What is the History of the Sphinx Statue
Exploring the Enigmatic Past of the Sphinx Statue: A Fascinating Journey into the History of this Ancient Marvel
The Sphinx is one of the most iconic and recognizable statues in history, with its mysterious face staring out from ancient Egypt. The statue stands at more than 20 meters (65 feet) tall on a rocky plateau near Giza, just outside Cairo. But what is the true story behind this legendary figure?
To answer that question we must go back thousands of years to when it was first built around 2500 BC by King Khafre – fourth ruler of the Fourth Dynasty who worked under his father, Pharaoh Cheops, also known as Great Pyramid builder Djedefra – during Egypt’s Old Kingdom period. The Sphinx was originally made out of limestone blocks, which gives us today’s famous golden patina colour, and granite, mainly used to make particular parts of the statue like it’s claws and paws.
The statue wasn’t called the “Sphinx” until Greek times. The Greeks couldn’t pronounce the word “Shesepankh," so they named after their own word, “Sphingein,” meaning "strangler".
Its location suggests that the Sphinx may have been associated with Ra-Horakhty – the god whose temple is located right next door. Later, pharaoh Thutmose IV constructed a wall around both monuments trying to protect them from invaders. The wall eventually but failed a few centuries later as invasions became relentless, leaving the beautiful masterpiece destroyed beyond repair – now only the head remains intact while the rest of the body has suffered heavy damage due to erosion from wind and sandstorms throughout the ages. Thanks to modern technology however, some restoration work may be done to help preserve some of its features.
The Sphinx statue is so unique for a number of reasons. Firstly, no other monument like this exists anywhere else in the world – making it quite singularly special.
Secondly, despite having such great age, particularly compared to more contemporary achievements, it remains remarkably intact – especially given the rate at which desert sand can wear away at stone structures over time. This indicates just how durable not only its construction was, but also the sheer scale of effort that went into building something so huge yet intricate.
Another notable design aspect is that unlike all previous Egyptian gods who were depicted as animals; the Great Sphinx features both animalistic qualities (a lion's body) along with human facial features – suggesting some sort of combination between the two.
Lastly, its position overlooking the Nile Valley means the location itself provides a magnificent backdrop against the green lush land, capturing the beauty of the natural environment. This setting adds a further majestic touch to the whole experience. All these points combined explain why people have been fascinated by this mysterious wonder from the distant past all the way up until the present day.
It may seem surprising to some that there are no known tunnels or chambers within The Great Sphinx itself. It’s worth noting however, that many other Egyptian complexes built thousands of years ago feature similar designs – without any kind of entrance whatsoever. This strongly suggests that such an opening was never intended by those who created it originally (or at least not intentionally). That being said though, there have still been attempts made over history to gain access into what lies beneath; but unfortunately none have proven successful so far...
Fortunately enough though, archaeologists didn't give up entirely on their quest: during 1817 they did manage to uncover two small cavities which were located just above where each paw should be placed! Unfortunately, both these “air shafts” ended abruptly at a dead end and thus revealed nothing about the potential hidden secrets lying underneath The Great Sphinx. It's speculated widely today that if anything does lie below ground level it will likely remain safe from outside exploration forever due to the complex architecture that was employed when constructing it initially.
Nevertheless, researchers don't appear ready to stop trying to access what lies below the statue. Recent studies conducted on the air shaft using high tech scanning methods suggest another unexplainable anomaly lying near the statue’s chest region. Whether or not it could potentially lead to an open passageway remains unknown at this time until further investigation is properly completed.
So, in conclusion, no – you can’t go inside the Sphinx statue. Despite incredible advances in technology and decades of hard work, efforts to conduct field research and attempts at excavation have made very little progress.
These days, the Sphinx still attracts tourists from around the world to marvel at the enigmatic power that it evokes. In more than 100 years, archaeologists have yet to definitively answer what exactly the statue represents. Hopefully one day we gain a clearer picture as to what lies beneath those mysterious sands in the Egyptian desert.