The story of the Great Sphinx. The Great Sphinx in Egypt - the silent guardian of the pyramids

Great Sphinx (Egypt) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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One of the most ancient sculptures in the world, without a doubt, can be called the statue of the Sphinx. In addition, this is also one of the most mysterious sculptures, because the mystery of the Sphinx has not yet been fully solved. The Sphinx is a 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. One of the largest images of the Sphinx is located on the west bank of the Nile, next to the Egyptian pyramids at Giza.

Almost everything related to the Egyptian Sphinx is controversial among scientists. The exact date of origin of this sculpture is still unknown and it is completely unclear why the statue is now missing a nose.

The statue, made of limestone rock, looks monumental and majestic. It is worth noting its impressive dimensions: length - 73 meters, height - 20 meters. The Sphinx looks at the Nile and the rising sun.

Almost everything related to the Sphinx is controversial among scientists. The exact date of origin of this sculpture is still unknown and it is completely unclear why the statue is now missing a nose. The meaning of the word is also unknown: translated from Greek, “sphinx” means “strangler,” but what the ancient Egyptians meant in this name remains a mystery.

It was customary to depict Egyptian pharaohs as a formidable lion who would not spare a single enemy. That is why it is believed that the Sphinx guards the peace of the buried pharaohs. The author of the sculpture is unknown, but many researchers believe that it is Khafre. True, this judgment is very controversial. Supporters of the theory refer to the fact that the stones of the sculpture and the nearby pyramid of Khafre are the same in size. In addition, an image of this pharaoh was found not far from the statue.

Interestingly, the Sphinx does not have a nose. Of course, this detail once existed, but the reason for its disappearance is still unknown. Perhaps the nose was lost during the battle of Napoleon's troops with the Turks in the territory of the pyramids in 1798. But, according to the Danish traveler Norden, the Sphinx looked like this already in 1737. There is a version that back in the 14th century, some religious fanatic mutilated the sculpture in order to fulfill the covenant of Muhammad to prohibit the depiction of a human face.

The Sphinx not only lacks a nose, but also a false ceremonial beard. Her story is also controversial among scientists. Some believe that the beard was made much later than the sculpture itself. Others believe that the beard was made at the same time as the head and that the ancient Egyptians simply did not have the technical capabilities for the subsequent installation of parts.

The destruction of the sculpture and its subsequent restoration helped scientists find interesting facts. For example, Japanese archaeologists came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was built before the pyramids. In addition, they discovered a tunnel under the left paw of the statue leading towards the Pyramid of Khafre. Interestingly, this tunnel was first mentioned by Soviet researchers.

For a long time, the mysterious sculpture was under a thick layer of sand. The first attempts to dig up the Sphinx were made in ancient times by Thutmose IV and Ramses II. True, they did not achieve much success. Only in 1817 was the Sphinx's chest freed, and more than 100 years later the statue was completely excavated.

Address: Nazlet El-Semman, Al Haram, Giza

The Egyptian one was recognized as one of the most mysterious sculptures of our Earth. Sphinx. The Sphinx rises above the vast expanses of the desert in the Valley of the Kings on the Gizo plateau. Now it's a plateau Guizot is the city of Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, more than 900 thousand inhabitants live there. When you drive along its streets, the pyramids are already looming on the horizon. The necropolis, on the territory of which the pyramids are located, occupies approximately 2000 square meters. m. and declared a protected area. These pyramids are considered one of the wonders of the world. The city can be said to have already come close to the pyramids. Literally 100 meters from the residential quarters there is the Sphinx, and behind it the pyramids.

There are nine pyramids in total.
Three of them are the most famous. It is believed that the pyramids are about 5 thousand years old, the sphinx is about 3.5 thousand years old. These structures were known to the ancient Greeks, but for them, as for us, they were hoary antiquity. “Forty centuries look down on you from the heights of these pyramids,” Napoleon Bonaparte told his soldiers before the Battle of Giza, 1798. The height of the pyramids of Cheops is 138.75 m, Khafre (son of Cheops) - 136.4 m, Mikkerin (grandson) - 55.5 m. Visually, the pyramid of Khafre (in the center) seems higher, because it stands on a higher place... Without actually seeing them, you can imagine something quite monumental, but from a distance the pyramids seem small, and up close, they are not as huge as many would like to see.

The Sphinx is located closer to the city, as if guarding the pyramids. In ancient times, the Nile had such a wide bed that the Sphinx stood right on the river bank. Around the pyramids of Khafre and Mikkerin there are several more small pyramids (very badly destroyed) - the tombs of their wives, children, concubines... Initially, the pyramids were lined with granite blocks and had heights several meters higher. But over the course of centuries of history, these blocks, as well as some directly from the pyramids, were used to build Cairo. Many famous mosques were built from the granite casing of the pyramids. By the way, I will say that the casing made the pyramids absolutely smooth, and not compliant as they are now. The real names of the pharaohs who rested in the pyramids are Khufu, Khafre and Menkaur (Cheops, Khafre and Mikkerin, respectively). Moreover, Cheops and Khafre were not related, and Mikkerin is the son of Khafre. In the pyramid of Khafre the inscription "G. Belzoni. 1818." The discoverer wrote this on March 2, 1818. The dimensions of the burial chamber are 14.2m x 5m x 6.8m (length, width and height, respectively). The Sphinx's nose was shot off from a cannon, but not by Napoleonic soldiers (as some claim), but by Turkish Mamluks - Muslims do not like the display of human faces. The Arabs call the pyramids "Al-Ahram" ("pyramids") and the Sphinx - "Abu Hall" ("father of horror").
The Pyramid of Cheops.

The largest known pyramid is Cheops. He was the pharaoh of the 4th dynasty (2600 BC). The pyramid is tetrahedral, with a square base. The height of the pyramid is 147 m, the base has a side of 228 m. Stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each were used to construct the pyramid. At the same time, the quality of the surface treatment makes us doubt that we are modern people, we understand life; it is impossible to insert a knife blade between the blocks. The pyramid is oriented with its entrance to the north. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers, which are rooms measuring 11 by 5 meters and about 6 m high. The pharaoh’s mummy was missing from the sarcophagus, as were the supposed objects and decorations. Perhaps it was plundered in ancient times. On the southern side of the pyramid is the so-called Solar Boat. On it, Cheops went to the other world, which, of course, could also carry a symbolic meaning. The boat was discovered disassembled during excavations in 1954. It is made of cedar without the use of nails.

Pyramid of Khafre

It is believed that the Pyramid of Khafre was built almost simultaneously with the Pyramid of Cheops. A difference of 40 years against the backdrop of thousands of years of history looks like an insignificant period of time.
The pyramid is a little smaller. Base 215 meters, height 145 meters. Slightly different ratios create the illusion that it is larger than the Cheops pyramid. The two great pyramids differ from each other in the preservation of the basalt cladding at the top of the Pyramid of Khafre. A complex of structures associated with the pyramid is being traced. Temples, road, pyramid. Khafre was mummified in the lower temple.

Pyramid of Mikerin

This pyramid, significantly different in size, completes the ensemble of the great pyramids. Its dimensions are as follows: height - 67 m, base 108 m. The pyramid contains a single burial chamber. The chamber was created in the rocky base of the pyramid. The relatively small size of the pyramid emphasizes the greatness of the first two.
How were the pyramids created? Many scientists believe they know how, others doubt it. In any case, it was a great work of a great people. The ancient quarries where the stone for the pyramids was mined are still visible. An ancient pier was discovered not far from the pyramids; stones were delivered by ship.
In the vicinity of the great pyramids there are several small pyramids of the wives of the pharaohs, the tombs of the Egyptian aristocracy.

Sphinx

The Sphinx is the largest solid sculpture in the world (after the explosion of Buddha statues by the Taliban in Afghanistan)... For five thousand years, the Sphinx has been meeting the sunrises, it faces the east, its lips are closed. The facial features are believed to correspond to the image of Pharaoh Khafre. This is a mysterious creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man, carved from the same stone. The length of the sphinx from the tip of its paws to its tail is 57.3 m, its height is 20 m. Nestled at the huge paws of the sphinx is a small temple, now completely destroyed. Quite well preserved. And if you also take into account that the Germans took the crown to their museum, and the French to the Louvre, and Napoleon actually fired cannons at it during the Egyptian campaign... Although it is restored from time to time, it does not feel like a remake. You cannot approach the statue directly - it stands on a high pedestal, and tourists walk around at paw level along a special parapet perimeter, so it turns out that there is an insurmountable deep ditch between tourists and the Sphinx. When a person stands, especially at dawn, between the paws of the Great Sphinx of Egypt and sees how the rising sun illuminates his face, he is overcome with shyness and awe. At this moment you clearly feel how old this colossal statue is - almost as old as time itself. They say that it is much older than the 4500 years that Egyptologists give it; it is quite possible that it dates back to the last Ice Age, when, as is believed, a civilization capable of creating such monuments could not yet exist.
When a man stands at dawn between the paws of the Great Sphinx of Egypt and sees the rising sun illuminate his face, he is overcome with shyness and awe. At this moment you clearly feel how old this colossal statue is - almost as old as time itself. It is much older than the 4,500 years that Egyptologists give it; it is quite possible that it dates back to the last Ice Age, when, as is believed, a civilization capable of creating such monuments could not yet exist. The Sphinx is the greatest mystery of antiquity. It is still not known for certain who, why and when erected this grandiose structure.

Myths and legends of the Sphinx

This majestic monument is fraught with many secrets and mysteries; for thousands of years it has been shrouded in myths and legends, it has been worshiped and feared, it has seen the change of eras and civilizations, and only it, the Sphinx of Giza, has remained the imperishable and silent keeper of the secrets of the distant past.
1. He was once considered an eternal god. He then fell into the trap of oblivion and fell into an enchanted sleep. What secret does this majestic guard keep? In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the Sphinx is a monster generated by Typhon and Echidna, with the face and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The Sphinx was located on a mountain near the city of Thebes and asked everyone who passed by a riddle: “Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?” The Sphinx killed those who were unable to provide a solution. Oedipus solved the riddle - “Man in childhood, maturity and old age.” After this, the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff.
2. Another legend tells that this huge predator guards the peace of the pyramids day and night, and with the help of the “third eye” monitors the circulation of the planets, Sirius and the rising of the Sun, feeding on cosmic power. In exchange for this he had to make sacrifices.
3. Another legend says that a giant statue of a mysterious beast guards the “elixir of immortality.” According to legends, the founder of esoteric knowledge, Hermes Trismegistus, owned the secrets of making the “philosopher’s stone,” with which metal could be turned into gold. Also, the “philosopher’s stone” was the basis for the creation of the “elixir of immortality.” According to legend, Trismegistus was the son of an Egyptian god named Thoth, who built the first pyramid on the banks of the Nile and erected the Sphinx next to the pyramid complex in Giza, designed to protect the recipe for the “elixir of immortality”, which was hidden in its depths.
4. Initially, in myths, the Egyptian Sphinx retained the features of a lion with the head of a man. He wandered along the roads near Parnassus, devouring passers-by. In the myths of the ancient Greeks, the Sphinx is a monster born of Typhon and Echidna, with the body of a lion, the face and breasts of a woman, and the wings of a bird. Having settled on a mountain near the city of Thebes, the Sphinx asked everyone who passed by a riddle - “Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?” Those who failed to solve the riddle were killed by the Sphinx. Oedipus was able to give the answer - “Man in childhood, maturity and old age.” After which the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff.
5. The Arabs living in the area called the statue Abul Khol, which translated means “father of horror.” As philologists have established, the full name of the statue meant “the living image of Khafre.” Thus, the Sphinx was the embodiment of King Khafre with symbols of royal power and the body of the king of the desert. Consequently, in the understanding of the ancient Egyptians, the Sphinx in one person represented a god and a lion guarding its pyramid.
6. Many mystical teachings and magicians of all times have tried to find magical explanations for the purpose of the Sphinx. Here is what the classic of occultism Eliphas Levi wrote in his “History of Magic”: “Hermes Trismegistus formulated his symbol, called the Emerald Tablet: “What is below is like what is above, and what is above is like what is below, for actions of miracles of one essence." Light is Isis, or the moon, fire is Osiris, or the sun; they are the mother and father of the great Tellus, and she is the universal substance. Hermes Trismegistus states that these forces reached their absolute manifestation at the moment when the earth was created. Four manifestations of a single substance were represented by the Sphinx. His wings corresponded to air, his bull's body to earth, his woman's breasts to water, and his lion's paws to fire. This is the secret of the three pyramids with square bases and triangular faces guarded by the Sphinx. By erecting these monuments, Egypt tried to erect the Pillars of Hercules of universal science.

How old is the Sphinx?

1. For a long time, scientists considered the Sphinx to be the same age as the Great Pyramids, but there is one oddity here. The fact is that in the ancient papyri that have reached us and dating back to the era of the construction of the pyramids, not the slightest mention of the Sphinx was found. And, if hieroglyphs brought to us the names of the builders of the Great Pyramids, who created the Sphinx remains a mystery. We found the answer in the works of the ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny the Elder. His “Natural History” tells that in his time the Sphinx was once again cleared of the sands of the Western Desert, which literally swallowed it up. It is not known exactly how often the Sphinx was covered with sand, but it becomes clear why there were periods in history when there was no mention of the Sphinx. It’s just that the same Herodotus, describing the greatness of Ancient Egypt, could not tell us about the Sphinx, because he did not see it - it was buried under a many-meter layer of sand. Studying the sculpture, scientists came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was periodically hidden under a layer of sand, and from time to time it had to be dug up. In the last century, a stele was found in Egypt on which was carved a text compiled in the 15th century BC during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV. The text says that the pharaoh had a sign in a dream - if he was able to clear the Sphinx of sand, then his reign would be prosperous and long. It also says that the sculpture was dug up after almost a year. In our time, archaeologists have received information that the Sphinx was dug out of the sand during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, then under the Arab rulers and Roman emperors. Even today, after strong sandstorms, the statue has to be cleaned, although there is much less sand now than before. The statue was finally cleared of sand in the mid-1920s.

2. Based on these facts and phenomena, scientists concluded that the Sphinx was erected much earlier than previously thought. But there are many different hypotheses about the time of construction of the statue. Therefore, Egyptologists of the world to this day have not come to a common opinion. Studies of significant traces of erosion indicated traces of a flood that once occurred in these places. And the estimated date of the event was named - 8000 BC, and repeated research carried out by the British pushed this date back to 12000 BC. In addition, it turned out that traces of erosion occur on the processed part of the rock on which the Sphinx is installed, which means that it stood there even before the flood. French archaeologists claim that the dating of the flood that occurred in Egypt coincides with the date of the destruction of Atlantis according to Plato... Other scientists are trying to calculate the time of the creation of the Sphinx from the Bible, believing that the erosion could have been caused by the Great Flood. Based on the description of the weather in Egypt (the dream of the pharaoh, unraveled by Joseph), it can be assumed that the Sphinx was erected around 2820-2620 BC. This hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by an Arab legend, which says that the pyramids were built to save the Egyptians from the Great Flood. And the Sphinx was erected in order to warn people about the impending disaster. Therefore, the Sphinx's gaze is wary, and its third eye is directed into Space.

3. The Roerichs and Helena Blavatsky believed that the Sphinx was built by the Atlanteans about 200 thousand years ago. And the famous philosopher Jorge A. Livraga believes that the descendants of the Atlanteans built the Great Pyramid, and a thousand years later - the Great Sphinx. According to N. N. Sychenov, “The construction of the Sphinx began 42.2 thousand years BC and the construction was completed 1200 years later.”

4. The famous American medium Edward Cayce claimed that “The Sphinx and the Pyramids of Cheops were built between 10490 and 10390 BC.” Boston University geology professor Robert Schoch, based on studies of traces of water erosion of the Sphinx, believes that the time of creation of the statue lies between 7000 and 5000 BC, because it was during this period that heavy rains fell over Egypt, which could cause erosion.

5. John West believes that most of the erosion occurred during an earlier, rainy period - around 10,000 BC.
6. Other scientists divide the time of creation of the Sphinx and the time of construction of the pyramids.
However, many ancient legends and tales of different peoples testify against this: Greeks, Romans, Chaldeans, Arabs. These legends tell that a tunnel was dug underground and a hiding place was built. The tunnel served as a connection between the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, which was used by the priests...

Sensational secrets of the Sphinx revealed during its renovation

Time has been kind to this great monument of ancient history, but people have treated it with much less respect. One Egyptian ruler ordered the Sphinx's nose to be taken off. At the beginning of the 18th century, the giant's face was fired from a cannon, and Napoleon's soldiers fired guns into his eyes. The British beat off the stone beard and took it to the British Museum.
Nowadays, the acrid smoke of Cairo factories and car exhaust are destroying the stones. In 1988, a huge block weighing 350 kilograms broke off from the Sphinx’s neck and fell. The emergency condition of the sculpture caused concern among UNESCO. Renovations began, sparking renewed interest in the mysteries of the Sphinx and the opportunity to re-examine the grandiose sculpture. The discoveries were not long in coming.

First sensation: Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Yoshimura, using special instruments, first illuminated the massif of the Cheops pyramid, and then examined the stones of the Sphinx. The conclusion was amazing: the stones of the sculpture are older than the blocks of the pyramid.

Second sensation: there was a discovery under the left paw of a stone lion of a narrow tunnel leading towards the Cheops pyramid.

Third sensation: Traces of erosion from a large flow of water that moved from north to south were discovered on the Sphinx. It was not the flood of the Nile, but a biblical catastrophe that occurred around eight to twelve thousand years BC.

Fourth sensation: French archaeologists made an interesting remark: the dating of the Egyptian stream coincides with the date of the death of the legendary Atlantis!

Fifth sensation: The face of the Sphinx is not the face of Khafre.
It was believed that the Sphinx was built by Pharaoh Khafre 4.5 thousand years ago. For more than half of its life, the sphinx was buried up to its neck in sand. Since it was heavily damaged by erosion, the idea of greater antiquity of the sphinx arose: erosion from water, rather than from sand and wind. Geological research showed the same. 10 thousand years ago there were lakes in the Sahara. Schock and West presented their findings at the Geological Society of America's annual meeting. A furious debate began between geologists and Egyptologists. The front and sides are more susceptible to erosion. While the back part is smaller, which means it was most likely made later. The front is twice as old as the back. How old is the sphinx? At first glance, the face of the sphinx is absolutely similar to the face of Pharaoh Khafre, which seems to prove the time of its creation. But a detailed analysis of all the parameters showed that the face of the sphinx and the face of the pharaoh are not identical. Proportions and shapes do not match. And special studies were done that proved that the faces on the sculpture of Pharaoh Khafre in the Cairo Museum and the face of the Sphinx are different.

Conclusions:
The Sphinx has always been considered the keeper of knowledge, the guardian of the portal leading to the world of higher intelligence, a symbol of the strength of human nature... The personification of the unity and balance of the forces of the nature of the earth with the higher forces living in the Universe. Everything came together in the Great Sphinx. The ideal symbol of initiation into eternal life. And the mystery of the origin of the Sphinx goes back to time immemorial. What do we know about those times? Practically nothing, but the legends and myths that have survived to this day raise many questions and practically do not provide answers to them. However, it can be assumed that in the mists of time a highly developed civilization existed on our Earth, and its representatives, possessing developed science, could foresee the coming catastrophe and try to preserve their knowledge for future generations. One of the ancient legends says: “When the Sphinx speaks, life on Earth will go out of its usual circle.” But for now the Sphinx remains silent...
When was it built? When was it reconstructed? In honor of whom and by whom it was created... Most likely, there will never be exact answers to these questions... After all, the deeper science advances, the more questions arise...

Information and photos from the Internet.

Sphinx is a Greek word of Egyptian origin. The Greeks called this a mythical monster with a woman's 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; whoever could not solve it was killed by the Sphinx. This is how the Sphinx destroyed people until Oedipus solved its riddle; then the Sphinx threw himself into the sea, since fate determined that he would not survive the correct answer. (By the way, the riddle was quite simple: “Who walks in the morning on four legs, at noon on two, and in the evening on three?” - “Man!” answered Oedipus. “In infancy he crawls on all fours, in adulthood he walks on two legs, and in old age he leans on a stick.")

In the Egyptian understanding, the Sphinx was neither a monster nor a woman, like the Greeks, and did not ask riddles; it was a statue of a ruler or god, whose power was symbolized by the lion's body. Such a statue was called shesep-ankh, i.e. “living image” (of the 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 at Giza is a riddle incarnate. Many 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, which included drilling machines and gunpowder, Egyptologists discovered the real name of the Sphinx. The surrounding Arabs called the statue Abu'l Hod - "Father of Terror", philologists found out that this is the folk etymology of the ancient "Khorun". Behind this name were hidden several even more ancient ones, and at the end of the chain stood the ancient Egyptian Haremakhet (in Greek Harmakhis), which meant "Chorus in the sky." The choir was the name of the deified ruler, and the sky was the place where, after death, this ruler merges with the Sun god. The full name meant: "The living image of Khafre." So, the Sphinx depicted pharaoh Khafre(Khefre) 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.

Riddles of the Sphinx. Video

There is not and has never been a statue in the world larger than the Great Sphinx. It is hewn from a single block left in a quarry where stone was mined for the construction of the pyramid of Khufu and then Khafre. It combines a remarkable creation of technology with wonderful artistic invention; Khafre's appearance, known to us from other sculptural portraits, despite the stylized nature of the image, is conveyed correctly, with individual features (wide cheekbones and large, lagging ears). As can be judged by the inscription at the feet of the statue, it was created during Khafre’s lifetime; therefore, this Sphinx is not only the largest, but also the oldest monumental statue in the world. From its front paw to its tail is 57.3 meters, the height of the statue is 20 meters, the width of the face is 4.1 meters, the height is 5 meters, from the top to the earlobe is 1.37 meters, the length of the nose is 1.71 meters. The Great Sphinx is over 4,500 years old.

Now it is badly damaged. The face was 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 (celebratory scarf descending from the back of the head to the shoulders) is partially broken off; from the “divine” beard, a symbol of royal dignity, only fragments remained, found at the feet of the statue. Several times the Sphinx was covered with desert sand, so that only one head stuck out, and not always its entire head. 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 this 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 freed from captivity by the Sais rulers in the 7th century BC. e., after them - the Roman emperor Septimius Severus at the beginning of the 3rd century AD. e. In modern times, the Sphinx was first dug up by Caviglia in 1818, doing this at the expense of the then ruler of Egypt Muhammad Ali, who paid him 450 pounds sterling - a very large sum for those times. In 1886, his work had to be repeated by the famous Egyptologist Maspero. The Sphinx was then excavated 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 to protect it from new drifts. The Sphinx generously rewarded him for this: between his front paws were the remains of a temple, which until then none of the researchers of the pyramid field in Giza had even suspected.

However, time and the desert did not cause as much damage to the Sphinx as human stupidity. The wounds on the face of the Sphinx, reminiscent of marks from blows with a chisel, were actually inflicted with a chisel: in the 14th century, a certain devout Muslim sheikh mutilated it in this way in order to fulfill the covenant of the Prophet Muhammad, prohibiting the depiction of a human face. Wounds that look like marks from cannonballs are also just that. It was the Egyptian soldiers - the Mamelukes - who used the head of the Sphinx as a target for their cannons.

Having heard the combination of the words “Ancient Egypt”, many will immediately imagine majestic pyramids and the large Sphinx - it is with them that a mysterious civilization separated from us by several millennia is associated. Let's get acquainted with interesting facts about sphinxes, these mysterious creatures.

Definition

What is a sphinx? This word first appeared in the Land of the Pyramids, and later spread throughout the world. So, in ancient Greece you can find a similar creature - a beautiful woman with wings. In Egypt, these creatures were most often masculine. The sphinx with the face of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut is famous. Having received the throne and pushed aside the rightful heir, this powerful woman tried to rule like a man, even wearing a special false beard. Therefore, it is not surprising that many statues of this time have found her face.

What function did they perform? According to mythology, the sphinx acted as the guardian of tombs and temple buildings, which is why most of the statues that have survived to this day were discovered near such structures. Thus, in the temple of the supreme deity, solar Amun, approximately 900 of them were found.

So, answering the question of what a sphinx is, it should be noted that this is a statue characteristic of the culture of Ancient Egypt, which, according to mythology, guarded temple buildings and tombs. The material used for creation was limestone, which was quite abundant in the Country of the Pyramids.

Description

The ancient Egyptians depicted the Sphinx like this:

The head of a person, most often a pharaoh.
The body of a lion, one of the sacred animals of the hot country of Kemet.

But this appearance is not the only option for depicting a mythological creature. Modern finds prove that there were other species, for example with the head:

ram (the so-called cryosphinxes, installed near the temple of Amon);
Falcon (they were called hieracosphinxes and were most often placed near the temple of the god Horus);
hawk

So, answering the question of what a sphinx is, it should be pointed out that it is a statue with the body of a lion and the head of another creature (usually a person, a ram), which was installed in the immediate vicinity of temples.

The most famous sphinxes

The tradition of creating very original statues with a human head and a lion's body was inherent in the Egyptians for a long time. So, the first of them appeared during the fourth dynasty of the pharaohs, that is, around 2700-2500. BC e. Interestingly, the first representative was female and depicted Queen Hethephera the Second. This statue has reached us; anyone can look at it in the Cairo Museum.

Everyone knows the Great Sphinx of Giza, which we will talk about below.

The second largest sculpture depicting an unusual creature is an alabaster creation with the face of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, discovered in Memphis.

No less famous is the famous Avenue of the Sphinxes near the Temple of Amun in Luxor.

Greatest value

The most famous throughout the world, of course, is the Great Sphinx, which not only amazes with its enormous size, but also poses many mysteries to the scientific community.

The giant with a lion's body is located on the plateau at Giza (near the capital of the modern state, Cairo) and is part of a funerary complex that also includes three great pyramids. It was carved from a monolithic block and is the largest structure for which solid stone was used.

Even the age of this outstanding monument is controversial, although analysis of the rock suggests that it is at least 4.5 millennia old. What features of this colossal monument are known?

The face of the Sphinx, disfigured by time and, as one legend says, by the barbaric actions of the soldiers of Napoleon's army, most likely depicts Pharaoh Khafre.
The giant's face is turned to the east, which is where the pyramids are located - the statue seems to protect the peace of the greatest pharaohs of antiquity.
The dimensions of the figure, carved from monolithic limestone, are amazing: length - more than 55 meters, width - about 20 meters, shoulder width - more than 11 meters.
Previously, the ancient sphinx was painted, as evidenced by the surviving remains of paint: red, blue and yellow.
The statue also had a beard, typical of the kings of Egypt. It has survived to this day, although separately from the sculpture - it is kept in the British Museum.

The giant found himself buried under the sand several times and was dug up. Perhaps it was the protection of the sand that helped the Sphinx survive the destructive influence of natural disasters.

Changes

The Egyptian Sphinx managed to defeat time, but it affected the change in its appearance:

Initially, the figure had a traditional pharaonic headdress, decorated with a sacred cobra, but it was completely destroyed.
The statue also lost its false beard.
Damage to the nose has already been mentioned. Some blame this on the shelling of Napoleon's army, others on the actions of Turkish soldiers. There is also a version that the protruding part was damaged by wind and humidity.

Despite this, the monument is one of the greatest creations of the ancients.

Mysteries of history

Let's get acquainted with the secrets of the Egyptian Sphinx, many of which have not yet been solved:

Legend has it that there are three underground passages under the giant monument. However, only one of them was found - behind the giant's head.
The age of the largest sphinx is still unknown. Most scholars believe that it was built during the reign of Khafre, but there are those who consider the sculpture to be more ancient. Thus, her face and head retained traces of the influence of the water element, which is why the hypothesis arose that the giant was erected more than 6 thousand years ago, when a terrible flood hit Egypt.
Perhaps the army of the French emperor is wrongly accused of causing damage to the great monument of the past, since there are drawings by an unknown traveler in which the giant is already depicted without a nose. Napoleon was not yet born at that time.
As you know, the Egyptians knew writing and documented in detail everything on papyri - from conquests and the construction of temples to the collection of taxes. However, not a single scroll was found that contained information about the construction of the monument. Perhaps these documents simply have not survived to this day. Perhaps the reason is that the giant appeared long before the Egyptians themselves.
The first mention of the Egyptian Sphinx was found in the works of Pliny the Elder, which talks about the work of excavating the sculpture from sand.

The majestic monument of the Ancient World has not yet revealed all its mysteries to us, so its research continues.

Restoration and protection

We learned what the Sphinx was and what role it played in the worldview of the ancient Egyptian. They tried to dig out the huge figure from the sand and partially restore it even under the pharaohs. It is known that similar work was carried out during the time of Thutmose IV. A granite stele has been preserved (the so-called “Dream Stele”), which tells that one day the pharaoh had a dream in which the god Ra ordered him to cleanse the statue of sand, in return promising power over the entire state.

Later, the conqueror Ramses II ordered the excavation of the Egyptian Sphinx. Then attempts were made in the early 19th and 20th centuries.

Now let's see how our contemporaries are trying to preserve this cultural heritage. The figure was carefully analyzed, all the cracks were identified, the monument was closed to the public and restored within 4 months. In 2014 it was reopened to tourists.

The history of the Sphinx in Egypt is amazing and filled with secrets and riddles. Many of them have not yet been solved by scientists, so the amazing figure with the body of a lion and the face of a man continues to attract attention.

It can be seen from afar, its power attracts the eye and many questions arise. To this day, the Great Sphinx remains one of the most ancient and mysterious statues. Its height is more than 20 meters. The width of the sculpture reaches 57 meters. It is surprising that the desert sands in the 17th century BC. swallowed up the Sphinx. The sculpture disappeared for several centuries. And only in the 5th century BC. Thutmose ordered it to be excavated. The last excavations were carried out by the Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1925.

The Great Sphinx as a collective image

The creators of the Sphinx attached great importance to astrology. Using her knowledge, and in particular, the positions of the Sun in the Zodiac: Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius. In addition, when depicting the Sphinx, sculptors embodied in the sculpture the collective image of the pharaoh, Imhotep, and the gods Baboon and Horus. Therefore, the Sphinx was given the name “Living Image”.

Age of the Great Sphinx

There are different versions about when the Great Sphinx was created. Some believe the statue is 200,000 years old. According to scientist N.N. Sochevanov, the Great Sphinx began to be built 44 thousand years BC. and finished after 1200 years. Many who study the age of the giant sculpture focus on the processes occurring in the limestone as a result of erosion. Dr. R. Schoch, professor of geology at Boston University, takes into account the degree of erosion of the rock and believes that the Sphinx was created around 5000-6000 BC, since it rained during this period.

Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the figure, and people treated her barbarously. The Sphinx's face is disfigured. In the 14th century, one of the sheikhs, in order to fulfill the covenant of Muhammad, who forbade depicting a human face, damaged the sculpture. The head of the Sphinx was used for target practice by the Mamelukes.

Now the place in Egypt where the monumental structure is located is a place for excursions. The majestic Great Sphinx evokes fear and wonder at the same time.

You can learn more about the history of Egypt and beyond at the Abdin Palace, which is now a museum complex.