BY SSET IN STONE
In ancient Egypt, people worshipped
sphinxes as mythical creatures with the
power to ward off evil. Some think the
Sphinx was built as a protector of the
pyramids, which were once used as burial
places for Egyptian kings.
Nobody’s sure when the Sphinx was
built, but experts believe it was already
ancient when Egyptian queen Cleopatra
saw it around 47B.C.Since then, many
other historical figures have visited the
monument. But which historical figure
builtthe monument?
A
huge stone lion looms over the passing boats on
Egypt’s Nile River. It serves as a giant guardian
to some of the country’s famous pyramids,
man-made tombs that seem to stretch all
the way to the sun. The ancient sand-colored statue
known as the Sphinx is as tall as the White House, with
paws longer than a city bus.
An air of mystery has always surrounded the
Sphinx. Why was it built? How many hidden chambers
are inside? Scientists are still digging up clues to
those questions, but they might have an answer
for one of the monument’s biggest mysteries:
Who built it?FACE OFF
Historians’ two top suspects are Pharaoh
Khufu, who ruled Egypt from 2589B.C.to
2566 B.C., and his son, Pharaoh Khafre, who
reigned from 2558B.C.to 2532B.C.Most
experts agree that one of these rulers
oversaw the construction of the statue and
had his own face carved atop the giant lion.
But which one was it—Khufu or Khafre?
Some think the Sphinx is the work of
Khufu. They say the statue’s face matches a
sculpture of the king discovered in 1903.
But most experts, including Egyptologist
Mark Lehner, think Khufu’s son, Khafre,BYYSSTETEPHPHANANIEIEWWARRERENNDDRIMIMMEMERREgyptian monument?
Who built this ancient
Egyptian monument?
built the Sphinx. As father and son, the pair
shared a resemblance. But Lehner says the
most convincing evidence lies in a temple
that was built in front of the statue. Lehner
believes that the temple and the Sphinx
are part of the same master building plan
overseen by one person. Ancient workers
built the temple on top of part of another
structure that’s been proven to be the
work of Khafre. Lehner believes that this
means the Sphinx and its temple must
have been constructed after Khafre’s first
structure was built—Khufu wouldn’t have
been around to build on top of Khafre’s
PIUS LEE / SHUTTERSTOCK (MAIN); © PROVIDENCE PICTURES (SPHINX ILLUSTRATION); HOPE PRODUCTIONS / YANN ARTHUS BERTRAND / GETTY IMAGES (PYRAMIDS); HULTON ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES (BLACK-AND-WHITE SPHINX); MARTIN WALZ (MAP)
26 MAY 2017