Sphinx Egyptian description. Initially, the sculpture had several other names. Cultural and historical significance of the building

Each civilization has its own symbols, which are considered integral parts of the people, their culture and history. Sphinx ancient egypt- 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 on earth eternal life. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments 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 royalty is located on the Giza plateau. west coast the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and fairly 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 over the years has been of great interest and Special attention historians, writers, directors and researchers. 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 stone sculpture symbolizes the personality of 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 referred to 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 undertones of the legends, real story 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 in his work stone Sphinx. 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 helped scientists shed light on the mystery of the Sphinx. Natural history". 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. That's when the world knew about grand structure and a 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 maintain its architectural masterpiece but failed to protect him from the barbarism of the 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 appearance and the state of tourism and cultural object, 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 back in time ice age and dates from any period up to 15 thousand years 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

By 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 stone plateau Giza - 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 (a photo of the monument and the pyramids can be seen on any travel portal) can be proud of his 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.

For restoration ancient monument hundreds of millions of dollars are needed. 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 secret place"sacred books", which contain "the secrets of Osiris", and then cast a spell on this place so that knowledge would remain "undiscovered until Heaven gives birth to beings who 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 concluded 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! Second, Robert Bauval, using modern technologies computer simulation, found that about 12,500 years ago (11th century BC), in the early morning, the ascent 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 scientists from Waseda, 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, into which it successfully rested. 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 not blocked known to science an energy field that three 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 - archaeological artifact world significance, which supposedly has the power of technology 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 about some energy force fields no information was received from the authorities. 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 makes people think new riddle, and we just have to make every effort to still unravel it.

“The purpose of creating the Sphinx is becoming a little clearer today. The Atlanteans of Egypt built it as a grandiose statue, the greatest memorial statue and dedicated it to their bright god - the Sun. — Paul Brighton.

"A pile of cobblestones, left by the builders of the Great Pyramids during the extraction of stones, turned into a huge recumbent lion with the head of a man in the time of Khafre (Cheops)." — I. E. S. Edwards.

These passages illustrate polar opinions about the Great Sphinx: from mystical perception to cold pragmatism. The statue, which has been in the sand for centuries, has always been shrouded in an aura of mystery, giving rise to speculation regarding the age of the sphinx, the purpose and method of its creation, the existence inside hidden chambers, as well as the prophetic gift of the statue and its connection with no less mysterious pyramids.

Mostly such theories were put forward by desperate Egyptologists and archaeologists, who tried in vain to uncover the secrets of the sphinx alone. Probably, the national symbol of ancient and modern Egypt, standing like a sentry on the Giza plateau, has played the same role at all times: for centuries it has excited the imagination of poets, scientists, mystics, travelers and tourists. The Sphinx of Giza contains the essence of Egypt.

Facing towards rising sun The sculpture of the Great Sphinx is located on the Giza plateau, 6 miles west of Cairo on west bank Nile. The Egyptian government considers him to be the incarnation of the sun god, whom the Egyptians call Hor-em-Akhet (Horus in the sky). The Sphinx occupies part of the territory of the necropolis in ancient Memphis - the residence of the pharaohs, where the three largest Egyptian pyramids are located - great pyramid Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren) and Menkaure (Mykerin). The monument is the largest surviving sculpture of the ancient world - 241 feet long and 65 feet high at its highest point.

Part of the ureya (sacred snake that protects from evil forces), his nose and ritual beard collapsed over time. The beard is now in the British Museum. The elongated element on the forehead of the sphinx is a fragment of the royal headdress. Although the sphinx's head has been eroded for thousands of years, traces of the paint that originally covered it can still be seen near the statue's ear. It is believed that once the face of the sphinx was painted burgundy. In a small temple located between its paws, there are a dozen painted stelae erected in honor of the sun god.

The Sphinx has suffered greatly from the ravages of time, human activity and pollution. environment Nowadays. In fact, it was saved from complete destruction by a long stay in the sands. Behind centuries of history monument, many attempts were made to reconstruct the statue. They began as early as 1400 BC. e., during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV.

Once, after a hunt, the pharaoh dozed off in the shadow of the sphinx, and he dreamed that a huge beast was suffocating from the sand absorbing the statue. In a dream, the sphinx told the pharaoh that if he pulled the beast out and cleaned it of sand, he would receive the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Today, between the front paws of the sphinx, you can see a granite stele called the Stele of Dreams, on which the legend of the dream of the pharaoh is recorded.

Although the sculpture was cleared away, it soon found itself back in the sand. When Napoleon arrived in Egypt in 1798, the sphinx was already without a nose. However, the nose disappeared long before the arrival of Napoleon, which is captured in the paintings of the XVIII century. One legend says that the nose was broken during a bombardment during the period of Turkish rule. According to another version, probably more plausible), in the VIII century. he was knocked down with a chisel by a Sufi who considered the sphinx to be a pagan idol.

In 1858, the founder of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, Auguste Mariette, began excavating the sculpture, but only a part of it was cleared. In 1925-1936. French engineer Emile Barez, acting on behalf of the Antiquities Service, completed the excavation of the Sphinx. And, probably, for the first time since the days of the legendary Ancient Egypt, the sculpture became available for public viewing.

Most Egyptologists prefer to explain the riddle of the Great Sphinx as follows: the sculpture belongs to Khafre, the pharaoh of the IV dynasty. The image of a lion carved in stone with the face of Khafre himself was created in 2540, approximately at the same time when the nearby pyramid of Khafre was erected. However, not a single inscription has yet been found confirming the connection of Khafre with the Sphinx, and no records of the time and purpose of the creation of the sculpture either.

Given the grandeur of the monument, such a fact seems rather strange and mysterious. Although not all Egyptologists agree with the traditional version, no one can say exactly when and by whom the Sphinx was erected. In 1996, a detective from New York, an expert in the field of identifications, came to the conclusion that the Great Great Sphinx does not look like Khafre, but more like his elder veil Djedefre. Discussions about this are ongoing.

The unresolved issue of the origin and purpose of the creation of the sphinx gave rise to more and more new versions of a mystical nature, such as the theory of the British occultist Paul Brighton or the version of the American medium and seer Edgar Cayce, put forward in the 40s of the XX century. While in a trance, Case predicted that a chamber would be discovered under the front paws of the sphinx, which contains a collection of manuscripts about the lives of those who survived after the destruction of Atlantis.

The Great Sphinx was carved from the soft limestone left in the quarry, from which materials were taken to build the pyramids. The paws were created separately from limestone blocks. One of the main features of the sculpture is that her head is not proportional to her body. Perhaps it was repeatedly remade, changing the face of the sphinx at the direction of each subsequent pharaoh.

From the stylistic features, one can determine that it is unlikely that changes were made after the period of the Late Kingdom, which ended around 2181 BC. e. It is likely that the original head depicted a ram or a falcon and was remade into a human later. The restoration work carried out over the millennia to preserve the Sphinx's head may also have transformed or changed the proportions of the face.

Any of these explanations could cause a change in the size of the head compared to the body, especially if we assume that the Great Sphinx is much older than conventional science believes.
Recently, there has been a lively debate regarding the dating of the monument. The author of one of the versions, John Anthony West, was the first to draw attention to the fact that the surface of the Sphinx was exposed to the forces of nature - and suffered more from water erosion than from wind and sand.

However, other structures on the plateau did not experience a similar radiance. West turned to geologists, and Boston University professor Robert Schoch, after studying the latest finds, confirmed that these were the results of water erosion. Although the climate of Egypt today is arid, around 10,000 years ago it was humid and rainy. West and Schoch concluded that for it to be subject to water erosion, the Sphinx must have existed 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. Egyptologists rejected Schoch's theory, considering it incorrect. They argued that the frequent once torrential thunderstorms in Egypt had ceased long before the appearance of the Sphinx.

A serious approach to the matter raises the question: why were no other traces of water erosion found on the Giza plateau that could confirm the theory of West and Schoch? It could not rain only over the Sphinx. West and Schoch have also been criticized for failing to take into account the high levels of industrial pollution in the local atmosphere that have had a devastating effect on Giza's monuments for the last hundred years.

The author of another version about the time of creation and purpose of the Sphinx is Robert Bauvel. In the 1989s. he published a paper in which he hypothesized that the three Great Pyramids at Giza, together with the Nile, create on earth a kind of three-dimensional hologram of the three stars of Orion's belt and the nearby Milky Way.

Based on Graham Hancock's version of the famous book Footprints of the Gods, Bauval theorized that the Sphinx, the nearby pyramids, and all sorts of ancient manuscripts were constituent parts some astronomical map associated with the constellation Orion. He came to the conclusion that such a hypothetical map corresponded best to the position of the stars in 10,500 BC. e., discarding the version that the sphinx was created in more ancient times.

There are many legends about unusual phenomena, in one way or another connected with the Great Sphinx. Researchers state university Florida, Waseda University in Japan and Boston University, using ultra-sensitive technology, found a number of anomalies in the atmosphere above this place. However, these phenomena could also be of a natural nature. In 1995, during repair work in the parking lot near the statue, several tunnels and passages were discovered, two of which went deep underground next to the sphinx. Bauval suggested that the passages were created at the same time as the statue.

In 1991 - 1993 a group of researchers led by Anthony West, studying the traces of erosion on the monument using a seismograph, discovered something strange: holes, cavities or chambers of the correct form were found a few meters below the ground between the paws of the statue, and also on the other side of the sphinx sculpture. However, the expedition did not receive permission to conduct further research. The question arises: maybe there is a grain of truth in the prediction of Edgar Cayce regarding the collection of manuscripts?

Today great statue crumbling from winds, humidity and Cairo smog.

In 1950, the development of a large-scale and expensive project for the restoration and preservation of the monument began. The first attempts to restore the monument led to its even greater destruction, since cement, incompatible with limestone, was used to restore the structure. For six or even more years of reconstruction, about 2000 limestone blocks were used, various chemicals were used, but the efforts were in vain. By 1988, the blocks of the left shoulder of the sphinx had collapsed.

Currently, attempts to restore the statue under the strict supervision of the High Council of Antiquities do not stop. Restorers are trying to repair the collapsed shoulder using some of the subsoil. Thus, today all attention is focused on the preservation of the monument, and not on excavations and further research. We just have to wait. It will be a long time before the Great Sphinx reveals its secrets.

B.Hoton
"Great mysteries and mysteries of history"

On the west bank of the Nile, on the Giza plateau near Cairo, next to the pyramid of Khafre is one of the most famous and perhaps the most mysterious historical monument Ancient Egypt - Great Sphinx.

What is the Great Sphinx

The Great, or Great, Sphinx is the oldest monumental sculpture planets and the largest of the sculptures of Egypt. The statue is carved from a monolithic rock and depicts a lying lion with a human head. The length of the monument is 73 meters, the height is about 20.

The name of the statue is Greek and means “strangler”, reminiscent of the mythical Theban sphinx that killed travelers who did not solve its riddle. The Arabs called the giant lion the "Father of Horror", and the Egyptians themselves - "shepes ankh", "the image of the living."

The Great Sphinx was highly revered in Egypt. A sanctuary was built between its front paws, on the altar of which the pharaohs laid their gifts. Some authors conveyed the legend of an unknown god who fell asleep in the "sands of oblivion" and remained forever in the desert.

The image of the Sphinx is a traditional motif for ancient Egyptian art. The lion was considered a royal animal, dedicated to the sun god Ra, therefore, only the pharaoh was always depicted in the form of a sphinx.

Since ancient times, the Great Sphinx was considered the image of the pharaoh Khafre (Chephren), since it is located next to his pyramid and, as it were, guards it. Perhaps the giant was really called upon to keep the peace of the deceased monarchs, but the identification of the Sphinx with Khafre is erroneous. The main arguments in favor of the parallel with Khafre were the images of the pharaoh found near the statue, but there was a memorial temple of the pharaoh nearby, and the finds could be associated with it.

In addition, studies by anthropologists have revealed the Negroid face type of the stone giant. Numerous inscribed sculptures at the disposal of scientists do not bear any African features.

Mysteries of the Sphinx

By whom and when was the legendary monument created? For the first time, Herodotus introduced doubts about the correctness of the generally accepted point of view. Describing the pyramids in detail, the historian did not mention the Great Sphinx in a word. Clarity was introduced 500 years later by Pliny the Elder, talking about the cleaning of the monument from sand drifts. Probably, in the era of Herodotus, the Sphinx was hidden under the dunes. How many times in the history of its existence this could happen, one can only guess.

In written documents there is not a single mention of the construction of such a grandiose statue, although we know many names of the authors of much less majestic structures. The first mention of the Sphinx refers to the era of the New Kingdom. Thutmose IV (XIV century BC), not being the heir to the throne, allegedly fell asleep next to the stone giant and received in a dream a command from the god Horus to clear and repair the statue. In return, the god promised to make him pharaoh. Thutmose immediately ordered to begin the liberation of the monument from the sand. The work was completed in a year. In honor of this event, a stele with a corresponding inscription was installed near the statue.

This was the first known restoration of the monument. Subsequently, the statue was repeatedly freed from sand drifts - under the Ptolemies, during the time of Roman and Arab rule.

Thus, historians cannot present a reasonable version of the origin of the Sphinx, which gives scope to the creativity of other specialists. So, hydrologists noticed that the lower part of the statue bears traces of erosion from a long stay in the water. The increased humidity, at which the Nile could flood the base of the monument, characterized the climate of Egypt in the 4th millennium BC. e. There is no such destruction on the limestone from which the pyramids are built. This was considered proof that the Sphinx was older than the pyramids.

Romantic researchers considered erosion the result of the biblical Flood - the catastrophic flood of the Nile 12 thousand years ago. Some have even spoken of the Ice Age. The hypothesis, however, has been challenged. The destruction was explained by the action of rains and the low quality of the stone.

Astronomers made their contribution, putting forward the theory of a single ensemble of pyramids and the Sphinx. By building the complex, the Egyptians allegedly immortalized the time of their arrival in the country. The three pyramids reflect the position of the stars in Orion's Belt, representing Osiris, and the Sphinx looks at the point of sunrise on the vernal equinox that year. This combination of astronomical factors dates back to the 11th millennium BC.

There are other theories, including traditional aliens and representatives of pracivilizations. The apologists of these theories, as always, do not provide clear evidence.

The Egyptian colossus holds many other mysteries. For example, there is no suggestion which of the rulers he depicts, why an underground passage was dug from the Sphinx towards the pyramid of Cheops, etc.

Current state

The final clearing of the sands was carried out in 1925. The statue has survived to this day in a good state of preservation. Perhaps the centuries-old sand cover saved the Sphinx from weathering and temperature changes.

Nature spared the monument, but not the people. The giant's face is severely damaged - his nose is beaten off. At one time, damage was attributed to Napoleon's gunners, who shot the statue from cannons. However, the Arab historian al-Makrizi reported back in the 14th century that the Sphinx had no nose. According to his story, the face was damaged by a crowd of fanatics at the instigation of a certain preacher, since Islam forbids portraying a person. This statement is doubtful, since the Sphinx was revered local population. It was believed that it causes the life-giving floods of the Nile.

There are other assumptions as well. The damage is explained by natural factors, as well as the revenge of one of the pharaohs, who wished to destroy the memory of the monarch depicted by the Sphinx. According to the third version, the nose was recaptured by the Arabs during the conquest of the country. There was a belief among some Arabian tribes that if you beat off the nose of a hostile god, he would not be able to take revenge.

In ancient times, the Sphinx had a false beard, an attribute of the pharaohs, but now only fragments remain of it.

In 2014, after the restoration of the statue, tourists opened access to it, and now you can come up and look close to the legendary giant, in whose history there are many more questions than answers.

The Sphinx statue in Egypt near the Giza pyramids is the most mysterious and ancient in the world, so it constantly attracts the attention of scientists from all points the globe. around it architectural structure antiquity, various hypotheses constantly flare up and conflicting conclusions arise. The structure itself is carved from several blocks of limestone and partially covered with masonry of the same material. If we compare the dimensions of the Sphinx (length 72 m, height 20 m, width between the paws 11 m), then the scale of its construction is striking.

The main mysteries of the Sphinx

Age of the Sphinx

The most important mystery of the Egyptian Sphinx is its date of creation or the era when it was built. The main hypothesis so far has been that the Sphinx was built along with the Pyramid of Cheops and was its age. But modern research has shown that the Sphinx was built much earlier than all the pyramids of Egypt. Erosion study of the limestone from which the Sphinx is built reveals what it survived a large number of natural water disasters. In this regard, many British scientists come to the conclusion that the Sphinx existed during the Flood, which is at least 10,000 years before our era. The latest studies by Japanese scientists with an echo sounder once again confirm the opinions of British colleagues, and they say that the limestone of the Sphinx was processed approximately 12 millennia BC.

Creators of the Sphinx

Based on their latest research scientists of the statue of the Egyptian Sphinx, it is logical to conclude that this structure was not built by the ancient Egyptians. The question arises: "Who built the Sphinx?". At the moment, scientists do not have definite evidence of who was the author of the construction of the Sphinx. The opinions of scientists are divided, some researchers suggest that the builders of this structure were the Atlanteans, others tend to believe that the Sphinx was built by peoples unknown to science, others suggest that the Sphinx was built by an extraterrestrial civilization. One thing is clear - scientists have yet to find the answer to this riddle.

The purpose of the Sphinx

For a long time, based on the version that the Sphinx is a contemporary of the pyramids in Giza, gave rise to numerous guesses about its purpose. The main version was that the Sphinx is the main guardian of the tombs of the pharaohs and their peace in the afterlife. Another version says that the statue personifies the four seasons: the paws of the statue are summer, the face is winter, invisible wings are autumn, and the lion's body is spring.

All assumptions of Egyptologists regarding this riddle of the Sphinx can be refuted at any time if the scientific world recognizes the fact that the statue of the Sphinx is much older. Egyptian pyramids and was built by a civilization that existed much earlier than the ancient Egyptian.

The image of the Sphinx

Until now, many Egyptologists were inclined to believe that the face of the Sphinx was a copy of the pharaoh Hebren (2574-2465 BC), but this version had many opponents who refuted given fact inclining to the fact that the face of the Sphinx belongs to the representative of the Negroid race and does not look like the surviving images of Hevren. In addition, this version can be refuted by modern studies of Japanese scientists who have come to the conclusion that the Sphinx is much older than the Egyptian pyramids. At the same time, Japanese scientists themselves during their research discovered a room under the left paw of the Sphinx, which is the entrance to the tunnel leading towards the pyramid of Pharaoh Hevren. Unfortunately, the answers to many questions could be given by studying the found room and the tunnel, but the Egyptian authorities refused the researchers to further study the statue. To date, the found room is one of the most relevant mysteries of the Sphinx.

Hearing the combination of the words "Ancient Egypt", many will immediately imagine the majestic pyramids and the great Sphinx - it is with them that mysterious civilization separated from us by several millennia. 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. Yes, 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 rightful heir, this imperious woman tried to rule like a man, she even wore a special false 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.

A giant with a lion's body is located on a plateau in Giza (near the capital modern state, Cairo) and is part of a funerary complex that 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 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 millennia 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 in detail on papyri - 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.

majestic monument ancient world has not yet revealed all its mysteries to us, so his 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.