The Great Sphinx of Egypt - Research Paper Example

 The Great Sphinx of Egypt Introduction According to Robert, and Mcnally (6), the great sphinx of Egypt is a carving made from natural bedrock with blocks of limestone. It is one of the prehistoric sculptures that can be seen today. It consists of human head and the rest looks like a body of a lion. It was carved from limestone and was a symbol of the sun god. Currently the head is lacking nose and the sacred serpent. It is believed that the nose and the serpents were removed by the Turks who had used it for practice, while others believe that it had been removed during excavation. Others believe that the nose was removed by Sufi who considered it was blasphemous. According to Robert (48), arguments have been raised that the sculpture was built by pharaoh Khafre at around 2575-2465 BC. This was during the old kingdom which was characterized by building of pyramids. However, there are various arguments surrounding the construction of the sphinx. History There are various mysteries surrounding the great Sphinx. The great sphinx is located close to the pharaoh’s valley Temple and along the covered causeway that led to Mortuary Temple beside the pyramid. The great sphinx is made of limestone with lion’s body and a human head. It is situated at the Giza plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. It is one of the world’s largest monoliths. It is 73.5 meters (241 ft) long, 19.3 meters (63 ft) wide, and 20.22 meters (66.34 ft) deep and weighs around 200 tons (Robert, and McNally). It is among the oldest monuments in the world and it’s thought to have been built by ancient Egyptians during the reign of pharaoh Khafra around (2558-2532 BC). However, there have been controversies regarding who built the statue and when it was built. The Egyptians used the statue as a sign of divinity, and there is a belief that king Harmais was buried in it. The statue faces East which signifies security. The direction the statue is facing means that it guards the temple and the other pyramids that surround it. Egyptians use different names to refer to the sphinx (Robert, 51). These include: Hor-em-akht (Horus in the horizon), Bw-How (Olacr of Horus) and Ra-horakhty (Ra of two Horizons). The building of the sphinx could have taken place during the fourth dynasty of Egypt in the 3rd millennium BC. Also, the statue could have been built by pharaoh Khafre and the carved image of the face looks just like his face. Others suggest that the sphinx was built by Pharaoh Khufu the father of pharaoh Khafre, who also built the great pyramid of Giza. However, there is no conclusive evidence regarding who exactly built the great sphinx. Robert (49) states that, Pharaoh Khafre ruled the fourth dynasty (2558-2532 BC) after having succeeded his brother King Djedefre. Khafre was the son of King Khufu and Queen Henutsen. He reigned for around 24-26 years and he is also appreciated for having built the second pyramid at Giza. He is also thought to have built the great Egyptian sphinx. During his reign the Egyptian kingdom obtained great prosperity. Dimensions and Proportionality The head of the sphinx is smaller than the rest of the body which makes it disproportionate. However, this contradicts the facts that it was made by Egyptians since they were good at making proportionate items. The sphinx was carved from limestone and the stones that were removed were used in construction of pyramids and temple. The limestone that was removed around the head was stronger and was used in building pyramids while the weaker ones were used in building the temple (Graham, and Bauval, 17). There was also another suggestion that sphinx would have been formed through water erosion. According to Manger (1993), the history of the great sphinx had long been forgotten and the monument suffered neglect. The story of the sphinx began around 1400 BC, when pharaoh Thutmose IV was told in a dream to unearth the sphinx body. In his dream, he was promised to become the king if he carried out the errand. Therefore, he immediately summoned his energy and began digging up the great sphinx. Evidence of what he had done was recorded in the Dream Stele which is placed in between the two paws of the sphinx. Even after Thutmose had put all the efforts to restore the sphinx, it was again neglected and buried by the dessert sand. People could only see the face of the sphinx until the 20th century when the whole sphinx was uncovered and restored. However the process of uncovering and restoration took several decades to accomplish (Krupp, 87). Details about the sphinx The great sphinx has a head of a man dressed with a headdress and the body of a lion. “The sphinx symbolized the king, and its face is carved in Khafres likeness” (Graham, and Bauval, 19). The great sphinx has a missing nose. Theories have been developed to explain the disappearance of the nose. Some believe that the nose was blown of by one of the Napoleon soldiers who had used the sphinx for target practice while they were in Egypt. Another argument regarding its disappearance is that the nose was blown away accidentally by the Turkish soldiers during their rule in Egypt. However, to dispel these arguments is that these events took place years later when the nose had already disappeared (Krupp, 88). An Egyptian historian argues that the nose was destroyed by a Muslim Sufi who considered it to be blasphemous to his god. The great sphinx has been painted dark red and was decorated using a stone beard and a sculptured cobra on the forehead. The statue looks old, fierce and disheveled monster. It is higher that a sixty feet building and long to cover a whole block of a city. Its borders are slanted as a result of the erosion by water. The paws are now worn away though some have been repaired and the neck is made of cement hence has not faced weathering. The face looks old and deformed and shows different feeling in relation to seasons and times (Isler, 1993). It gives a beautiful look of patterns that are formed when it is struck by light and the clouds that appear at day break. It has the helmet of the pharaoh and faces the east direction which is the direction for the rising of the sun. The Sphinx sits still in a somber mood, gloomy, silent and magical (Hancock and Bauval, 17). The great Sphinx was created using an architectural design. Significance According to Schoch,(48) The statue was built as a guardian figure to protect the tomb of pharaoh Khafre by chasing away the evil spirits. The pharaohs worshiped it as their god. The sphinx could also have been built to serve as a tomb for king Khafre and to protect his property that he would need in the other world from being stolen by robbers. Also, it could have served to help the king get into heaven after his death. The current history states that the sphinx acts as representation of the lion in the bible and is used to denote the end of the last days. It is viewed as the fulfillment of the prophecy in revelation 22:12-14. Just like Christ is the beginning and the end, the sphinx has been used to represent the beginning and the end of the Zadoic kingdom, that is its beginning and its end. According to an Egyptologist Selim Hassan the sphinx could have been used for worship by the Canaanites who referred to it as their god by the name Hwl (Hancok and Bauval, 7). Egyptology, archeology and geologist The Egyptian astronomers used various methods to determine the position of the pyramid. Zaba argued that the pyramids were made in relation to the knowledge the Egyptians had regarding the Equinoxes. The arguments of Zaba has however been considered fictional. This was because the Egyptians never intended to determine the location having considered the terrestrial bodies but they built pyramids to symbolize and act as representations of their myths. “Egyptians were not preparing celestial maps or other scientific diagrams, but only symbolic and mythological representation” (Maravelia, p.3) According to Kuzmin (522), the construction of the great pyramid may have been meant for symbolic and cultic purposes that have not yet been understood. Also, it could have been built from the influence that had been generated by the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur. The great sphinx location however could have been determined by the stellar or the solar as argued by (Manger,1993). This can be proved with the location of the holes that have been surrounding the Great Sphinx at intervals. According to Cook, the geometrical features are in line with the angles of the ventilation shafts which are relatively close to the position of particular constellations. Hellestam also concurs with the theory that the great sphinx was positioned according to the solar orientation “the great sphinx would have been chosen in relation to the position of the solar. (Maviela, p.7) Legon argues that only the geometrical factors should be put into consideration in relation to the great Sphinx. He therefore, agrees with the stellar arguments. Spence theory regarding the orientation of the sphinx has faced great opposition since it is not clear why she picked on the two stars Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Egyptians were intelligent and they used their knowledge to construct these pyramids which they could use in their day to day life. They were able to determine time and seasons and the orientation of the monuments but did not engage any science at all. Egyptology does not greatly encompass Agro physics (Kuzmin, 523). According to Robert (46), a geologist argues that the sphinx was caused by the water erosion. Ha further says that both sphinx and the temple in front of it were the works of Khafre and his father Khufu. He further believes that the sphinx is as old as 6,000 years since precipitation had started in Egypt as earlier as 4000BC. Therefore, in Hancock and Bauval (22) the sphinx could have belonged to a much earlier date in the human history. Hancok and Bauval (1996) argue that the head of the sphinx would have been large and proportionate to the body. However, he argues that this has reduced due to human action on it through carving which disputes the Lehner’s claims that the head was originally small. The changes that have occurred on the sphinx and its facing the East direction could also be attributed to the carving made on the sphinx. The results of a senior Forensic artist Frank Domingo contradict with Lehner assumption the sphinx head represent the face of Pharaoh Khafre. Domingo state “the two separate works represent two separate individuals; there are differences in the frontal view, mainly on the angles and the protrusions on the face in their lateral view” (Hancock and Bauval, 22). According to Domingo, it is difficult to establish the date of the sphinx since it was carved out of a rock. Also, there is no old kingdom writing that highlight anything about the sphinx even with the belief that it was carved during the fourth dynasty. The sphinx has some inscription which has the word Khaf and hence this qualifies it to have been fashioned by King Khafre. “The priest of Heliopolis who advised Thutmosis to unearth the sphinx believed that it was carved by Khafre” (Hancock and Bauval, 23). Another British philologist on finding the inscription had fallen away, he made an inscription which he added Re to the “khaf” after making the assumption that the word Khaf was meant to mean khafre. According to the American Egyptologist James Henry Breasted, the mention of the king by young was a wrong move since it implied that the king is the one who made the Sphinx. According to James it could not be so since all the names of Egyptians kings are inscribed inside oval shaped signs or ‘cartouches’. Therefore, the inscription between the paws would not be for a powerful king as Khafre. Another argument on the syllable ‘Khaf’ is that it does not mean he built the sphinx (Evan, 37). It could symbolize that it was inscribed to show commemoration or respect for the king. The modern view is that the sphinx was inexistence before Khufu the predecessor of Khafre. Therefore, the sphinx could have been there during the time of the “Followers of Horus” who were from the family of rulers and were close to the gods. They are believed to have reigned in Egypt for thousands of years. But later, Maspero changed his story and agreed that the sphinx was built during King Khafre reign. However, according to Selim Hassan, “there is no sound evidence that links the sphinx to khafre and therefore we should be still and wait for the truth to be unveiled” (Hancock and Bauval, 25). Therefore, it can conclusively be said that the sphinx was built, circa 2500 BC. This is based on Lenher arguments that the great sphinx is surrounded by the Great pyramid of khafre and the pyramid of Menkaure, the pharaoh of the fourth dynasty. The archeologists have also unearthed material that relate to the fourth dynasty. These archeological excavations have revealed bodies and other artifacts that represent the class of the people that took part in the building of the pyramids. All this evidence has been gathered around the Giza plateau which is the home for the great Sphinx (Manger,1993). Another proof is that the sphinx ditch forms the northern edge of the Khafres causeway and run past the sphinx to enter Khafres valley temple. A drainage channel also runs along the northern side and opens onto the uppers South –West corner of the sphinx ditch. This suggests that the men who were involved in building the Khafre causeway created sphinx as well. Also, the Khafres temple sits on the same terrace as the great sphinx temple and they are aligned on the front and backs and their wall share the same style, hence the probability that it was build by Khafre. Work Cited. Evan, Hadin. G., “Uncovering the Secrets of the Sphinx.” Smithsonion, vol.40 (2010): 34-41. Ebsco. Sept, 29 Graham, Hanvcock., and Bauval, Robert. The Message of the sphinx, a Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind. New York: Three Rivers, 1996 Krupp, E.C. “The Sphinx Blinks.” Sky and Telescope. Vol 103.3 march 2001: 86-89 Kuzmin. A.V. “Ethno-Astronomical Testimonies, Written and Architectural, From the Ancient Egypt: Evidence for the Discovery of the solar Year.” Astronomical and astrophysical Transacrions. Vol17.6 (May, 1999) 515-528. EBSCO. Web. 30 Sep. 2012. Manger, Iller, A. “Sphinx Poses riddle of Age Geologists Findings Conflict with Long Held Ideas About Monument.”28 Feb. 1993. EBScO. Web. #0 Sept. 2012. Robert, Schoch, M and Mcnally, Robert, A. Pyramid Quest, Secrets of the Great Pyramids and the Dawn of Civilization. London: Penguin Book LTd. 2005 Robert, Schoch, “A Modern Riddle of the Sphinx.” Om in, August 1992, vol.14. 11. 46-51. EBSCO. Web, 29 Sep, 2012. Read More