Ancient Monuments: Sphinx and King Taharqa - Assignment Example

Whereas Khafre Enthroned will be used as a primary image, Statues of Amun in the form of a ram protecting King Taharqa; and Great Sphinx of Giza (Sphinx) will be used for contextual and comparison during the research. These are artistic images that were produced at different times in the history of man. The Statues of Amun in the form of a ram protecting King Taharqa is used because it was also originated in Egypt in which the primary image was made. Thus, even if they might have been made for different purposes, at least they had similar essences because it is the same Egyptians who were using it as an important sculpture in their society.

  Khafre Enthroned refers to the funerary statue of Pharaoh Khafre who is believed to have ruled Egypt between the years 2520 and 2570. Currently, it is exhibited in the Museum in Cairo, Egypt. It was made using gneiss rock which is closely related to diorite rocks, a valuable, dark extremely hard material that was mined 4000 miles at the royal quarries along the River Nile. The use of such a precious material in the production of this statue was necessary because it equated Khafre’s influences and authority as an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.

This statue played a very significant role in Egypt: acting as Pharaoh Ka’s sub statue, and as a sign of peace. This explains why it still plays a significant role in the life of the Egyptians today. The Great Sphinx of Giza (Sphinx) which can be literally translated as the father of the dead or a terrifying one is a statue located in Giza Plateau, at the banks of River Nile, Egypt. It was made between the years c. 2558–2532 BC during the time when Egypt was under the leadership of Pharaoh Khafra.

Just like Khafre Enthroned, this statue has a significant role to play in the lives of the Egyptians. However, the 241 ft long, 63 ft wide, and 66.34 ft high statue depict an image of a mystical creature that has got a human head and a lion’s body. Thus, it stands as the largest monolithic statue on the entire globe. For this reason, it has had different interpretations, especially in contemporary society.  Whereas the London Imperial College’s Surgeon Huan Ashrafian associates it to a depiction of a person suffering from a disease in disease with lion-like conditions, it has been linked to the solar worship that was so prominent amongst the Ancient Egyptians.

This is so because the image of the lion has been synonymous with the Egyptian god of the sun called Horus.