster nor a woman, as among the Greeks, and did not make riddles; it was a statue of a ruler or god, whose power was symbolized by a lion's body. Such a statue was called shesep-ankh, i.e. "living image" (ruler). From the distortion of these words, the Greek "sphinx" arose.

Although the Egyptian Sphinx did not ask riddles, the huge statue itself under the pyramids in Giza is a riddle incarnate. Many have tried to explain his mysterious and somewhat contemptuous smile. Scientists asked questions: who does the statue depict, when was it created, how was it carved?

After a hundred years of study, during which drilling machines and gunpowder were involved, Egyptologists have revealed the real name of the Sphinx. The surrounding Arabs called the statue Abu "l Hod - "Father of Horror", philologists found out that this is a folk etymology of the ancient "Horun". This name hid several even more ancient ones, and at the end of the chain stood the ancient Egyptian Haremakhet (in Greek Harmahis), which meant "Chorus in the sky". The choir was called the deified ruler, and the sky was the place where, after death, this ruler merges with the god of the Sun. The full name meant: "The living image of Khafre." So, the Sphinx depicted pharaoh Khafra(Khafre) with the body of the king of the desert, a lion, and with symbols of royal power, i.e. Khafre - a god and a lion guarding his pyramid.

Mysteries of the Sphinx. video film

There is no statue in the world that exceeds the size of the Great Sphinx. It is hewn from a single block left in the quarry, where the stone was mined for the construction of the pyramid of Khufu, and then of Khafre. It combines a remarkable creation of technology with wonderful artistic fiction; Khafra's appearance, known to us from other sculptural portraits, despite the stylization of the image, is conveyed correctly, with individual features (wide cheekbones and large lagging ears). As can be judged from the inscription at the feet of the statue, it was created during the life of Khafre; therefore, this Sphinx is not only the largest, but also the oldest monumental statue in the world. From her front paw to the tail - 57.3 meters, the height of the statue - 20 meters, the width of the face - 4.1 meters, the height - 5 meters, from the top to the earlobe - 1.37 meters, the length of the nose - 1.71 meters. The Great Sphinx is over 4500 years old.

Now it is badly damaged. The face is disfigured, as if it had been hit with a chisel or shot with cannonballs. The royal uraeus, a symbol of power in the form of a cobra raised on the forehead, disappeared forever; the royal nemes (a festive scarf descending from the back of the head to the shoulders) is partially broken off; from the "divine" beard, a symbol of royal dignity, there were only fragments found at the feet of the statue. Several times the Sphinx was covered with desert sand, so that one head stuck out, and even that was not always complete. As far as we know, the pharaoh was the first to order it to be excavated at the end of the 15th century BC. e. According to legend, the Sphinx appeared to him in a dream, asked for it and promised the double crown of Egypt as a reward, which, as evidenced by the inscription on the wall between his paws, he subsequently fulfilled. Then he was released from the captivity of the sands by the Saisi rulers in the 7th century BC. e., after them - the Roman emperor Septimius Severus at the beginning of the III century AD. e. In modern times, the Sphinx was first dug up in 1818 by Caviglia, doing this at the expense of the then ruler of Egypt Muhammad Ali, who paid him 450 pounds sterling - a very large amount for those times. In 1886, his work had to be repeated by the famous Egyptologist Maspero. Then the excavations of the Sphinx were carried out by the Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1925-1926; The work was supervised by the French architect E. Barez, who partially restored the statue and erected a fence protecting it from new drifts. The Sphinx generously rewarded him for this: between the front paws were the remains of a temple, which until then none of the researchers in the field of the pyramids in Giza had suspected.

However, time and the desert did not damage the Sphinx as much as human stupidity. The wounds on the face of the Sphinx, resembling chisel marks, were indeed inflicted by a chisel: in the 14th century, a certain pious Muslim sheikh mutilated it in order to fulfill the covenant of the prophet Muhammad, which forbids depicting a human face. Wounds that look like traces of nuclei are also such. It was the Egyptian soldiers - the Mamelukes - who used the head of the Sphinx as a target for their cannons.

The Great Sphinx standing on the Giza Plateau is the oldest and grandest sculpture ever created by man. Its dimensions are impressive: the length is 72 m, the height is about 20 m, the nose was the height of a person, and the face was 5 m high.

According to many studies, the Egyptian Sphinx hides even more mysteries than the Great Pyramids. No one knows for sure when and for what purpose this giant sculpture was built.

The Sphinx is located on the west bank of the Nile, facing the sunrise. His gaze is directed to that point on the horizon where the sun rises on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes. The huge statue, made of monolithic limestone, a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau, is the body of a lion with the head of a man.

1. Disappearing Sphinx

It is generally accepted that the Sphinx was erected during the construction of the Khafre pyramid. However, in the ancient papyri relating to the construction of the Great Pyramids, there is no mention of him. Moreover, we know that the ancient Egyptians meticulously recorded all the costs associated with the construction of religious buildings, but economic documents relating to the construction of the Sphinx have not been found.

In the 5th century BC e. The pyramids of Giza were visited by Herodotus, who described in detail all the details of their construction. He wrote down "everything he saw and heard in Egypt", but he did not say a word about the Sphinx.
Before Herodotus, Hecateus of Miletus visited Egypt, after him - Strabo. Their records are detailed, but there is no mention of the Sphinx there either. Could the Greeks fail to notice the sculpture 20 meters high and 57 meters wide?
The answer to this riddle can be found in the work of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder "Natural History", which mentions that in his time (1st century AD) the Sphinx was once again cleared of the sands applied from the western part of the desert. Indeed, the Sphinx was regularly "liberated" from sand drifts until the 20th century.

The purpose of creating the Great Sphinx is also not known for certain. Modern science believes that it had religious significance and kept the rest of the dead pharaohs. It is possible that the colossus performed some other function that has not yet been clarified. This is indicated both by its exact eastern orientation and the parameters encrypted in proportions.

2. Ancient Pyramids

Restoration work, which began to be carried out in connection with the emergency state of the Sphinx, began to suggest to scientists that the Sphinx may be older than previously thought. To test this, Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, first illuminated the pyramid of Cheops with an echo sounder, and then examined the sculpture in a similar way. Their conclusion struck - the stones of the Sphinx are older than those of the pyramid. It was not about the age of the breed itself, but about the time of its processing.
Later, the Japanese were replaced by a team of hydrologists - their findings also became a sensation. On the sculpture, they found traces of erosion caused by large flows of water. The first assumption that appeared in the press was that in ancient times the bed of the Nile passed in a different place and washed the rock from which the Sphinx was carved.
The guesses of hydrologists are even bolder: "Erosion is more likely not the traces of the Nile, but the flood - a mighty flood of water." Scientists came to the conclusion that the flow of water went from north to south, and the approximate date of the disaster is 8 thousand years BC. e.

British scientists, repeating the hydrological studies of the rock from which the Sphinx is made, pushed back the date of the flood to 12 thousand years BC. e. This is generally consistent with the dating of the Flood, which, according to most scholars, occurred around 8-10 thousand BC. e.

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3. What is the disease of the Sphinx?

The Arab sages, struck by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a lot, and, first of all, the person is to blame for this.
At first, the Mamluks practiced accuracy of shooting at the Sphinx, their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered to beat off the nose of the sculpture, and the British stole a stone beard from the giant and took it to the British Museum.
In 1988, a huge stone block broke away from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. She was weighed and horrified - 350 kg. This fact caused the most serious concern of UNESCO. It was decided to convene a council of representatives of various specialties in order to find out the reasons that destroy the ancient structure.

For many millennia, the Sphinx has repeatedly been buried under the sand. Somewhere in 1400 BC. e. Pharaoh Thutmose IV, after a wonderful dream, ordered to dig up the Sphinx, setting up a stele between the front paws of a lion in honor of this event. However, then only the paws and the front of the statue were cleaned of sand. Later, the giant sculpture was cleaned under the Romans, the Arabs.

As a result of a comprehensive examination, scientists discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx, in addition, they found that external cracks sealed with low-quality cement are also dangerous - this creates a threat of rapid erosion. The paws of the Sphinx were in no less deplorable condition.
According to experts, the Sphinx, first of all, is harmed by human life: the exhaust gases of automobile engines and the acrid smoke of Cairo factories penetrate into the pores of the statue, which gradually destroys it. Scientists say that the Sphinx is seriously ill.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore the ancient monument. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own.

4. Mysterious face
Among the majority of Egyptologists, there is a firm belief that the face of the pharaoh of the IV dynasty Khafre is imprinted in the appearance of the Sphinx. This confidence cannot be shaken by anything - neither by the absence of any evidence of the connection between the sculpture and the pharaoh, nor by the fact that the head of the Sphinx was repeatedly remade.
The well-known expert on the monuments of Giza, Dr. I. Edwards, is convinced that Pharaoh Khafre himself peeps through the Sphinx. “Although the face of the Sphinx is somewhat mutilated, it still gives us a portrait of Khafre himself,” the scientist concludes.
Interestingly, the body of Khafre himself was never found, and therefore statues are used to compare the Sphinx and the pharaoh. First of all, we are talking about a sculpture carved from black diorite, which is stored in the Cairo Museum - it is on it that the appearance of the Sphinx is verified.
To confirm or deny the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre, a group of independent researchers involved the well-known New York policeman Frank Domingo, who created portraits to identify suspects, in the case. After a few months of work, Domingo concluded: “These two works of art depict two different faces. The frontal proportions - and especially the angles and facial protrusions when viewed from the side - convince me that the Sphinx is not Khafre.

The ancient Egyptian name of the statue has not been preserved, the word "Sphinx" is Greek and is associated with the verb "strangle". The Arabs called the Sphinx "Abu el-Khoy" - "the father of horror." There is an assumption that the ancient Egyptians called the sphinxes "seshep-ankh" - "the image of the Existing (Living)", that is, the Sphinx was the embodiment of God on earth.

5. Mother of fear

Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Ash-Shamaa believes that there is a female couple at the Sphinx and she is hiding under a layer of sand. The Great Sphinx is often referred to as the "Father of Fear". According to the archaeologist, if there is a "Father of fear", then there must be a "Mother of fear".
In his reasoning, Al-Shamaa relies on the way of thinking of the ancient Egyptians, who firmly followed the principle of symmetry. In his opinion, the lonely figure of the Sphinx looks very strange.
The surface of the place where, according to the scientist's assumption, the second sculpture should be located, rises several meters above the Sphinx. “It is logical to assume that the statue is simply hidden from our eyes under a layer of sand,” Al-Shamaa is convinced.
In support of his theory, the archaeologist gives several arguments. Ash-Shamaa recalls that between the front paws of the Sphinx there is a granite stele, on which two statues are depicted; there is also a limestone tablet that says that one of the statues was struck by lightning and destroyed it.

Now the Great Sphinx is badly damaged - its face is mutilated, the royal uraeus has disappeared in the form of a cobra rising on its forehead, the festive kerchief that fell from the head to the shoulders is partially broken off.

6. Secret room

In one of the ancient Egyptian treatises, on behalf of the goddess Isis, it is reported that the god Thoth placed in a secret place "holy books" that contain the "secrets of Osiris", and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge remained "undiscovered until The sky will not give birth to creatures that will be worthy of this gift.
Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a "secret room". They remember how Edgar Cayce predicted that one day in Egypt, under the right paw of the Sphinx, a room called the "Hall of Evidence" or "Hall of Chronicles" would be found. The information stored in the "secret room" will tell mankind about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.
In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists using the radar method discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, leading towards the pyramid of Khafre, and an impressive cavity was found northwest of the Queen's Chamber. However, the Egyptian authorities did not allow the Japanese to conduct a more detailed study of the underground premises.
Research by American geophysicist Thomas Dobecki showed that under the paws of the Sphinx is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993, his work was suddenly suspended by local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government officially forbids geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.

People did not spare the face and nose of the statue. Previously, the absence of a nose was associated with the actions of the Napoleonic troops in Egypt. Now its loss is associated with the vandalism of a Muslim sheikh, who tried to destroy the statue for religious reasons, or the Mamluks, who used the head of the statue as a target for their cannons. The beard was lost in the 19th century. Part of its fragments is kept in Cairo, part - in the British Museum. By the 19th century, according to descriptions, only the head and paws of the Sphinx were visible.

Each civilization had its own sacred symbols that brought something special to culture and history. The Egyptian guardian of the tombs, the sphinx, is proof of the greatest strength of the country and people, their power. This is a monumental reminder of the divine rulers, who gave the world an image of eternal life. The majestic guardian of the desert inspires fear in people to this day: its origin and existence is shrouded in mystery, mystical legends and milestones in history.

Description of the sphinx

The Sphinx is the majestic tireless guardian of the Egyptian tombs. At his post, he had to see many - they all received a riddle from him. Those who found a solution moved on, and those who did not have an answer - great grief awaited.

Riddle of the Sphinx: “Tell me, who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? None of all the creatures living on earth changes like him. When he walks on four legs, then he has less strength and moves more slowly than at other times?

There are several options for the origin of this mysterious creature. Each of the versions was born in different parts of the world.

Egyptian guards

The symbol of the greatness of the people - a statue erected in Giza, on the left bank of the Nile River - a sphinx creature with the head of one of the pharaohs - Khafre - and the massive body of a lion. The Egyptian guard is not just a figure, it is a symbol. The body of a lion contains the incommensurable strength of a mythical animal, and the upper part speaks of a sharp mind and incredible memory.

In Egyptian mythology, creatures with the head of a ram or a falcon are mentioned. These are also guardian sphinxes. They are installed at the entrance to the temple to the glory of the gods Horus and Amun. In Egyptology, this creature has varieties depending on the type of head, the presence of functional elements, gender.

Historians claim that the true purpose of the Egyptian sphinxes is to protect the treasures and the body of the deceased pharaoh. Sometimes they were installed at the entrance to temples to scare away thieves. Only meager descriptions of the life of this mythical creature have come down to us. We can only guess what role he was assigned in the life of the ancient Egyptians.

Predator from ancient Greece

Egyptian mythological writings have not survived, but Greek legends have survived to this day. Some researchers suggest that the Greeks borrowed the image of a mysterious creature from the Egyptians, but the right to create the name belongs to the inhabitants of Hellas. There are those who think quite differently: Greece is the birthplace of the Sphinx, and Egypt borrowed it and modified it for themselves.

Both creatures in different mythological texts have similarities only in bodies, their heads are different. The Egyptian sphinx is a male, the Greek is depicted as a woman. She has a bull tail and big wings.

Opinions on the origin of the Greek Sphinx vary:

1. Some scriptures say that the predator is the child of the union of Typhon and Echidna.
2. Others claim that this is the daughter of Orff and Chimera.

The character, according to legend, was sent to King Lai as a punishment for stealing the son of King Pelop and taking him away with him. The Sphinx guarded the road at the entrance to the city and she asked each wanderer a riddle. If the answer was wrong, she ate the person. The predator received the only solution to the riddle from Oedipus. The proud creature could not stand the defeat and threw himself on the rocks, this completes his life path in the ancient Greek writings.

Hero of myths in modern texts

The vigilant guard flashed on the pages of works more than once and everywhere he was associated with power and mysticism. To pass through the road guarded by the sphinx, you can only correctly answer the riddle. Joanne Rowling used this image in the book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" - these are vigilant servants to whom magicians trusted their magical values.

For some science fiction writers, the sphinx is a monster, with some subspecies of genetic mutations.

Sphinx statue at Giza

The monument with the face of Khafre over the tomb of the pharaoh is located on the left bank of the Nile, is part of the whole complex of architecture of the plateau of Ancient Egypt, a few kilometers from the main pyramid in the ensemble - Cheops.

The length of the statue is about 73 m, height 20. It can be seen even from Cairo, although it is located 30 km from Giza.

The Egyptian Sphinx Monument is one of the popular tourist spots, so it's easy to get to the complex. It is easy to take a taxi to the plateau, the trip from the center will take no more than half an hour. The cost is not more than 30 dollars. If you need to save money and have a lot of time, the bus will do. Some hotels provide a free shuttle service to the Great Sphinx Plateau.

The history of the origin of the Egyptian sphinx

In scientific texts there is no exact description of why and who erected this statue, only guesswork. There is evidence that the construction is 4517 years old. Its creation dates back to 2500 BC. e. The architect is supposedly called Pharaoh Khafre. The material of which the Sphinx is composed coincides with the creator's pyramid. The blocks are made of burnt clay.

Researchers from Germany suggested that the statue was erected in 7000 BC. e. The hypothesis was put forward on the basis of test samples of the material and erosional changes in clay blocks.

Egyptologists from France claim that the Sphinx statue has gone through several restorations.

purpose

The ancient name of the sphinx statue is “the rising sun”, the inhabitants of ancient Egypt thought that it was a building to the glory of the greatness of the Nile. Many civilizations saw in the sculpture a divine principle and a reference to the image of the Sun God - Ra.

According to some assumptions of researchers, the sphinx is an assistant for the pharaohs in the afterlife and the guard of the tombs from ruin. A composite image associated with several seasons at once: the wings are responsible for autumn, the paws indicate summer, the body is spring, and the head corresponds to winter.

Secrets of the Egyptian Sphinx Statue

For several millennia, Egyptologists cannot agree, they argue about the origin of such a large monument and its true purpose. The Sphinx is fraught with many mysteries, to find the answer to which is not yet possible.

Is there a hall of chronicles

Edgar Cayce, an American architect, was the first to claim that there were underground passages under the statue of the Sphinx. His statement was also confirmed by Japanese researchers who, using X-rays, found a rectangular chamber 5 m long under the lion's left paw. Hypothesis of Edgar Cayce says: the Atlanteans decided to perpetuate the traces of their presence on earth in a special "hall of chronicles."

Archaeologists put forward their theory. In 1980, when drilling 15 m deep, the presence of Aswan granite and traces of the memorial room was proved. In this place of the country there are no deposits of this mineral. It was brought there on purpose and the “hall of chronicles” was inlaid with it.

Where did the Sphinx go?

The ancient Greek philosopher and historian Herodotus, traveling through Egypt, made notes. Upon returning home, he compiled an accurate map of the location of the pyramids in the complex, indicating the age from the words of eyewitnesses and the exact number of sculptures. In his chronicles, he included the number of slaves involved and even detailed the food they were served.

Surprisingly, there is no mention of a great sphinx in his documents. Egyptologists suggest that during the explorations of Herodotus, the statue was completely buried under the sands. This happened to the sphinx several times: in two centuries it was dug up at least 3 times. In 1925, the statue was completely cleared of sand.

Why is he facing east

An interesting fact: on the chest of a large Egyptian sphinx there is an inscription "I look at your fuss." He is indeed majestic and mysterious, wise and wary. There was a barely perceptible smirk on his lips. It seems to many that the monument cannot change the fate of a person in any way, but the facts say otherwise.

One photographer allowed himself too much: he climbed onto the statue for spectacular photos, but felt a push in the back and fell. When he woke up, he did not see the pictures on the camera, despite the fact that all this time he was alone, and the camera was film.

The mystical guardian showed his abilities more than once, so the inhabitants of Egypt are sure that the statue keeps their peace and watches the Sunrise.

Where is the nose and beard of the sphinx

There are several suggestions why the sphinx lacks a nose and beard:

1. During the great Egyptian campaign of Bonaparte, they were repulsed by artillery shells. The images of the Egyptian Sphinx made earlier than this event refute this theory - parts are already missing on them.
2. The second theory claims that in the 14th century Islamic extremists tried to mutilate it, obsessed with the idea of ​​ridding the inhabitants of the idol. The vandals were caught and publicly executed right next to the statue.
3. The third theory is based on erosional changes in sculpture due to the effects of wind and water. This option is accepted by researchers from Japan and France.

Restoration

Researchers have repeatedly made attempts to restore the statue of the great Egyptian sphinx and completely clear it of sand. Ramses II is the first to excavate a folk symbol. Then the restoration was carried out by Italian Egyptologists in 1817 and 1925. In 2014, the statue was closed for cleaning and restoration for several months.

Some Fascinating Facts

In various historical documents there are records that help to better understand the life of the people of Ancient Egypt and get ground for reflection on the origin of the great sphinx:

1. Excavations of the plateau around the statue revealed that the builders of this gigantic monument left the place of work at the end of the construction quickly. There are remnants of mercenaries' belongings, tools and household items everywhere.
2. During the construction of the statue of the Sphinx, a high salary was paid - this is evidenced by the excavations of M. Lehner. He managed to calculate the approximate menu of the worker.
3. The statue was multicolored. Wind, water and sand tried to destroy the sphinx and the pyramids on the plateau, mercilessly affecting them. But despite this, traces of yellow and blue paint remained in some places on his chest and head.
4. The first mention of the Sphinx belongs to ancient Greek writings. In the epic of Hellas, this is a female creature, cruel and sad when the Egyptians transformed it - the statue has a male face with an almost neutral expression.
5. This is an androsphinx - he has no wings and he is a man.

Despite the past millennia, the sphinx is still majestic and monumental, full of mysteries and shrouded in myths. He fixes his gaze into the distance and calmly watches the sunrise. Why the Egyptians made this mythical creature their main symbol is a mystery of antiquity that cannot be solved. We are left with only speculation.

The Great Sphinx at Giza is a monumental figure carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the form of a sphinx lying on the sand of a lion whose face is similar to Pharaoh Khafre, whose tomb is located nearby. The Sphinx is located on the west bank of the Nile, in Giza. ( 11 photos)

1. It is generally accepted that the face of the Sphinx is similar to the face of the Egyptian pharaoh Chefre, who existed around 2575-2465. BC e. The Sphinx is 73 meters long, 20 meters high, 11.5 meters at the shoulders, 4.1 meters wide and 5 meters high. Between the front paws of the Sphinx there was once a small sanctuary.

2. There is a moat around the Sphinx, 5.5 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep. In general, the Sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a woman, the paws and body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and the tail of a bull. The Sphinx at Giza is slightly different from the definition. The Great Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture in the world.

3. According to one version, the Sphinx was created around 2500 BC. but not even a millennium passed and the Sphinx was buried in the sands of Egypt. But it is not known for certain who and when created such a mysterious monument.

4. For a long time, the Sphinx has been one of the main objects in the world, around which legends and various myths gather. The Sphinx attracts lovers of fantasy and secrets.

5. The Sphinx is facing towards, and looks straight east to the point on the horizon where the Sun rises on the equinoxes. Numerous mysteries and assumptions are associated with the Sphinx. According to one of them, it is believed that the Nile had such a wide channel that the sculpture of the Sphinx was located near the shore.

6. According to one of the legends, the Great Sphinx is the guardian of the local pyramids. Since ancient times, the pharaoh has been depicted as a lion, exterminating his enemies. The fact is that almost all ancient Eastern civilizations saw in the lion a symbol of the solar deity.

8. It is also very interesting that the “Sphinx” is translated from Greek and means “strangler”.

9. The Great Sphinx of Giza has been and remains one of the most popular places in Egypt for tourists, and none of them remains indifferent to such a great and mysterious structure.