The largest statue in Egypt is the Sphinx. Legends of Egypt. History of the Sphinx.

Each civilization has its own symbols, which are considered integral parts of the people, their culture and history. The Sphinx of Ancient Egypt is an immortal proof of the power, strength and greatness of the country, a silent reminder of the divine origin of its rulers, who have sunk into centuries, but left an image of eternal life on earth. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past, which still inspires involuntary fear with its impressiveness, a halo of secrets, mystical legends and centuries of history.

Monument in numbers

The Egyptian Sphinx is known to everyone and every inhabitant on earth. The monument is carved from a monolithic rock, has the body of a lion and the head of a man (according to some sources - a pharaoh). The length of the statue is 73 m, height - 20 m. The symbol of the power of royal power is located on the Giza plateau on the western coast of the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and rather deep moat. The thoughtful gaze of the Sphinx is directed to the east, towards that point in the heavens where the Sun rises. The monument has been covered with sand many times and has been restored more than once. The statue was completely cleared of sand only in 1925, striking the imagination of the inhabitants of the planet with its scale and size.

History of the sculpture: facts against legends

In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. His story has attracted great interest and special attention of historians, writers, directors and researchers for many years. Everyone who has had a chance to touch the eternity that the statue represents offers their own version of its origin. The locals call the stone sight "the father of horror" because the Sphinx is the keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite place for tourists who love mysteries and fantasy. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx has more than 13 centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to record the astronomical phenomenon - the reunion of the three planets.

origin myth

Until now, there is no reliable information about what this statue symbolizes, why it was built and when. The lack of history is replaced by legends that are passed from mouth to mouth and told to tourists. The fact that the Sphinx is the oldest and largest monument in Egypt gives rise to mysterious and ridiculous stories about it. There is an assumption that the statue guards the tombstones of the greatest pharaohs - the pyramids of Cheops, Mykerin and Khafre. Another legend says that the stone statue symbolizes the personality of the pharaoh Khafre, the third - that it is a statue of the god Horus (god of heaven, half-man, half-falcon), watching the ascent of his father - the Sun God Ra.

legends

In ancient Greek mythology, the Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of Ancient Egypt about this monster sound like this: a creature with a lion's body and a human head gave birth to Echidna and Typhon (a half-snake woman and a giant with a hundred dragon heads). It had the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The monster lived not far from Thebes, lay in wait for people and asked them a strange question: “Which living being moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” None of the wanderers trembling with fear could give the Sphinx an intelligible answer. After which the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedipus was able to solve his riddle. “This is a man in childhood, maturity and old age,” he replied. After that, the crushed monster rushed from the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.

According to the second version of the legend, in Egypt the Sphinx was once God. One day, the heavenly ruler fell into an insidious trap of the sands, called the "cell of oblivion", and fell asleep in it with eternal sleep.

Real facts

Despite the mysterious overtones of the legends, the real story is no less mystical and mysterious. According to the initial opinion of scientists, the Sphinx was built at the same time as the pyramids. However, in the ancient papyri, from which information about the building of the pyramids was obtained, there is not a single mention of a stone statue. The names of architects and builders who created grandiose tombs for the pharaohs are known, but the name of the person who gave the world the Egyptian Sphinx is still unknown.

True, a few centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue appear. The Egyptians call her "shepes ankh" - "a living image." Scientists could not give the world any more information and scientific explanation of these words. But at the same time, the cult image of the mysterious Sphinx - a winged monster maiden - is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these tales, depending on the author, periodically changes his appearance, appearing in some versions as a half-man, half-lion, and in others as a winged lioness.

The history of ancient Egypt about the Sphinx

Another puzzle for scientists was the chronicle of Herodotus, who in 445 BC. described in great detail the process of building the pyramids. He told the world interesting stories about how the structures were erected, for how long and how many slaves were involved in their construction. The narration of the "father of history" touched even such nuances as the food of the slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus never mentioned the stone Sphinx in his work. In none of the subsequent records, the fact of the erection of the monument was also found.

The work of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder "Natural History" helped scientists shed light on the mystery of the Sphinx. In his notes, he talks about the next cleansing of the monument from sand. Based on this, it becomes clear why Herodotus did not leave the description of the Sphinx to the world - the monument at that time was buried under a layer of sand drifts. So how many times has he been trapped in the sand?

The first "restoration"

Judging by the inscription left on the stone stele between the monster's paws, Pharaoh Thutmose I spent a year freeing the monument. Ancient writings tell that, being a prince, Thutmose fell asleep at the foot of the Sphinx and had a dream in which the god Harmakis appeared to him. He predicted the prince's ascension to the throne of Egypt and ordered the statue to be released from the sand trap. After some time, Thutmose successfully became pharaoh and remembered the promise given to the deity. He ordered not only to dig up the giant, but also to restore it. Thus, the first revival of the legend of Egypt took place in the 15th century. BC. It was then that the world learned about the grandiose construction and the unique cult monument of Egypt.

It is known for certain that after the revival of the Sphinx by Pharaoh Thutmose, it was once again dug up during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, under the Roman emperors who captured Ancient Egypt, and the Arab rulers. In our time, it was again freed from the sands in 1925. Until now, the statue has to be cleaned after sandstorms, as it is an important tourist attraction.

Why is the monument missing a nose?

Despite the antiquity of the sculpture, it has practically survived in its original form, embodying the Sphinx. Egypt (the photo of the monument is presented above) managed to preserve its architectural masterpiece, but failed to protect it from the barbarism of people. The statue does not currently have a nose. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs, for reasons unknown to science, ordered to beat off the nose of the statue. According to other sources, the monument was damaged by Napoleon's army, firing a cannon at his face. The British, on the other hand, chopped off the beard of the monster and sent it to their museum.

However, in the later records of the historian Al-Maqrizi from 1378, it is said that the stone statue no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wanting to atone for religious sins (the Koran forbade the depiction of human faces), chipped off the giant's nose. In response to such a crime and abuse of the Sphinx, the sands began to take revenge on people, advancing on the lands of Giza.

As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that in Egypt the Sphinx lost its nose as a result of strong winds and floods. Although this assumption has not yet found real confirmation.

The Stunning Secrets of the Sphinx

In 1988, as a result of exposure to caustic factory smoke, a decent part of a stone block (350 kg) broke off from the monument. UNESCO, concerned about the appearance and condition of the tourist and cultural site, resumed repairs, thereby paving the way for new research. As a result of a thorough study of the stone blocks of the pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx by Japanese archaeologists, a hypothesis was put forward that the monument was built much earlier than the great tomb of the pharaoh. The conclusion was a stunning discovery for historians, who assumed that the pyramid, the Sphinx, and other funerary structures were contemporaries. The second, no less surprising discovery was a long narrow tunnel discovered under the left paw of a predator, connected to the pyramid of Cheops.

After Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists took up the most ancient monument. They found traces of erosion on his body from a large water stream that moved from north to south. After a series of studies, hydrologists came to the conclusion that the stone lion was a silent witness to the flood of the Nile - a biblical catastrophe that occurred about 8-12 thousand years ago. American researcher John Anthony West explained the traces of water erosion on the body of a lion and their absence on the head as evidence that the Sphinx existed during the Ice Age and dates back to any period before 15 thousand BC. e. According to French archaeologists, the history of Ancient Egypt can boast of the oldest monument that existed even at the time of the death of Atlantis.

Thus, the stone statue tells us about the existence of the greatest civilization, which managed to erect such a majestic structure, which became the immortal image of the Past.

The admiration of the ancient Egyptians before the Sphinx

The pharaohs of Egypt regularly made pilgrimages to the foot of the giant, which symbolized the great past of their country. They made sacrifices on the altar, which was between his paws, burned incense, receiving from the giant a silent blessing on the kingdom and throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the incarnation of the sun god, but also a sacred image that gave them hereditary and legitimate power from their ancestors. He personified powerful Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in its majestic form, embodying each image of the new pharaoh and turning modernity into a component of eternity. Ancient writings glorified the Sphinx as a great creator god. His image reunited the past, present and future.

Astronomical explanation of the stone statue

According to the official version, the Sphinx would have been built in 2500 BC. e. by order of Pharaoh Khafre during the reign of the Fourth Ruling Dynasty of Pharaohs. A huge lion is located among other majestic structures on the stone plateau of Giza - the three pyramids. Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue was chosen not by blind intuition, but in accordance with the point of intersection of the path of heavenly bodies. It served as the equatorial point, indicating the exact location on the horizon of the place of sunrise on the day of the vernal equinox. According to astronomers, the Sphinx was built 10.5 thousand years ago.

It is noteworthy that the pyramids of Giza are located on the earth in exactly the same order as the three stars of Orion's Belt in the sky that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and the pyramids fixed the position of the stars, the astronomical time, which the ancient Egyptians called the first. Since the heavenly personification of the god Osiris, who ruled at that time, was Orion, man-made structures were built to depict the stars of his belt in order to perpetuate and fix the time of his power.

The Great Sphinx as a tourist attraction

Currently, a giant lion with a human head attracts millions of tourists who are eager to see the legendary stone sculpture shrouded in the darkness of centuries of history and many mystical legends. The interest of all mankind in it is due to the fact that the secret of the creation of the statue remained undisclosed, buried under the sands. It is hard to imagine how many secrets the Sphinx keeps in itself. Egypt (photos of the monument and pyramids can be seen on any tourist portal) can be proud of its great history, outstanding people, grandiose monuments, the truth about which their creators took with them to the kingdom of Anubis, the god of death. Great and impressive is the huge stone Sphinx, whose history has remained unsolved and full of secrets. Still, the calm gaze of the statue is directed into the distance, and its appearance is still imperturbable. How many centuries has he been a silent witness of human suffering, the vanity of rulers, the sorrows and misfortunes that befell the Egyptian land? How many secrets does the Great Sphinx keep in itself? Unfortunately, all these questions have not been answered for many years.

What is wrong with the Sphinx?

The Arab sages, struck by the majesty of the Sphinx, said that the giant is timeless. But over the past millennia, the monument has suffered a lot, and, first of all, the person is to blame for this.

At first, the Mamluks practiced accuracy of shooting at the Sphinx, their initiative was supported by Napoleonic soldiers. One of the rulers of Egypt ordered to beat off the nose of the sculpture, and the British stole a stone beard from the giant and took it to the British Museum.

In 1988, a huge stone block broke away from the Sphinx and fell with a roar. She was weighed and horrified - 350 kg. This fact caused the most serious concern of UNESCO. It was decided to convene a council of representatives of various specialties in order to find out the reasons that destroy the ancient structure.

As a result of a comprehensive examination, scientists discovered hidden and extremely dangerous cracks in the head of the Sphinx, in addition, they found that external cracks sealed with low-quality cement are also dangerous - this creates a threat of rapid erosion. The paws of the Sphinx were in no less deplorable condition.

According to experts, the Sphinx, first of all, is harmed by human life: the exhaust gases of automobile engines and the acrid smoke of Cairo factories penetrate into the pores of the statue, which gradually destroys it. Scientists say that the Sphinx is seriously ill.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are needed to restore the ancient monument. There is no such money. In the meantime, the Egyptian authorities are restoring the sculpture on their own.

mother of fear

The Egyptian archaeologist Rudwan Ash-Shamaa believes that the Sphinx has a female couple and it is hidden under a layer of sand. The Great Sphinx is often referred to as the "Father of Fear". According to the archaeologist, if there is a "Father of fear", then there must be a "Mother of fear".

In his reasoning, Al-Shamaa relies on the way of thinking of the ancient Egyptians, who firmly followed the principle of symmetry. In his opinion, the lonely figure of the Sphinx looks very strange.

The surface of the place where, according to the scientist, the second sculpture should be located, rises several meters above the Sphinx. “It is logical to assume that the statue is simply hidden from our eyes under a layer of sand,” Al-Shamaa is convinced.

In support of his theory, the archaeologist gives several arguments. Ash-Shamaa recalls that between the front paws of the Sphinx there is a granite stele, on which two statues are depicted; there is also a limestone tablet that says that one of the statues was struck by lightning and destroyed it.

Chamber of Secrets.

In one of the ancient Egyptian treatises, on behalf of the goddess Isis, it is reported that the god Thoth placed in a secret place "holy books" that contain the "secrets of Osiris", and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge remained "undiscovered until The sky will not give birth to creatures that will be worthy of this gift.

Some researchers are still confident in the existence of a "secret room". They remember how Edgar Cayce predicted that one day in Egypt, under the right paw of the Sphinx, a room called the "Hall of Evidence" or "Hall of Chronicles" would be found. The information stored in the "secret room" will tell mankind about a highly developed civilization that existed millions of years ago.

In 1989, a group of Japanese scientists using the radar method discovered a narrow tunnel under the left paw of the Sphinx, leading towards the pyramid of Khafre, and an impressive cavity was found northwest of the Queen's Chamber. However, the Egyptian authorities did not allow the Japanese to conduct a more detailed study of the underground premises.

Research by American geophysicist Thomas Dobecki showed that under the paws of the Sphinx is a large rectangular chamber. But in 1993, his work was suddenly suspended by local authorities. Since that time, the Egyptian government officially forbids geological or seismological research around the Sphinx.

Older than civilization

First, in 1991, a professor of geology from Boston analyzed the erosion of the sphinx's surface and came to the conclusion that the age of the sphinx must be at least 9,500 thousand years, that is, the sphinx is at least 5,000 years older than scientists thought! Secondly, Robert Bauval, using modern computer modeling techniques, found that about 12,500 years ago (11th century BC), in the early morning, the rise of the constellation Leo was clearly visible right above the place where the sphinx was built. He logically assumed that the sphinx, which is very reminiscent of a lion, was built on this site as a symbol of this event. Well, the third nail in the coffin of the views of official science was hammered by the police artist Frank Domingo, who painted sketches. He stated that the sphinx had nothing to do with the face of Pharaoh Khafre. So now it was safe to say that the Sphinx was built long before any civilization known to science.

Huge voids under the sphinx

Of course, all these discoveries and statements could have been hidden under a thick layer of dust from scientific rooms, but then, as luck would have it, Japanese researchers arrived in Egypt. It was 1989, when a group of Waseda scientists led by Professor Sakuji Yoshimura, using modern electromagnetic radar devices, discovered tunnels and rooms right under the sphinx. Immediately after their discovery, the Egyptian authorities intervened in the research, and the Yoshimura group was deported from Egypt for life. The same discovery was repeated in the same year by Thomas Daubecki, an American geophysicist. True, he managed to explore only a small area under the right paw of the sphinx, after which he was also promptly expelled from Egypt.

Three very strange events

In 1993, a robot was sent into a small tunnel (20x20 cm) that went from the burial chamber of the Cheops pyramid, which found a wooden door with brass handles inside this very tunnel, which it successfully rested on. Next, for 10 years, scientists have been developing a new robot to open the door. And in 2003 they launched it into the same tunnel. It must be admitted that he safely opened the door, and behind it the already narrow tunnel began to narrow even more. The robot could not go further, but in the distance he saw another door. A new robot, with the aim of opening the second "shutter", was launched in 2013. After that, tourist access to the pyramids was finally closed, and all research results were classified. Since then there has been no official news.

secret city

But there are many unofficial ones, one of which is actively lobbied and promoted by the American Casey Foundation (the one, by the way, who allegedly predicted the discovery of some secret room under the sphinx). According to their version, in 2013 they drove through the second door of the tunnel, after which a stone slab with hieroglyphs rose from the ground between the front paws of the sphinx, which told about a room under the sphinx and a certain Hall of Testimony. As a result of excavations, the Egyptians got into this very first room, which turned out to be a kind of hallway. From it, the researchers went down a tier below and found themselves in a round hall from which three tunnels went to the Great Pyramid. But then there are very strange data. Allegedly, in one of the tunnels the road was blocked by an energy field unknown to science, which three certain great people were able to remove. After that, a 12-storey building was discovered, going underground. The dimensions of this structure are truly grandiose and more like a city than a building - 10 kilometers wide and 13 kilometers long. In addition, the Casey Foundation claims that the Egyptians concealed a certain rod of Thoth, an archaeological artifact of world significance, which supposedly has the power of technologies unknown to mankind.

More questions than answers

Of course, at first glance, the theory of Cayce's followers seems to be complete nonsense. And everything would have been so if the Egyptian government had not partially confirmed the discovery of a certain underground city. It is clear that there was no information from the official authorities about some energy force fields. Also, the Egyptian authorities did not recognize the fact that they did get into the city, therefore, what was found there is also not known. But the fact of recognition of the discovery of the underground city remains. So the Sphinx gives people a new riddle, and we just have to make every effort to still solve it.

Hearing the combination of the words "Ancient Egypt", many will immediately imagine the majestic pyramids and the great Sphinx - it is with them that the mysterious civilization, separated from us by several millennia, is associated. Let's get acquainted with interesting facts about sphinxes, these mysterious creatures.

Definition

What is a sphinx? This word first appeared in the Land of the Pyramids, and later spread throughout the world. So, in ancient Greece you can meet a similar creature - a beautiful woman with wings. In Egypt, these creatures were most often masculine. A sphinx with the face of a female pharaoh Hatshepsut is known. Having received the throne and pushed aside the legitimate heir, this imperious woman tried to rule like a man, she even wore a special fake beard. Therefore, it is not surprising that many statues of this time have found her face.

What function did they perform? According to mythology, the sphinx acted as the guardian of tombs and temple buildings, which is why most of the statues that have survived to this day were found near such structures. So, in the temple of the supreme deity, solar Amon, about 900 of them were found.

So, answering the question of what a sphinx is, it should be noted that this is a statue characteristic of the culture of Ancient Egypt, which, according to mythology, guarded temple buildings and tombs. Limestone was used as a material for creation, of which there were quite a lot in the Land of the Pyramids.

Description

The ancient Egyptians depicted the sphinx like this:

• The head of a human, most often a pharaoh.
• The body of a lion, one of the sacred animals of the hot country of Kemet.

But such an appearance is not the only option for depicting a mythological creature. Modern finds prove that there were other species, for example with a head:

• a ram (the so-called cryosphinxes were installed at the temple of Amon);
• Falcon (they were called hierakosphinxes and most often placed near the temple of the god Horus);
• hawk.

So, answering the question of what a sphinx is, it should be pointed out that this is a statue with the body of a lion and the head of another creature (more often a man, a ram), which was installed in the immediate vicinity of the temples.

The most famous sphinxes

The tradition of creating very original statues with a human head and a lion's body was inherent in the Egyptians for a long time. So, the first of them appeared during the fourth dynasty of the pharaohs, that is, approximately in 2700-2500. BC e. It is interesting that the first representative was female and depicted Queen Hetepher II. This statue has reached us, everyone can look at it in the Cairo Museum.

Everyone knows the Great Sphinx at Giza, which we will discuss below.

The second largest sculpture depicting an unusual creature is an alabaster creation with the face of Pharaoh Amenhotep II, discovered in Memphis.

No less famous is the famous Alley of Sphinxes near the Temple of Amun in Luxor.

The greatest value

The most famous all over the world, of course, is the Great Sphinx, which not only amazes the imagination with its huge size, but also sets many mysteries for the scientific community.

The giant with a lion's body is located on the plateau at Giza (near the capital of the modern state, Cairo) and is part of the burial complex, which also includes the three great pyramids. It is carved from a monolithic block and is the largest structure for which a single stone was used.

Even the age of this outstanding monument causes controversy, although analysis of the rock suggests that it is at least 4.5 millennia old. What features of this colossal monument are known?

• The face of the Sphinx, disfigured by time and, as one of the legends says, by the barbaric actions of the soldiers of Napoleon's army, most likely depicts Pharaoh Khafre.
• The face of the giant is turned to the east, and it is there that the pyramids are located - the statue seems to protect the peace of the greatest pharaohs of antiquity.
• The dimensions of the figure, carved from monolithic limestone, amaze the imagination: length - more than 55 meters, width - about 20 meters, shoulder width - more than 11 meters.
• Previously, the ancient sphinx was painted, as evidenced by the preserved remains of paint: red, blue and yellow.
• Also, the statue had a beard, characteristic of the kings of Egypt. It has survived to this day, although separate from the sculpture - it is kept in the British Museum.

The giant was buried under the sands several times, it was dug up. Perhaps it was the protection of the sand that helped the Sphinx survive the destructive influence of natural disasters.

Changes

The Egyptian Sphinx managed to defeat time, but it affected the change in its appearance:

• Initially, the figure had a headdress traditional for pharaohs, decorated with a sacred cobra, but it was completely destroyed.
• Lost the statue and false beard.
• Nose injury has already been mentioned. Someone blames the shelling of Napoleon's army for this, others - the actions of Turkish soldiers. There is also a version that the protruding part suffered from wind and humidity.

Despite this, the monument is one of the greatest creations of the ancients.

Mysteries of history

Let's get acquainted with the secrets of the Egyptian Sphinx, many of which have not been solved so far:

• Legend has it that under the giant monument there are three underground passages. However, only one of them was found - behind the giant's head.
• The age of the largest sphinx is still unknown. Most scholars believe that it was built during the reign of Khafre, but there are those who consider the sculpture to be more ancient. So, her face and head retained traces of the influence of the water element, which is why the hypothesis arose that the giant was erected more than 6 thousand years ago, when a terrible flood hit Egypt.
• Perhaps the army of the French emperor is wrongly accused of damaging the great monument of the past, since there are drawings by an unknown traveler, in which the giant is already depicted without a nose. Napoleon had not yet been born at that time.
• As you know, the Egyptians knew writing and documented everything on papyri in detail - from conquests and the construction of temples to tax collection. However, not a single scroll has been found that would contain information about the construction of the monument. Perhaps these documents simply have not survived to this day. Perhaps the reason is that the giant appeared long before the Egyptians themselves.
• The first mention of the Egyptian Sphinx was found in the writings of Pliny the Elder, which refers to the work of digging out sculptures from sand.

The majestic monument of the Ancient World has not yet revealed all its mysteries to us, so its research continues.

Restoration and protection

We learned what the Sphinx is, what role it played in the worldview of the ancient Egyptian. Even under the pharaohs, they tried to dig out a huge figure from the sand and partially restore it. It is known that such work was carried out during the time of Thutmose IV. A granite stele (the so-called “Stele of Sleep”) has been preserved, which tells that one day the pharaoh had a dream in which the god Ra ordered him to clear the statue of sand, in return promising power over the entire state.

Later, the conqueror Ramses II ordered to dig up the Egyptian sphinx. Then attempts were made at the beginning of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Now let's see how our contemporaries are trying to preserve this cultural heritage. The figure was carefully analyzed, all cracks were identified, the monument was closed to the public and restored within 4 months. In 2014, it was reopened to tourists.

The history of the Sphinx in Egypt is amazing and filled with secrets and mysteries. Many of them have not yet been solved by scientists, so the amazing figure with the body of a lion and the face of a man continues to attract attention.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. Story. Origin. The magical properties of Conway Dinn

Egyptian Sphinx

Egyptian Sphinx

The image of the Egyptian Sphinx is familiar to us from the destroyed monument, standing next to the pyramids. This ancient statue, carved from a giant stone, is located just outside of Gaza and is an image of a reclining lion with an apparently male human head. Currently, the Sphinx statue is destroyed and significantly damaged and is only an echo of its former beauty. When the Muslims took over Egypt, fanatical adherents of this religion deliberately cut off the nose of the statue, calling it a sinful idol.

In the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, who called him "hu", he symbolized the four elements and the Spirit, as well as all the science of the past, which is lost to us. Despite the fact that the statue of the reclining Sphinx is located near the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx was built much later than this famous structure.

The Egyptian Sphinx is different from the Greek. It is believed that he is male, as he is wearing a headdress with long linens falling over his shoulders, and a royal uraeus (cobra). He has no wings. Meanwhile, many ancient authors claimed that the Sphinx is an androgynous being, possessing both male (positive) and female (negative) creative powers. It seems that the Egyptian Sphinx, a regal but mysterious creature, was the guardian of the underworld, that parallel world, which initiates speak of as a place of great initiations.

The Egyptian Sphinx is almost seventy feet high and over a hundred long. According to estimates, its weight is several hundred tons. It is possible that the original statue was covered with a layer of plaster and painted in sacred colors. Outwardly, the Sphinx was the incarnation of the sun god, so his head was decorated with a royal headdress, his forehead was a cobra (uraeus), and his chin was a beard. Both the cobra and the beard were once chipped off. The beard was discovered between the front paws of the Sphinx during its excavations from the layer of sand covering the statue.

The main mass of the body of the Sphinx is carved from a monolithic giant stone, and the front paws are carved from smaller stones. The version that this stone could be a monolithic rock that was originally located there caused a lot of controversy. Analysis of the limestone from which the statue was carved showed that it contained a huge number of small sea creatures, indicating a strong possibility that the stone was quarried elsewhere.

The temple, the altar located between the paws, and the steps leading up to the Sphinx were built much later. This was probably done by the Romans, who restored many Egyptian monuments.

Between the front paws of the Sphinx is a huge stele of red granite with a hieroglyphic inscription on it that the Sphinx is a guardian. Some hieroglyphs on this stele describe an unusual dream-vision of the eighteenth dynasty pharaoh Thutmose IV, who appeared to him while he was sleeping in the shadow of the Sphinx. Then Thutmose was still a prince. Tired during the hunt, the prince lay down to take a nap in the shade of an ancient statue, and he dreamed that the Sphinx turned to him with a request to remove the sand that bound him and restore its former beauty. And in gratitude, he promised to reward Thutmose with the double crown of Egypt. Apparently, Thutmose honored this request (although the part of the stele describing this is too badly damaged to make it impossible to read the text in full), because he became Pharaoh Thutmose IV.

Conservatively minded archaeologists, historians and scientists are firmly convinced that the Sphinx was carved in the image of one of the great pharaohs as a funerary offering. However, ancient historical sources, which these "specialists" left unattended, set out a different version of the purpose of the Sphinx.

The ancient philosopher Iamblichus wrote that the Egyptian Sphinx closed the entrance to the sacred underground chambers and galleries, where adherents of secret knowledge underwent certain tests. The entrance to the Sphinx was carefully closed by huge bronze gates, and the way to open them was known only to individual high priests and priestesses. If the initiate into secret knowledge was not completely ready, the intricate maze of passages inside the statue would again return him to the beginning of the path. If he found the right path in the labyrinth, then he moved from one ritual hall to another. And only if the initiate was recognized as ready for the great sacrament of initiation, he or she was escorted to a deep tunnel leading under the sands of the desert from the Sphinx into the Great Pyramid.

George Hunt Williamson states that these underground temples hold precious metal slabs, papyrus scrolls, and clay tablets containing ancient information.

In order to refute the claims of ancient authors, over the years metal rods were inserted into the Sphinx and not a single passage or hall was found inside it. However, in October 1994, the Associated Press news agency reported that workers trying to restore the destroyed parts of the Sphinx made a fantastic discovery: they had discovered an unknown ancient passage leading deep into the Sphinx. And yet, antiquities experts still don't know who built it, where it leads, or what its purpose was.

Sometimes the Sphinx was represented with the head of a hawk, and not with a human. Egyptian Sphinxes have always been depicted lying down. Sphinxes were often placed on both sides of the entrance to the temple to guard it.

However, images of Sphinxes have been found in cultures older than the Egyptians. It is determined that the stone sculptures of the Sphinxes found in Mesopotamia were created at least five thousand years earlier than the Egyptian Sphinx in Gaza. Similar figures carved in stone have been found throughout the Middle East. Even in ancient Greece there was a legend about the Sphinx.

Egyptian Sphinx

From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary (C) author Brockhaus F. A.

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Mysterious Egyptian megalith

Egypt is a country that is still covered with a mass of mysteries that attract tourists from all over the world. Perhaps one of the most important secrets of this state is the great Sphinx, whose statue is located in the Giza Valley. This is one of the most grandiose sculptures ever created by human hands. Its dimensions are truly impressive - the length is 72 meters, the height is approximately 20 meters, the face of the Sphinx itself is 5 meters long, and the fallen off nose, according to calculations, had the size of an average human height. Not a single photo is able to convey the grandeur of this stunning monument of antiquity.

Today, the great Sphinx in Giza no longer instills sacred horror in a person - after excavations it turned out that the statue is just “sitting” in a pit. However, for many centuries, her head, sticking out of the desert sand, inspired superstitious fear in the desert Bedouins and local residents.

general information

The Egyptian Sphinx is located on the west coast of the Nile River, and its head is facing the sunrise. For many thousands of years, the gaze of this silent witness to the history of the country of the Pharaohs has been directed to that point on the horizon where, on the days of the autumn and spring equinoxes, the sun begins its unhurried course.

The Sphinx itself is made of monolithic limestone, which is a fragment of the base of the Giza plateau. The statue is a huge mysterious creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. Many have probably seen this grandiose building in the photo in books and textbooks on the history of the Ancient World.

Cultural and historical significance of the structure

According to historians, in almost all ancient civilizations, the lion was the personification of the sun and the solar deity. In the drawings of the ancient Egyptians, the pharaoh was very often depicted as a lion, attacking the enemies of the state and exterminating them. It was on the basis of these beliefs that a version was built that the great Sphinx is a kind of mystical guard guarding the peace of the rulers buried in the tombs of the Giza Valley.

It is still not known how the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt called the Sphinx. It is believed that the word "sphinx" itself is of Greek origin and literally translates as "strangler". In some Arabic texts, in particular, in the famous collection "A Thousand and One Nights", the Sphinx is called the "Father of Terror". There is another opinion, according to which the ancient Egyptians called the statue "the image of being." This once again confirms that the Sphinx was for them the earthly incarnation of one of the deities.

Story

Probably the most important mystery that the Egyptian Sphinx is fraught with is who, when and why erected such a grandiose monument. In the ancient papyri found by historians, you can find a lot of information about the construction and creators of the Great Pyramids and numerous temple complexes, but there is no mention of the Sphinx, its creator and the cost of its construction (and the ancient Egyptians were always very attentive to the costs of this or that business) not in any source. It was first mentioned in his writings by the historian Pliny the Elder, but that was already at the beginning of our era. He notes that the Sphinx, located in Egypt, was reconstructed and cleared of sand several times. It is precisely the fact that not a single source has yet been found explaining the origin of this monument that gave rise to countless versions, opinions and conjectures as to who and why built it.

The Great Sphinx fits perfectly into the complex of structures located on the Giza plateau. The creation of this complex dates back to the reign of the IV dynasty of kings. Actually, he himself includes the Great Pyramids and the statue of the Sphinx.

It is still impossible to say exactly how old this monument is. According to the official version, the Great Sphinx at Giza was erected during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre, around 2500 BC. In support of this hypothesis, historians point to the similarity of the limestone blocks used in the construction of the Khafre pyramid and the Sphinx, as well as the image of the ruler himself, which was found near the building.

There is another, alternative version of the origin of the Sphinx, according to which its construction dates back to even more ancient times. A group of Egyptologists from Germany, who analyzed limestone erosion, concluded that the monument was built around 7000 BC. There are also astronomical theories of the creation of the Sphinx, according to which its construction is associated with the constellation Orion and corresponds to 10,500 BC.

Restorations and the current state of the monument

The Great Sphinx, although it has survived to our times, is now badly damaged - neither time nor people spared it. The face was especially affected - in numerous photos you can see that it is almost completely erased, and it is not possible to distinguish its features. Urey - a symbol of royal power, which is a cobra that wraps around its head - is irretrievably lost. Plath - a solemn headdress descending from the head onto the shoulders of the statue - is also partially destroyed. The beard also suffered, which is now not fully represented. But where and under what circumstances the nose of the Sphinx disappeared, scientists still argue.

Damage on the face of the Great Sphinx, located in Egypt, is very reminiscent of chisel marks. According to Egyptologists, in the 14th century it was mutilated by a pious sheikh who carried out the precepts of the Prophet Muhammad, which forbade the depiction of a human face on works of art. And the head of the structure was used by the Mamelukes as a cannon target.

Today, in the photo, video and live, you can see how much the Great Sphinx has suffered from time and the cruelty of people. A small piece weighing 350 kg even broke off from it - this gives one more reason to marvel at the truly gigantic size of this structure.

Although only 700 years ago, the face of a mysterious statue was described by an Arab traveler. His travel notes said that this face was truly beautiful, and his lips bore the majestic seal of the pharaohs.

For all the years of its existence, the Great Sphinx has repeatedly plunged up to its shoulders into the sands of the Sahara desert. The first attempts to excavate the monument were made in ancient times by pharaohs Thutmose IV and Ramses II. Under Thutmose, the Great Sphinx was not only completely dug out of the sand, but a huge arrow made of granite was also installed in its paws. An inscription was carved on it, stating that the ruler gives his body under the protection of the Sphinx so that it rests under the sands of the Giza valley and at some point rises in the guise of a new pharaoh.

During the time of Ramses II, the Great Sphinx of Giza was not only dug out of the sand, but also underwent a thorough restoration. In particular, the massive rear part of the statue was replaced with blocks, although earlier the entire monument was monolithic. At the beginning of the 19th century, archaeologists completely cleared the chest of the statue of sand, but it was completely freed from sand only in 1925. It was then that the true dimensions of this grandiose structure became known.

The Great Sphinx as an object of tourism

The Great Sphinx, like the Great Pyramids, is located on the Giza plateau, which is 20 km from the capital of Egypt. This is a single complex of historical monuments of Ancient Egypt, which has come down to our days since the reign of the pharaohs from the IV dynasty. It consists of three large pyramids - Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin, small pyramids of queens are also included here. Here, tourists can visit various temple buildings. The statue of the Sphinx is located in the eastern part of this ancient complex.

Above the tombs of the pharaohs, the Egyptians erected statues of sphinxes. In the suburbs of Cairo is the most ancient on the planet of the Great Egyptian Sphinx. The statue is carved from limestone and depicts a huge lion with a human face.

The history of the appearance of the statue

The monument of the Egyptian Sphinx is located near the pyramid of Cheops. Between the paws of the statue there is an inscription announcing that the monument is a copy of the sun god - Khamarkis. According to one version, the face of the statue is made in the likeness of Pharaoh Khafre. It was created during his reign - 2520-2494 BC. e.

Many years later, the statue was discovered under a mound of sand and restored by Pharaoh Thutmose IV. There are legends among the Egyptians about the ability of the sphinx statue not only to protect the tombs and souls of the dead, but also to move around.

The Sphinx changes its location when it is dissatisfied with something - the government or the attitude towards itself. He goes into the desert, where he burrows deep into the sand. The pharaoh dreamed of God and said that his body was covered with sand and asked for help, indicating the exact location of the statue. During the excavations, a statue was discovered, the severed head of which rested peacefully between its paws.

The steps leading up to the statue were built much later, during the time of the Roman Empire. The Romans were engaged in the reconstruction of most of the Egyptian monuments. When a recess was found on the head of the statue, people thought that this was a secret entrance to the pyramid, but in fact it turned out that this was the place where the headdress was lost in a sandstorm.

Previously, it was believed that secret passages were built in the sphinx, but after lengthy research, it was possible to prove that the body was built from a rocky ledge, and the front part consists of separate stone parts.

Pedestal dimensions:

• length - 73.5 m;
• height - 20 m.

The material of the statue was examined by introducing metal pipes inside. Detailed analyzes made it possible to determine the composition of the remains of mumillites - marine inhabitants of tiny sizes.

This proves that the rock for the statue was brought to this place with the help of an unknown transport facility. The second version says that the monument was built from a local rock, which, according to external data, was similar to the sphinx initially.

The Sphinx was considered a portal between our world and the Great Pyramid. Between the paws of the statue there was an entrance, and inside there was a labyrinth, wandering through which, a person came to the starting point. The location of the correct moves was known to the Egyptian priests.

In the labyrinth, travelers were looking for a bronze door that opens the mysterious World of the pyramid and the key to the wisdom of the gods. Evidence of its existence has not been found. If we assume that the door was, then it is littered with debris and sand, because over time the statue was badly damaged.

The sculpture has come down to us in a disfigured form. Her nose was beaten off by conquering Muslims so that the faithful would abandon idolatry, and traces of red paint are barely visible on her face. For the Egyptians, the statue remained a symbol of wisdom and the personification of physical strength.

Place of the Sphinx in Greek Mythology

In the mythology of ancient Greece, the sphinx is a creature that was depicted as a half-woman, half-lion, with the wings of a bird. Demoness-strangler personified the inevitability of fate, human suffering and torment. In some legends, Tryphon and Echidna became her parents, in others - Chimera and Orff.

Hera sent a sphinx to Thebes to devastate the territories and punish Laem for seducing Chryssip. Another version says that the creature was sent by Ares to Thebes to avenge the slain dragon. The creature chose to live in a cave on a mountain near the city gates of the city. The sphinx gave each traveler the task of guessing a riddle. People who did not cope with the task, she killed. Many noble Thebans became its victims, among them - the son of King Creon, Haemon.

Oedipus solved the riddle. After that, the Sphinx threw herself off the mountain in despair. This is the interpretation according to Euripides. Aeschylus presented the story differently. In his version, the Sphinx herself guessed the riddle of Silenus. The ancient Boeotian version of the story describes a monster called Fix. It swallowed its victims and lived on Mount Fikion. During a fierce battle, a ferocious creature was killed by Oedipus.

Sphinxes in other nations

The mythical creature occupied a certain place in the mythology of the Persians, Assyrians and Phoenicians. In their legends, the creature is depicted in male form with a beard and long curly hair. A little later, the image was modernized and in the legends they began to mention female and male individuals. Here the sphinxes were revered for their wisdom.

Sphinxes have centuries of knowledge, speak all languages ​​and own forgotten types of magic. They are presented as adepts in the use of spells in magical rituals. Creatures love jewelry and books.

The males are described as large beings with great physical strength. In a fit of anger, challenging, the sphinx emits a deafening roar that can be heard for hundreds of miles around. Females are much smarter, endowed with wisdom, tend to help people. They patronize poets and philosophers.

Sphinx in Egyptian mythology

The true purpose of the Egyptian Sphinx:

• guard the house of the gods;
• teach people wisdom;
• indicate the right path to knowledge;
• personify the god Harmachis on earth.

God Harmachis is one of the incarnations of the young Ra. The parents of the divine essence were Osiris and Isis. Set killed Osiris even before the conception of Harmachis, but his wife, with the help of magic, brought him back to life. A little later, Set dismembered Osiris, scattered his remains around the world, in the hope that Isis would not be able to resurrect him anymore. The goddess had to hide from Set in the swamps of the Nile for a long time in order to keep the child in the womb.

At the moment of the birth of the deity, a red star lit up in the sky. The mother protected her child with magic until he came of age. Throughout his childhood and youth, Harmakhis successfully studied and gave knowledge to others. At the age of 30, he had 12 disciples who helped heal the sick.

The matured Harmachis entered into a duel with Seth in order to avenge his father. During the battle, Seth tore out the young man's eye, but the young god, not bewildered, returned it to himself and, having killed Seth, took the masculine nature of the enemy. With the help of his eye, he resurrected his father and became the full ruler of Egypt. He was identified with victory and the power of justice.

There is a legend in which Set is the personification of darkness, and Harmachis is light. Their fight was not the only one, but continued for an eternity, beginning at dawn and ending at dusk. Their battle is an eternal struggle between good and evil.

Some monumental structures depict the Egyptian sphinx as a lion with a falcon's head and one large eye in its forehead. The Egyptians believed that God had the gift of clairvoyance, which helped him to distinguish truth from lies every time. Putting his eye on a sick person, he helped to gain clear thoughts and see the resolution of a difficult situation. The magic of the god was the ability to see with eyes full of love, without prevarication, without being selective and without malice in the heart.

A little later, the interpretation of the god-ruler was relegated to the background, since persons of non-royal blood began to be allowed to power, which changed the attitude towards the pharaohs in the bud. Harmakhis became not the supreme god, but the son of the god Ra. Later, the divine descendant was betrayed by one of his disciples. Harmachis was crucified and buried. He lay like that for 3 days, and then rose again.

Historical mysteries

Concerning the origin of the Egyptian Sphinx, there are still disputes. Its existence is surrounded by secrets and mysteries:

1. There are 3 underground passages under the monument. It was possible to find only one, located behind the head of the statue.
2. The exact time of the appearance of the monument could not be established. There is historical evidence that it was built long before the reign of Pharaoh Khafre.
3. The accusations of the French emperor Napoleon and his army in the destruction of the face of the statue may be groundless, because. there are sketches of an ancient traveler depicting a pedestal already without a nose and they are dated from the time when Bonaparte was not yet born.
4. There is not a single mention of the erection of the monument in the records of the Egyptians. The people carefully documented information about the costs of all constructions.
5. The first mention of the statue is found in the notes of Pliny the Elder. They contain information about the excavations, during which the monument was released from sand captivity.

Restoration work

The first pharaoh who managed to completely free the statue from the sand was Thutmose IV. Later, the monument was ordered to be dug up by Ramses. Then restoration attempts were made in the 19th-20th centuries.

Today, active work is underway to restore and strengthen the monument. The statue was closed for 4 months and the composition of the material was carefully analyzed, the possibilities of strengthening the foundation were determined. All cracks were isolated with modern building materials. The monument became accessible to tourists in 2014.

The Great Sphinsk is one of the most valuable statues in Egypt. Scientists from all over the world are still working on the riddles of the monument. There is no documentation regarding its origin, so it was not possible to fully understand when it was built. In mythology, the sphinx appears before people in different guises. It carries the wisdom of centuries, helps to shed light on the solution of complex problems and is the guardian of the world of the gods.