I Have Solved The Riddle Of The Sphinx, Says Frenchman

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 12-14-2004 | Nic Fleming

[ZULU]

Thank you for those sites. I have saved them in my favorites.

Ever read the book by Miroslav Verner on the Pyramids?

[SunkenCiv]

I've got the book, and have read chunks of it, a pretty good overview of the known pyramids, including those which barely survive (foundations only, or literary references with little else).

The author rejects the high age of the Great Sphinx, but his rejection is on the flimsiest basis, especially since the Sphinx itself is not aligned with the so called cardinal points while most big stuff at Giza nearly is.

The also predynastic temple near the Sphinx has the same alignment as the Sphinx.

Verner insists that the consensus is that Khafre carved the Sphinx, but later writes "(Khufu?)" and nowhere that I saw mentions Stadelman's claim that the Sphinx was probably carved by Khufu.

Verner notes that the name "sphinx" is our transliteration of the Greek transliteration of shesep-ankh or "living image", but states that "[t]he statue stands on the site of the quarries from which the materials were taken to build the core of Khufu's pyramid. Work on the Sphinx could thus have begun at that time, but not earlier." The statement is just so far off, so far gone, that I wonder about the author. The stone taken from what is now the Sphinx enclosure was used to build the temple in front of the Sphinx, and was not used to build any of the pyramids. In addition, the Egyptian inscriptions which refer to the Sphinx, though dating from the New Kingdom, either refer to repairs done to the Sphinx by Khufu (meaning that it existed prior to his time), or speak of other non-mainstream characteristics.

related -- Herodotus claimed the salt injured the pyramids...

The Histories: Euterpe
by Herodotus
tr by George Rawlinson

...and I observed that there were shells upon the hills, and that salt exuded from the soil to such an extent as even to injure the pyramids; and I noticed also that there is but a single hill in all Egypt where sand is found, namely, the hill above Memphis; and further, I found the country to bear no resemblance either to its borderland Arabia, or to Libya- nay, nor even to Syria, which forms the seaboard of Arabia; but whereas the soil of Libya is, we know, sandy and of a reddish hue, and that of Arabia and Syria inclines to stone and clay, Egypt has a soil that is black and crumbly, as being alluvial and formed of the deposits brought down by the river from Ethiopia.

---

The Pyramids by Miroslav Verner

---

[SunkenCiv]

[the salt problem on the Sphinx is new]

History Of The Conservation Of The Sphinx
by Dr. Zahi Hawass
http://www.guardians.net/hawass/sphinx2.htm

Phase V of the Sphinx conservation:
Egyptian Antiquities Organization (1955-1987)

2) Deterioration and salt started to appear on the new stone. The salt problem appeared even during the work on the back northern paw. To counteract this deterioration they covered this area with mud.

3) The workmen cut the claws that had been carved in the stone by the ancient Egyptians.

All these reasons led to the suspension of work in November 1987.

[unsnip]

[asp1]

Thanks for the ping. I find the Sphinx, pyramids, etc. to be fascinating. The Sphinx is especially interesting. There is something not balanced about it. Consider how precisely the pyramids are built, the perfection of obelisks, temples, wall art, and so on. Then look at the Sphinx the head is all wrong. It is much to small for the body. I am rather anal about symmetry. The Sphinx is not symmetrical and it makes me crazy.

I have read (can't recall where), that the head was sculpted from a much larger head. It was sculpted to honor the pharaoh of the day whoever it was.

I don't think we will ever know the truth, but all of the theories sure make for some very interesting reading. :o)

[SunkenCiv]

That Hawass link will lead you to much more info, including some of the imbalance problems, but not much regarding the out-of-proportion head. And thanks for the kind remarks.

[asp1]

I said symmetry--you said proportional. (Slapping hand to forehead.) You are quite right proportional is the word I was looking for. I am rather anal about proportionality and symmetry. Thanks for the info. :0)

[SunkenCiv]

Looks like some of that problem with the symmetry ;') came from a modern attempt at "repairing" the Sphinx. That link to Hawass' page mentions it.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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