Mystery behind how 4,500-year-old Great Sphinx was built finally solved as scientists work out what helped the Egyptians | The Sun
SCIENTISTS have claimed they finally know how the legendary Great Sphinx was actually made.
The 4,500-year-old ancient sculpture was always thought to be carved by the Egyptians but the fascinating mystery might’ve finally been solved.
A new theory around Giza’s iconic sphinx suggests that the dusty desert winds are the prime suspect in how the overall shape was formed.
A study done by New York University tested the wind theory – that’s been around since 1981 – by creating tiny, lion-like sculptures from clay using the method they believe could’ve been done on a much grander scale.
The researchers took lumps of soft clay and mixed it with harder, less erodible material to replicate the Egyptian desert all those years ago.
The replica formations were then covered in a fast-flowing stream of water to act as the wind and created the impressive lion sculptures.
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This led them to strongly believe that it’s absolutely possible that the natural shape of the rock might’ve inspired the Egyptians to create the Great Sphinx.
Lead author of the study Professor Leif Ristroph said: “Our findings offer a possible 'origin story' for how Sphinx-like formations can come about from erosion.
“Our laboratory experiments showed that surprisingly Sphinx-like shapes can, in fact, come from materials being eroded by fast flows.”
The harder or more resistant material became the head as the softer clay developed quicker into the neck, paws and back.
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The university study group used examples from today of other similar sculptures formed by erosion to support their findings.
The shocking theory was first put forward by geologist Farouk El-Baz over four decades ago, as he thought the sphinx was originally a giant rock that got eroded overtime and then was shaped how we see it today.
El-Baz, a former NASA scientist, held on to his suspicions since the 80s and said back in 2011 that the exact shape was a very clever plan.
A statement by the geologist said: “Today, the pyramids of Giza exist in perfect harmony with their windy environment.
“Had the ancients built their monuments in the shape of a cube, a rectangle, or even a stadium, they would have been erased by the ravages of wind erosion long ago.”
Historians do still agree however that the actual detailing like on the face and feet of the sculpture was still carved by hand probably by experienced stonemasons.
Another great mystery is what the sphinx actually is.
Researchers have long been scratching their heads over if it’s a person, animal or a mixture of both.
El-Baz shared his thoughts, saying: “The ancient engineers may have elected to reshape its head in the image of their king.
“They also gave it a convincingly lion-like body, inspired by forms they encountered in the desert. To do so, they had to dig a moat around the natural protrusion.”
The Great Sphinx is thought by most people to represent King Khafra with a lion’s body.
Others believe that Djadefre, the brother of Khafra, built the sphinx in honour of their father, Khufu.
If this was true then the Great Sphinx would’ve been built somewhere between 2550 BC and 2450 BC.
Although it was only found 1817, after an excavation team uncovered the mammoth beast's chest.
It took another whopping 70 years for the whole thing to be completely visible.
Over the last few years rumours of other giant sculptures being found in Egypt have been off the chart.
Last year alone, two massive limestone statues of an ancient Egyptian ruler were unearthed.
Pieces of the colossal structure were made for King Amenhotep III and were found in his mortuary temple which people called the “Temple of Millions of Years”.
Egypt’s tourism board have also come under fire by archaeologists for announcing a second sphinx statue had been discovered.
Official Reda Abdel Halim told local media that a statue had been found in the pyramids area in Giza, near Cairo.
The revelation was later called “completely untrue” and done to cause a “media fanfare”.
Back in October, a lost ancient tomb containing the "Book of the Dead" and 3,400-year-old mummified bodies was uncovered.
The burial site was discovered in the Tuna El-Gebel necropolis in southern Egypt, and is understood to have included the bodies of a number of high-ranking officials and high priests from Ancient Egypt's New Kingdom, according to Egypt Today.
It comes after a 4,500-year-old chamber inside one of the famous Great Pyramids was revealed earlier this year.
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The secret passageway is around 30ft long and more than six feet wide – but where it leads to remains a mystery.
The discovery was revealed as part of the Scan Pyramids project which began in 2015.
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