Facts About the Great Sphinx of Giza

Legend

• The Sphinx has its origin in Greek mythology. The name means "strangler." The creature had a woman's head, a lion's body, wings of a bird and a snake's tail. The sphinx was a guardian of the dead. Egyptian sphinxes always had a lion's body, but the head was either that of a man (usually a king) or a ram, which represented the god Amon.

Measurements

• The Great Sphinx is 66 feet high. It measures 240 feet long from front paws to tail-end.

Construction

• The pharoah Khafre is believed to be the man responsible for building the Sphinx approximately 4,600 years ago. Thus, it is his face that many believe to be reflected in the face of the Sphinx. As traces of paint may be seen around one of the Sphinx's ears, many believe that it was once colorfully painted. The Sphinx was carved from limestone bedrock, and may have originally been covered with plaster prior to painting. Its face received most of its damage when either Turkish or French soldiers used it for target practice. For many years, the majority of the Sphinx's body was buried by sand until it was finally completely uncovered in 1936.

Erosion

• Different theories abound concerning how the statue came to be eroded. The popular theory is that the erosion was caused by wind sandblasting the figure. In the 1930s, an Egyptologist who visited the site suggested that the damage had been done by seawater, and theorized that the Sphinx was originally located in the ocean, hinting a connection with the Lost City of Atlantis. However, in the 1990s, a geologist and an Egyptologist concluded that the erosion was caused by rainfall, which would put the statue's construction back to around 7,000 B.C.

Head of the Sphinx

• The Great Sphinx's head appears to be smaller than its body, leading some to speculate that the head was not always that of a man, but instead may have been the head of a lion to go with the rest of its body. This theory implies that the sculpture is much older than has been believed to date.

Restoration Efforts

• Due to sun, wind and smog, the Great Sphinx continues to erode. Restoration efforts are constantly underway to try to protect this national treasure.