Print

The Sphinx

• 
  
  Location: Giza, Egypt (Continent of Africa)
• Built by: Archaeologists believe the construction was during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre, but they are still looking for more evidence to support this idea
• How long to build: Archaeologists think it took about three years to build
• Date built: Between 2603-2578 BC (about 4,500 years ago)
• Size: It is 240 ft (73 m) long and 66 ft (20 m) high and was carved out of a single piece of limestone
• Weight: 40,000 lbs (18,000 kg) (about 10 African elephants)
• The colossal limestone statue of a creature with a lion’s body and a human’s head. He is a mythological figure in Egyptian, Asian, and Greek mythology (old stories that helped explain natural or traditional events in a culture).
• It is a spiritual guardian for the pharaoh, and archaeologists found many smaller statues at different sites around Egypt.
• Pharaoh Khafre’s father was Pharaoh Khufu, who built the Great Pyramid behind the Sphinx.
• Archaeologists found paint residue (small pieces of paint) on the statue, so they think it was painted red at one time, with some parts also having blue and yellow paint.
• No one knows what happened to its nose, but many theories exist. One theory is that it broke off during a war with Napoleon Bonaparte. Another idea is that a man from another religion destroyed it in the name of his religion. Other people think it might have fallen off naturally due to the weather.
• There also used to be a beard, but it broke off due to erosion. In a museum in England, you can find some of the pieces. Archaeologists believe Egyptians may have added the beard after earlier Egyptians built the original statue.
• Much like the Great Pyramid, the Egyptians took excellent care of the workers of The Sphinx. Archaeologists have found the remains of what workers used to eat near the site. People with less money would eat more fish, beans, and vegetables.