The Great Sphinx
Finally, one cannot talk about the Great Sphinx without discussing the mysteries that surround it. The mysteries are the most interesting part for most people and keep the love of the Sphinx alive. Since there was no written documentation left behind, every single “fact” is up for debate. I imagine there at one time was something written about the Sphinx but it has since been lost to the years. Everything is second guessed by many including the very basics such as age and creator. One of the more believable mysteries disputes the entire identity of the Sphinx. It is believed that the Sphinx wasn’t intended to be a Sphinx at all and that it predates the pyramids (Smithsonian Channel 2013). Some archaeologist believe that because the proportions
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The most popular belief as to why the head has considerable less erosion damage is that the layers of limestone making up the head are a harder stone. This is hard for some to believe due to the fact that the Sphinx was neck deep in sand most of its life and by the laws of erosion, the head should have more damage than the body since it was more exposed but it is the least damaged area (Smithsonian Channel 2013). This goes back to the recutting of the head theory, the alteration would have removed some of the damaged area and thus we get the less damaged Sphinx head of today. The popular belief that the Sphinx is male is also disputed through this theory due to the fact that most lions were carved as female (Smithsonian Channel 2013). Back to the erosion subject, the erosion patterns on the body also lead some to believe that the Sphinx is much older than officially dated (Hajar 228). I’ve seen some theories (from less scholarly sites) that claim the Sphinx is 800,000 years old. I don’t know what to make of that since most believe they could barely make the Sphinx from copper chisels, what could possibly have been available 800,000 years ago for …show more content…
The first important questions are centered on what and how, what the Sphinx was, what it was made of and how it was made. It sits in front of the great pyramids of Giza, most likely built by Khafre 4,500 years ago. This large limestone statue of a lion with a human head has suffered the elements and under human hands over the years. Due to the damages it looks very different today than it did when it was first constructed. The Sphinx was extremely difficult to carve, requiring many skilled workers using primitive tools. These tools were not even close to the high quality modern tools of today, yet they were able to create a wonder with them. Mark Lehner is especially educated in the Sphinx and has devoted many years studying the clues day and night. Much of what we believe and hold as a fact has come from his knowledge. The second question we often want to answer in order to understand the Sphinx is why it was built. Clues can be found in the Sphinx temple that point to divine reasons. Ancient Egyptians had an obsession with death and rebirth and in the temple we find clues that point to this. The Sphinx was built facing east which is also the direction of the sun rise. During the two yearly equinoxes, the sun
The most popular belief as to why the head has considerable less erosion damage is that the layers of limestone making up the head are a harder stone. This is hard for some to believe due to the fact that the Sphinx was neck deep in sand most of its life and by the laws of erosion, the head should have more damage than the body since it was more exposed but it is the least damaged area (Smithsonian Channel 2013). This goes back to the recutting of the head theory, the alteration would have removed some of the damaged area and thus we get the less damaged Sphinx head of today. The popular belief that the Sphinx is male is also disputed through this theory due to the fact that most lions were carved as female (Smithsonian Channel 2013). Back to the erosion subject, the erosion patterns on the body also lead some to believe that the Sphinx is much older than officially dated (Hajar 228). I’ve seen some theories (from less scholarly sites) that claim the Sphinx is 800,000 years old. I don’t know what to make of that since most believe they could barely make the Sphinx from copper chisels, what could possibly have been available 800,000 years ago for …show more content…
The first important questions are centered on what and how, what the Sphinx was, what it was made of and how it was made. It sits in front of the great pyramids of Giza, most likely built by Khafre 4,500 years ago. This large limestone statue of a lion with a human head has suffered the elements and under human hands over the years. Due to the damages it looks very different today than it did when it was first constructed. The Sphinx was extremely difficult to carve, requiring many skilled workers using primitive tools. These tools were not even close to the high quality modern tools of today, yet they were able to create a wonder with them. Mark Lehner is especially educated in the Sphinx and has devoted many years studying the clues day and night. Much of what we believe and hold as a fact has come from his knowledge. The second question we often want to answer in order to understand the Sphinx is why it was built. Clues can be found in the Sphinx temple that point to divine reasons. Ancient Egyptians had an obsession with death and rebirth and in the temple we find clues that point to this. The Sphinx was built facing east which is also the direction of the sun rise. During the two yearly equinoxes, the sun