The Importance Of The Great Sphinx

There are many great wonders in this world and the most commonly known one is the great pyramids. In the book The Devil in the White City, for the fair they were trying to decide what to build and one thing they wanted to was build a pyramid. There are many reasons why the great pyramids were built. The great pyramids were built while egypt was at its highest power. The great pyramids are the most extraordinary man built structure.

     Scientists have discovered that in the ceiling of the grand gallery the thirty-six ceiling stones were individually removable. Because of this, it is believed that during the construction of the pyramid it could have been used as a stellar observatory. They have also noticed unusual facts, such as the descending passage of the pyramid pointed to the pole star Alpha Draconis, which was the North Star of that time period. The southern shaft in the king’s chamber pointed to the star Al Nitak which was associated with the god Osiris. The southern shaft of the queen’s chamber pointed to the star Sirius which was associated with the god Isis. It has also been discovered that the Giza pyramids are a mirror reflection of the Orion constellation.

The Great Sphinx is a cultural artifact and a giant lion that was man-made from natural rock and it was designed in ancient times by Ancient Egyptians. It is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years and it is truly a mysterious marvel from the days of Ancient Egypt (The Great Sphinx of Giza, Guardian’s Sphinx). It has the body of a lion and a head of a god or king which symbolizes the wisdom and strength that the sphinx has (The Great Sphinx of Giza, Guardian’s Sphinx). This is an important structure that we will need to learn about because it represents the pharaohs and the kings, queens and the gods in Ancient Egypt. When we visit this, it is going to be spectacular to look at the real thing instead of just

Standing as a full round sculpture at sixty five feet high and two hundred and forty feet long, it would have caused any person that stood before it to feel insignificant. It was carved from sandstone, and has been exposed to the harsh desert climate and conditions of Egypt including sandstorms. Over the years this structure has been worn down significantly due to being buried by sand and having to be excavated. Different layers of this structure have deteriorated much faster than others because of the variances in the softness of the sandstone that the sphinx was carved out

The future king’s name was Tuthmosis IV. After falling asleep in the shade of the Sphinx when out hunting, the pharaoh dreamt that the great beast was choking from the sand engulfing it, and that it told him if he cleared the sand he would obtain the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. In between the front paws of the Sphinx is a granite stela, now called the “Dream Stela”, which is inscribed with the story of the pharaoh’s dream. After that, the Sphinx got buried by sand again, but it was unburied by archaeologists. The entire Sphinx was excavated in 1925 to 1936, in digs led by Émile Baraize.

A popular theory regarding the Sphinx is that it was built during Khafre’s reign as Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty (around 2600 B.C). Khafre (Khafra, Khefren or Chephren) was the son of King Khufu and younger brother of Djedefre (his predecessor). Being the second of Khufu’s heirs to take the thrown it is believed Khafre built the Great Sphinx in his own image. Dr. Salima Ikram suggests “he is showing the world that he is a legitimate heir and therefore has every right to rule” (“Secret: The Sphinx”). The base of this theory is that Khafre’s temple is located directly behind the Sphinx and therefore he must have built it and arranged it that way. “It is possible the sphinx was intended to serve as a guardian for Khafre’s splendid valley temple” (Oakes, and Gahlin 428). This theory however, remains just that, a theory. Without any proof of a name on the outside of the Sphinx or a date stating the year it was made, Khafre’s connection to the Sphinx cannot be known for

Although, a few stalwart Egyptologists still retain that the Pharaoh Khafre was constructed in the fourth Dynasty, an immense amount of evidence, both archaeological and geological, suggests that the Sphinx is much older than the fourth Dynasty, and was just restored by Khafre during his reign. There are no inscriptions on the Sphinx, or on any of the temples connected to it that proposes evidence of construction by Khafre, yet the so-called 'Inventory Stele' states that the Pharaoh Cheops (Khafre’s precursor), ordered a temple built next to the Sphinx, signifying of course that the Sphinx was previously there, and therefore couldn’t have been constructed by

Sphinx which was is said to be constructed in the fourth dynasty by Khafre during the time the The Pyramid of Khafre was built. Archaeologist and geologist have stated to have evidence that the Great Sphinx is far older than the 4th Dynasty and was built by Djedfra and restored by Khafre during his reign and is older than the fourth dynasty. The Great Sphinx is one of the most characteristic images of Anchient Egypt with the body of a lion and the head of a human.

The sphinx is located in the eastern wing of the museum. This is a fairly small artifact comparing with the original sphinx located at Giza, Egypt. It is famous for its projection both Kushite and Egyptian elements. The lion shown in the body of the sphinx is done in typical Egyptian style like the grand sphinx itself, while the face of the artifact clearly Sudanese resemblance of Taharqo, the black king. There are hieroglyphics and symbols on the statue clarifies the fact that it is a real and legitimate portrait of the great King Taharqo. The statue is kept in the central of the room in a glass box (Caleca, 1979). The statue is only accessible for viewing. Visitors are not allowed to touch the box at any cost, but they are allowed to take pictures. Besides the box, there is black and white steel panel where description about the statue is written. It’s said there that, Taharqo was in fact, the fourth pharaoh to rule both the kingdoms of ancient Egypt and Kush together, during the Third Transitional Period of the middle age (Török, 2002). Also, there was a mention that, this statue was built around 680 B.C. The statue was first discovered by archaeologists at a demolished stone temple in Nubia (now known as Sudan), which is situated in the south-eastern part of the Amun Temple at Kawa (now Gematon). The excavations were conducted and monitored by the University of Oxford in 1930 (MacGregor, 2012). Experts believe

The Sphinx of Giza is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. The body of a lion with the head of a king comes from the Egyptian culture symbolizing strength and wisdom. The sphinx is a carved out of the living rock. Egyptologists believe that the sphinx was built in 2500 BC in the fourth dynasty. From the north side the profile of the Sphinx reveals the proportion of the body to the head. It would appear as though the head is small in proportion to the body. Because of the changing desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand has been cleared away to expose the magnitude and beauty of the entirety of

Sparkling in the middle of a dead dessert with no apparent movement, much less life, lies the heart and soul of the Ancient Egyptians civilization. The famous pharaoh, Khufu was buried here along with many of the other greatest Egyptian pharaohs. The pyramids of Ancient Egypt are some of the most interesting structures in the world due to why they were built, how they were built, and what was inside of them.

This research is on the Ancient Egyptian Culture. Ancient Egypt was located in Northeastern Africa along the Nile River. Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt from 5000 to 2950 BC; the unification of Egypt was around 3000 BC. Ancient Egypt was around until about 50 BC. The Egyptians are known for many accomplishments; they include: their complex irrigation system, hieroglyphics, and the practice of medicine, the calendar, their art, and the construction of the pyramids. The pyramids were built as monuments to honor the dead. There are many mysteries concerning the construction of the pyramids. This research will be directed towards the Great Pyramids at Giza. The pyramids are a very interesting subject matter because they are gigantic structures that were constructed by only the minds of early architects and the hands of many workers. This research will cover the ideas of how these Great Pyramids were constructed.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is also recognized as the Pyramid of Khufu, Khufu's Pyramid and Pyramid of Cheops. It is the most significant and earliest structure in the world. This pyramid is the oldest of the three pyramids standing on the Giza Necropolis. It is also the largest of them all (Larry, 2000). This great pyramid is located on the northern edge of the Giza Plateau, which is 25 km outskirts, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. It is the only remaining standing monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Crystalink, 2011). It is said that the pyramid was built as the tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian King Khufu (known in Greek as Cheops).

Egyptians are famous for their giant works of sculptures. Some examples of this include the Great Sphinx of Giza and the statues of Ramses II at the Abu Simbel temples. (Duckster, 2014) The Great Sphinx was made out of limestone and is located by the Nile River and has a face of a man and the body of a lion which pertains to their mythology of human head on an animal’s body and vice versa. The ancient Egyptians also built pyramids. The pyramids are triangle because it was in correlation to the sun rays and a way for their souls to ascend to heaven. They buried the pharaohs in the tombs of the pyramids. Pyramids contained false chambers to trick thieves and were often looted for valuables from the deceased. The pyramid of Giza is

The pyramids were built as a tomb for the pharaoh. Their belief was that the top point of the pyramid was the gate for the soul to travel to the afterlife and return to earth if chosen. These tombs were built which line up with certain stars and planets.