(ORDO NEWS) — The Great Sphinx of Giza is not just a symbol of ancient and modern Egypt. This is the very embodiment of antiquity and mystery. For centuries it has captured the imagination of poets and scholars, adventurers and travelers.
And although it has often been measured, described, studied using the most modern scientific and technical means, discussed at special scientific conferences, fundamental questions remain unanswered: Who, when and why built it?
Although the pyramids of Giza are without a doubt one of the greatest, most impressive structures of the ancient world, one cannot write about the pyramids, especially the Great Pyramid of Giza, without mentioning the Great Sphinx.
This ancient statue is perhaps the statue of all statues, the rock star of the ancient world if you will, and there is hardly a person in the world who is unfamiliar with a giant statue carved in the shape of a lion’s body and a human head. The massive Sphinx is truly a rock star, carved out of stone and guarding the pyramids of Giza.
Despite the burden that the Great Sphinx bears as guardian of the most impressive structures of the ancient world, the Sphinx itself is shrouded in mystery. In fact, one could say that the Sphinx is synonymous with mystery.
Great Sphinx and its great secret
The Sphinx is older than just ancient. It is so ancient that even for the ancient Egyptians, the Sphinx was considered an artifact of the past. Therefore, he is one of the most mysterious statues ever carved on the surface of the planet.
Until 1926, almost a hundred years ago, the huge statue was buried up to its neck in the fine sand of the Giza plateau, and people wondered what might be hiding under it. Today, archaeologists and tourists know what the statue looks like as a whole. But, nevertheless, the Sphinx continues to keep its most intimate secrets.
There are two unique theories about the Sphinx, its origin and purpose.
Traditional point of view
From the generally accepted point of view, the Great Sphinx is undoubtedly part of the pyramid complex of Pharaoh Khafre.
The question of who built the Sphinx has long been a source of confusion among Egyptologists and archaeologists. Hawass, Lehner and others agree that it was Pharaoh Khafre who ruled Egypt during the Old Kingdom, which began around 2600 BC.
Archaeologist Ahmed Fakhri explains that no other king can boast such a monument, but the carving of the Sphinx may not have been entirely intentional or even planned.
It is believed that after the construction of the pyramids – and many materials were mined right next to them – a large stone remained in front of the pyramids. The huge stone was too big to remove, so the king decided to carve it into a majestic statue, resulting in the Great Sphinx. This is one of the theories.
As Fakhri writes in his book The Pyramids, after the workers selected the best, hardest stone for building the pyramids, a mass of softer rock remained. This massive stone was supposed to be unpleasant for the king.
The block left after the construction probably resembled a lion in shape, which may have prompted the royal architects of Khafre to think of carving the Sphinx. Soon, the Great Sphinx was carved out of the rock, 20 meters high and 57 meters long.
Alternative view
But what if the Sphinx was not created by Khafre? What if, as some scholars believe, the Sphinx predated not only Khafre, but the entire Fourth Dynasty?
One of the explanations for the mystery surrounding the Sphinx belongs to two prominent Egyptologists – Miroslav Werner and Salim Hassan.
The latter excavated and studied the Sphinx in 1949 and made a detailed description of his discovery.
Hassan wrote, summing up the problem of dating the Sphinx:
All things considered, it seems that we should give credit to the erection of this most remarkable statue in the world to Khafre, but always with a caveat: there is not a single modern inscription that links the Sphinx to Khafre; therefore, however it may sound, we must regard the evidence as circumstantial until a successful turn of the excavator’s shovel reveals to the world the exact reference to the construction of the Sphinx.”
Miroslav Werner sums up how mysterious the Great Sphinx is and how little we know about it;
The Great Sphinx of Giza is not just a symbol of ancient and modern Egypt. This is the very embodiment of antiquity and mystery. For centuries it has captured the imagination of poets and scholars, adventurers and travelers. And although it has often been measured, described, studied using the most modern scientific and technical means, discussed at special scientific conferences, fundamental questions remain unanswered: Who, when and why built it?
The first restoration of the Sphinx took place 3500 years ago
One cannot fully understand how old the Sphinx is until we realize that for the first time the ancient statue was restored 3500 years ago.
Evidence shows that the statue was first restored about 3,500 years ago. Unfortunately, at some point in history, the ancient Egyptians left the Giza necropolis, and as a result, the Sphinx was buried under the sands.
Around 1400 B.C. Thutmose IV made great efforts to excavate and restore the statue after numerous failures. During the excavations, the front legs of the statue were discovered, exactly where he placed the Dream Stele.
Over time, the Sphinx again covered with sand, and so it continued until Ramses II the Great dug it up again between 1279 and 1213 BC).
Mark Lechner had previously argued that the Sphinx could have been rebuilt even earlier, during the Old Kingdom, between 2686 and 2184 BC. However, in the end he abandoned his point of view.
Secret tunnels and the underworld
Research conducted by Ain Shams University and the California Research Institute in 1977 revealed anomalies in the Sphinx. Among them was a cavity in front of the front paws of the Sphinx.
In addition, SRI conducted a resistivity study and acoustic sounding, finding numerous oddities under and around the ancient monument.
Japan surveyed the Sphinx using electromagnetic sounding techniques in 1987. In addition to the tunnel under the monument, scientists found a cavity with water near the southern leg of the Sphinx and another cavity near the northern hind leg.
Curiously, their research also showed the presence of a channel extending under the body of the ancient monument.
Scientists from Waseda University have discovered several channels similar to the channel on the south side of the Sphinx. It turned out that these channels extend under the torso.
This suggests the presence of a tunnel under the Sphinx. In addition, a geometric cavity measuring 1 m x 1.5 m x 7 m was found near the elbow, possibly containing granite or metal.
In addition, scientists have found similar cavities to the north of the statue, which indicates the possibility of the existence of tunnels under the monuments of Giza.
Why is there a ban on research?
From 1925 to 1936, Baraize excavated the Sphinx and found a tunnel that he explored before entry was banned by the Egyptian authorities. Unfortunately, since the work of the French engineer has been lost, there is no written record of what he found.
These studies show that there is more to the Sphinx than meets the eye. Throughout the plateau one can find many similar tunnels and perhaps even “underground chambers”.
An example of this is the mine of Osiris – a narrow burial shaft leading three levels to the tomb, and under it – the floodplain of the river; originally described by Selim Hassan. Hawass led a team that carried out a thorough excavation in 1999.
The shaft begins at the junction of the Sphinx and the Second Pyramid, and then in several places descends 30 meters below the plateau. Water filled the entire lower chamber, which gave it its name.
Edgar Cayce, an American clairvoyant, claimed that there was an ancient library under the statue. In the so-called Hall of Records, the ancient past of the Earth was recorded.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.