General view of the Sphinx and pyramids at Giza. The Great Sphinx of Giza, one of the most famous monuments of Pharaonic Egypt, is to get a facelift, the Egyptian ministry of culture said.(AFP/File/Amr Nabil)
Posted on 03/14/2006 1:02:03 PM PST by Justice
General view of the Sphinx and pyramids at Giza. The Great Sphinx of Giza, one of the most famous monuments of Pharaonic Egypt, is to get a facelift, the Egyptian ministry of culture said.(AFP/File/Amr Nabil) |
Egyptian antiquities boss Zahi Hawas said the last restoration work on the half-man half-lion statue was carried out in 1996.
The face of the 73-metre long and 20-metre high Sphinx, believed to have been built 5,000 years ago, is thought to be modelled on the Pharaoh Khepren and wears a royal headdress.
Situated close to the Great Pyramids of Giza just outside Cairo, the Sphinx will remain accessible to the public during the restoration work.
Half man & half beast = The Hildabeast.
Wouldn't it make sense to re-cover the pyramids in the smooth limestone that they originally had? Weren't the old coverings stolen to make mortar?
I seem to recall that the Sphinx is defaced because Arab conquerors fired cannons at its head. Is this correct?
I was going to use her face but opted for the beast's instead. Great minds think alike.
No. It was caused from wind erosion.
It was already old when the pyramids were built.
not the face.
Two legends about the Sphinx and Napoleon's army in Egypt:
It was French cannon which defaced the face of the Sphinx, almost as a prank.
Napoleon himself said of the Sphinx, "Men, forty centuries are looking down at you!"
Any truth to these?
Terrific! Thanks.
Interesting picture, but if you want the Hildabeast, try this view of the Sphinx.
Is that the Phinxter ?
I've read that too. I've also read that some 10,000 years ago the lion would have been looking directly at the rising of the constellation Leo at the spring equinox right before sunrise.
Judging from the overall size of the body, the head is proportianally smaller than it should be. And it makes sense that some narcassistic Pharoh came along and said my head would look better.
I have read that, too. However, that is how the thing has looked to me for a long time. As a piece of sculpture it appears to have fallen into inexpert hands. They didn't even blend the new head and neck into the old body, size disparity aside.
But, one thing might have forced them to do something: the muzzle of the original animal might have decayed and fallen off so they had to either clean it up or leave it a total ruin, which would have detracted from the fresh-built splendor of the Cheops pyrimid.
Oddly enough, looking at some of the erosion patterns, it would suggest that a great deal of errosion could be attributed to water, which hasn't been seen in that part of the world in sufficient quantaties in quite some time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.