The address: Egypt, Giza plateau in the suburbs of Cairo
Build date: XXVI-XXIII centuries BC e.
Coordinates: 29 ° 58 "41.3" N 31 ° 07 "52.1" E
Where the green valley of the Nile gives way to the Libyan Desert, in the suburbs of Cairo, on the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramids stand unshakably. The sight of a tourist who has arrived in Giza, the pyramids open up unexpectedly: like a mirage, they "grow" from the hot desert sands.
Great Pyramids of Giza aerial view
V Ancient world the pyramids were considered one of the "7 wonders of the world", but even today they impress with their immense dimensions, and their secrets will excite the imagination of mankind for a long time. The pyramids were admired " strongest of the world this "- Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and others.
Great Pyramids of Giza. From left to right: pyramids of queens, pyramid of Mikerin, pyramid of Chephren, pyramid of Cheops
Wanting to inspire the French army before the famous battle with the Mamluks, Napoleon, standing at the pyramids, exclaimed: "Soldiers, 40 centuries are looking at you from these peaks!" And then Bonaparte calculated: if the pyramid of Cheops was disassembled, then from 2.5 million stone blocks it would be possible to build a 3-meter wall around France.
Three Great Pyramids Protected The Great Sphinx, - part of the huge necropolis of Giza... These pyramids were built during the reign of the pharaohs of the IV dynasty, who ruled in the Old Kingdom in 2639-2506. BC e. They are surrounded by small pyramids and temples where the wives of the pharaohs, priests and officials are buried.
The Pyramid of Cheops
Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
The largest of the pyramids, the Pyramid of Cheops, is the only one of the "7 Wonders of the World" that has survived to this day. More than 3000 years, before the construction of Lincoln Cathedral in England (1311), the Cheops pyramid was the tallest structure on Earth. Its original height - 146.6 meters - corresponded to a 50-storey skyscraper, but after an earthquake in the 13th century, the pyramid of Cheops decreased by 8 meters - it lost its facing and the gilded stone of the pyramidon that crowned the top.
Pyramid of Cheops and the Sun Boat Museum
The Egyptians stole slabs of polished white limestone and used them in the construction of Cairo houses and mosques. The pyramid of Cheops amazes people with its grandeur and titanic labor, who lifted stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons to the sky with the help of primitive devices - ropes and levers. And in the "Tsar's Chamber" granite blocks weigh up to 80 tons. The Arab historian Abdel Latif (XII century) notes that individual blocks are so tightly fitted to each other that it is impossible to push the edge of a knife between them.
Solar boat
Solar boat
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are burial chambers, and outside, at its foot, there is the Museum of the Solar Boat... On this ship, built of cedar without a single nail, the pharaoh was supposed to go to the afterlife.
Pyramid of Khafre
Pyramid of Khafre (Khafre)
The second largest ancient Egyptian pyramid was erected 40 years later by the first Pharaoh Khafre, the son of Cheops. Although the pyramid of Khafre is inferior in height (136.4 m) to the tomb of his father, but due to its location on more high point plateau, it was a worthy competitor to the Great Pyramid.
At the top of the Khafre pyramid, a white basalt cladding has been partially preserved, reminiscent of a glacier on a mountain.
Pyramid of Mikerin
Pyramid of Mikerin (Menkaure)
The ensemble of the Great Pyramids is completed by the relatively modest tomb of Mikerin, built for the grandson of Cheops. Contrary to the loud nickname "Heru" (high), it reaches only 62 meters in height, but it emphasizes the greatness of the pyramids of Cheops and Khafre.
Great Sphinx
Great Sphinx
At the foot of the Giza plateau stands a monumental sculpture 73 meters long and 20 meters high. It is carved from a monolithic rock of limestone in the shape of a sphinx - a mythical creature with a human head, paws and the body of a lion. According to scientists, facial features of the Great Sphinx are similar to the appearance of Pharaoh Khafre... The Sphinx's gaze is directed to the east, to the rising sun. According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, the lion was a symbol of the solar deity, and the pharaoh was the governor of the sun god Ra on earth and after death merged with the shining luminary.
Great Sphinx from the rear
Lions stood at the gates of the underworld, so the Sphinx is considered to be the guardian of the necropolis. The face of the statue is badly damaged. Most often, you can hear that the nose of the Sphinx was beaten off by Napoleonic grenadiers. According to another version of the legend, the damage to the sculpture was caused by one shah, a religious fanatic. The reason for the vandalism is simple: Islam forbids making images of people and animals.
Great Sphinx against the background of the pyramid of Khafre
Secrets of ancient times: why were the pyramids built?
Until now, disputes about the purpose of the pyramids do not cease. The traditional version says that the mounds towering over the mortal world could be the tombs of the pharaohs, from where their ashes ascended closer to the sky and the sun. Some scholars consider the pyramids to be temples where the worshipers of the sun performed religious rites; others are scientific laboratories set up for astronomical observations. German archaeologists have put forward another hypothesis: the pyramids are natural generators of earthly energy.
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 mute reminder of the divine origin of its rulers, who have sunk into the ages, but left on earth the image of eternal life. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past, still inspiring involuntary fear with its impressiveness, aura of secrets, mystical legends and centuries-old history.
Monument in numbers
The Egyptian Sphinx is known to everyone and every inhabitant on earth. The monument was carved out of 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 the royal power is located on the Giza plateau west coast the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and deep enough ditch. The thoughtful gaze of the Sphinx is directed to the east, towards that point of heaven 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.
The story of the statue: facts versus legends
In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. Over the years, its history has attracted intense interest and special attention from historians, writers, filmmakers and researchers. Everyone who has had a chance to touch the eternity that the statue personifies offers his own version of its origin. Locals the stone landmark is called the "father of horror" because the Sphinx is the keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite destination for tourists - lovers of mysteries and fiction. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx goes back more than 13 centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to record an astronomical phenomenon - the reunification of 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, Mikerin and Khafre. Another legend says that the stone statue symbolizes the personality of Pharaoh Khafre, the third one is that it is a statue of the god Horus (god of the sky, half-man, half-salmon), who watches the ascent of his father, the Sun God Ra.
Legends
In ancient Greek mythology The Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of Ancient Egypt about this monster sound like this: a creature with the body of a lion and a human head was born by 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 near Thebes, trapped people and asked them a strange question: "Which living creature moves on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" None of the strangers trembling with fear could give the Sphinx an intelligible answer. Then the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedipus was able to solve his riddle. “This is a person in childhood, maturity and old age,” he replied. After that, the crushed monster threw itself from the top of the mountain and crashed against the rocks.
According to the second version of the legend, the Sphinx was once God in Egypt. Once the heavenly ruler fell into an insidious trap of the sands, called the "cage of oblivion," and fell asleep in it with eternal sleep.
The real facts
Despite the mysterious overtones 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 construction of the pyramids was gleaned, there is not a single mention of a stone statue. The names of the architects and builders who created the grandiose tombs for the pharaohs are known, but the name of the person who gave the world the Egyptian Sphinx is still unknown.
True, several centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue appear. The Egyptians call her "shepes ankh" - "living image". Scientists could not give the world any more information and scientific explanation of these words.
But at the same time, the iconic image of the mysterious Sphinx - a winged monster maiden - is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these legends, 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 story of 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" even touched upon such nuances as the food of slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus never mentioned the stone Sphinx in his work. In none of the subsequent records, the fact of the erection of the monument was also discovered.
Helped scientists to shed light on the work of the Roman writer Pliny the Elder " 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 a description of the Sphinx to the world - the monument at that time was buried under a layer of sandy deposits. 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 paws of the monster, Pharaoh Thutmose I spent a year freeing the monument. Ancient writings tell that, as a prince, Thutmose fell asleep at the foot of the Sphinx and saw a dream in which the god Harmakis appeared to him. He predicted that the prince would ascend to the throne of Egypt and ordered that the statue be freed from the sand trap. After some time, Thutmose happily became pharaoh and remembered the promise made to the deity. He ordered not only to unearth the giant, but also to restore it. Thus, the first revival of the Egyptian legend took place in the 15th century. BC. It was then that the world learned about the grandiose construction and 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 out during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, under the Roman emperors who seized 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 is practically preserved in original form embodying the Sphinx. Egypt (photo of the monument is presented above) managed to save its architectural masterpiece, but failed to protect him from the barbarism of people. The statue has no this moment nose. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs, for reasons unknown to science, ordered the nose off the statue. According to other sources, the monument was damaged by Napoleon's army, firing a cannon on his face. The British chipped off the monster's beard and sent it to their museum.
However, in the records of the historian Al-Maqrizi discovered later from 1378, it is said that the stone statue no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wishing to atone for religious sins (the Koran prohibited the image of human faces), cut off the giant's nose. In response to such an atrocity and outrage on 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 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 about the appearance and condition of the tourist and cultural site, resumed renovations, thereby opening the way for new research. As a result of a careful study of the stone blocks of the pyramids of Cheops and the Sphinx, Japanese archaeologists hypothesized 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 burial structures were contemporaries. The second, no less surprising discovery, was a long narrow tunnel found under the left paw of the predator, connected to the Cheops pyramid.
After the Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists took up the oldest monument. They found on his body traces of erosion from a large water flow 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 with evidence that the Sphinx existed during the Ice Age and dates back to any period before 15 thousand 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 magnificent structure, which has become an immortal image of the Past.
The adoration 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 brought sacrifices on the altar, which was between his paws, burned incense, receiving from the giant a silent blessing for the kingdom and the throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the embodiment of the sun god, but also a sacred image that bestowed upon them hereditary and legitimate authority from their ancestors. He personified the mighty Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in its majestic form, embodying each image of a new pharaoh and turning modernity into a component of eternity. Ancient writings glorified the Sphinx as the great creator god. His image reunited the past, present and future.
Astronomical explanation of the stone statue
According to the official version, the Sphinx was 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 the stone plateau of Giza - three pyramids.
Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue was not chosen by blind intuition, but in accordance with the intersection point of the path of the 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 in the firmament that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and the pyramids recorded the position of the stars, the astronomical time, which was called the first. Since Orion was the heavenly personification of the ruler at that time, man-made structures were built to depict the stars of his belt in order to perpetuate and fix the time of his power.
Great Sphinx as a tourist site
Currently, a giant lion with a human head attracts millions of tourists eager to see firsthand the legendary stone sculpture shrouded in the darkness of centuries-old history and many mystical legends. The interest of all mankind in it is due to the fact that the secret of creating the statue remained unsolved, buried under the sands. It is difficult to imagine how many secrets the Sphinx keeps in itself. Egypt (a photo of the monument and pyramids can be seen on any travel portal) can be proud of its 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, the history of which has remained unsolved and full of secrets. The calm gaze of the statue is still directed into the distance, and its appearance is still unperturbed. How many centuries has he been a silent witness to human suffering, the vanity of rulers, sorrows and troubles that befell the Egyptian land? How many secrets does the Great Sphinx keep? Unfortunately, all these questions have not been answered for many years.
Hello dear ladies and gentlemen. Today is Sunday, July 15, 2018, on Channel One there is a TV game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" There are players and presenter Dmitry Dibrov in the studio.
In the article we will consider one of the interesting questions of the game, and a little later there will be a general article with all the questions and answers in today's TV game.
What material is the Great Sphinx made of in Egypt?
Great Sphinx on west bank The Nile in Giza is the oldest surviving monumental sculpture on Earth. It was carved from a monolithic limestone rock in the form of a colossal sphinx - a lion lying on the sand, whose face, as has long been considered, is given a portrait resemblance to the pharaoh Khefren (c. 2575-2465 BC), whose burial pyramid is located nearby.
The religion of the ancient Egyptian kingdom was based on sun worship. The locals worshiped the idol as the embodiment of the Sun God, calling it Khor-Em-Akhet. Comparing these facts, Mark determines the original purpose of the Sphinx and its personality: Khafre's face looks from the figure of a god who protects the journey of the pharaoh to the afterlife, making it safe.
The Great Sphinx is the grandest surviving sculpture of antiquity. The length of the body is 3 compartment cars (73.5 meters), and the height is a 6-storey building (20 meters). The bus has less than one front leg. And the weight of 50 jet airliners is equal to the weight of a giant.
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 approach and examine close to the legendary giant, in whose history there are much more questions than answers.
- granite
- limestone
- marble
- clay
The correct answer to the game's question is limestone.
The Sphinx of Giza is one of the oldest, largest and most mysterious monuments ever created by man. Disputes about its origin are still ongoing. We collected 10 little-known facts about a majestic monument in the Sahara Desert.
1. The Great Sphinx of Giza is not a sphinx
Experts say that the Egyptian Sphinx cannot be called a traditional image of the Sphinx. In classical Greek mythology, the Sphinx was described as having the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and the wings of a bird. In Giza, the sculpture of the Androsphinx actually stands as it has no wings.
2. Initially, the sculpture had several other names
The ancient Egyptians did not originally call this giant creature the "Great Sphinx". In the text on the Stele of Dreams dating from about 1400 BC, the Sphinx is referred to as the "Statue of the great Khepri". When the future Pharaoh Thutmose IV slept next to her, he had a dream in which the god Khepri-Ra-Atum came to him and asked him to free the statue from the sand, and in return promised that Thutmose would become the ruler of all Egypt. Thutmose IV dug up a statue covered with sand over the centuries, which after that became known as Khorem-Akhet, which translates as "Mountains on the horizon". The medieval Egyptians called the Sphinx "balkhib" and "bilhow".
3. Nobody knows who built the Sphinx
Even today, people do not know the exact age of this statue, and modern archaeologists argue about who could have created it. The most popular theory is that the Sphinx arose during the reign of Khafre (the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom), i.e. the age of the statue dates back to around 2500 BC.
This pharaoh is credited with creating the pyramid of Khafre, as well as the necropolis of Giza and a number of ritual temples. The proximity of these structures to the Sphinx prompted a number of archaeologists to believe that it was Khefren who ordered the construction of a majestic monument with his own face.
Other scholars believe that the statue is much older than the pyramid. They argue that the face and head of the statue bear traces of clear water damage and theorize that the Great Sphinx already existed during the era when the region faced extensive flooding (6 millennium BC).
4. Whoever built the Sphinx, he ran away from it at breakneck speed after the end of the construction
American archaeologist Mark Lehner and Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass discovered large stone blocks, toolboxes and even petrified dinners under the sand. This clearly indicates that the workers were in such a hurry to get away that they did not even bring their tools with them.
5. The laborers who built the statue were well fed
Most scientists think that the people who built the Sphinx were slaves. However, their diet suggests otherwise. As a result of excavations led by Mark Lehner, it was found that the workers regularly dined on beef, lamb and goat meat.
6. The Sphinx was once covered in paint
Although the Sphinx is now gray-sandy in color, it was once completely covered in bright paint. Remnants of red paint can still be found on the face of the statue, and there are traces of blue and yellow paint on the body of the Sphinx.
7. The sculpture was buried under the sand for a long time
The Great Sphinx of Giza became a victim several times quicksand Egyptian desert during its long existence. The first known restoration of a sphinx almost completely buried under the sand took place shortly before the 14th century BC, thanks to Thutmose IV, who soon after became Egyptian pharaoh... Three millennia later, the statue was again buried under the sands. Until the 19th century, the statue's forepaws were deep beneath the surface of the desert. The entire Sphinx was excavated in the 1920s.
8.The Sphinx lost its headdress in the 1920s
During the last recovery, the Great Sphinx lost part of its famous headdress, and its head and neck were seriously damaged. The Egyptian government hired a team of engineers to restore the statue in 1931. But soft limestone was used during this restoration, and in 1988 a 320-kilogram portion of a shoulder fell off, nearly killing a German reporter. After that, the Egyptian government resumed restoration work.
9. After the construction of the Sphinx for a long time there was a cult that venerated it
Thanks to the mystical vision of Thutmose IV, who became pharaoh after he dug up giant statue, in the 14th century BC, a whole cult of worship of the Sphinx arose. The pharaohs who ruled during the New Kingdom even built new temples from which the Great Sphinx could be seen and worshiped.
10. The Egyptian Sphinx is much kinder than the Greek
The Sphinx's modern reputation as a cruel creature originated in Greek mythology, not Egyptian. In Greek myths, the Sphinx is mentioned in connection with a meeting with Oedipus, to whom he asked a seemingly insoluble riddle. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Sphinx was considered more benevolent.
11 it's not Napoleon's fault that the Sphinx doesn't have a nose
The mystery of the absence of a nose in the Great Sphinx has given rise to all kinds of myths and theories. One of the most widespread legends says that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to beat off the nose of the statue in a fit of pride. However, early sketches of the Sphinx show that the statue lost its nose even before the birth of the French emperor.
12. The Sphinx was once bearded
Today, the remains of the Great Sphinx's beard, which were removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are kept in the British Museum and the Museum Egyptian antiquities established in Cairo in 1858. However, the French archaeologist Vasile Dobrev argues that the bearded statue was not originally, and that the beard was added later. Dobrev argues his hypothesis that removing the beard, if it was a component of the statue from the very beginning, would damage the chin of the statue.
13. Great Sphinx - the oldest statue, but not the most ancient sphinx
The Great Sphinx of Giza is considered the oldest monumental sculpture in human history. If the statue is considered to date from the reign of Khafre, the smaller sphinxes depicting his half-brother Jedefre and sister Netefere II are older.
14. The Sphinx is the largest statue
The Sphinx, which is 72 meters long and 20 meters high, is considered the largest monolithic statue on the planet.
15. Several astronomical theories are associated with the Sphinx
The mystery of the Great Sphinx of Giza led to the emergence of a number of theories about the supernatural understanding of the ancient Egyptians of the cosmos. Some scholars, such as Lehner, believe that the Sphinx with the pyramids of Giza is giant car for capturing and processing solar energy. Another theory notes the coincidence of the Sphinx, pyramids and the Nile River with the stars of the constellations Leo and Orion.
Over the tombs of the pharaohs, the Egyptians erected statues of the sphinxes. In the suburbs of Cairo, there is the oldest Great Egyptian Sphinx on the planet. The statue is carved out of limestone and depicts a huge lion with a human face.
The history of the appearance of the statue
The monument to the Egyptian Sphinx is located near the pyramid of Cheops. Between the paws of the statue there is an inscription informing that the monument is a copy of the Sun God - Hamarkis. According to one version, the face of the statue is made in the likeness of Pharaoh Khafre. It was created during his reign - 2520-2494 BC. e.
Over the years, the statue was discovered under a mound of sand and rebuilt by Pharaoh Thutmose IV. Among the Egyptians, there are legends about the possibilities of the Sphinx statue not only to protect the tombs and souls of the dead, but also to move.
The Sphinx changes its location when it is dissatisfied with something - the government or the attitude towards itself. He goes into the desert, where he buries himself deep in the sand. Pharaoh, on the other hand, dreamed of a god and said that his body was covered with sand and asked for help, indicating the exact location of the statue. During the excavations, a statue was discovered, the severed head of which was peacefully resting between its paws.
The steps leading to the statue were built much later, during the Roman Empire. The Romans were involved in the reconstruction of most of the Egyptian monuments. Upon discovering the notch on the head of the statue, people decided that this was a secret entrance to the pyramid, but in fact it turned out that this was the place where the headdress was attached, lost in a sandstorm.
It was previously believed that the sphinx was built secret passages, but after lengthy research, it was possible to prove that the body was built from a rocky ledge, and the front part consists of separate stone parts.
Pedestal dimensions:
- length - 73.5 m;
- height - 20 m.
The material of the statue was examined by inserting metal pipes inside. Detailed analyzes made it possible to determine the composition of the remains of mumillites - marine life tiny sizes.
This proves that the rock for the statue was brought to this place with the help of an unknown transport facility. The second version says that the monument was built from a local rock, which, according to external data, was similar to the Sphinx initially.
The Sphinx was considered a portal between our world and The great pyramid... There was an entrance between the legs of the statue, and inside there was a labyrinth, wandering through which, a person came to the starting point. The location of the correct moves was known to the Egyptian priests.
In the labyrinth, travelers were looking for a bronze door that opened the mysterious world of the pyramid and the key to the wisdom of the gods. No evidence of her existence has been found. If we assume that there was a door, then it was littered with debris and sand, since over time the statue was badly damaged.
The sculpture has come down to us in a disfigured form. Her nose was beaten off by Muslim conquerors so that the faithful would abandon idolatry, and traces of red paint are barely visible on her face. For the Egyptians, the statue remained a symbol of wisdom and the personification of physical strength.
The place of the sphinx in Greek mythology
In mythology Ancient Greece, Sphinx - a creature that was depicted as a half-woman, half-lion, with the wings of a bird. The strangler demon personified the inevitability of fate, human suffering and torment. In some legends, Tryphon and Echidna became her parents, in others - Chimera and Orph.
Hera sent a sphinx to Thebes to ravage the territories and punish Laem for seducing Chryssip. Another version says that the creature was sent by Ares to Thebes to avenge the slain dragon. The creature chose for its habitat a cave on a mountain near the city gates. Each traveler was given the task of the Sphinx to guess the riddle. She killed people who did not cope with the task. Many noble Thebans became its victims, including the son of King Creon, Gemon.
Oedipus solved the riddle. After that, the Sphinx threw herself off the mountain in despair. This is the interpretation according to Euripides. Aeschylus presented history in a different way. In his version, the Sphinx herself guessed the riddle of Silenus. An ancient Boeotian version of the story describes a monster called Fix. It swallowed its victims and dwelt on Mount Phykion. During a fierce battle, Oedipus killed the fierce creature.
Sphinxes among other peoples
The mythical creature occupied specific place in the mythology of the Persians, Assyrians and Phoenicians. In their legends, the creature is portrayed as a male with a beard and long curly hair. A little later, the image was modernized and in legends they began to mention females and males. Here the Sphinxes were revered for their wisdom.
Sphinxes have centuries of knowledge, speak all languages and possess forgotten types of magic. They are touted as adepts in the use of spells in magical rituals. Creatures love jewelry and books.
Males are described as large, physically powerful creatures. In a fit of anger, defying it, the sphinx lets out a deafening roar that can be heard for hundreds of miles around. Females are much smarter, endowed with wisdom, and tend to help people. Patronize poets and philosophers.
Sphinx in Egyptian mythology
The true purpose of the Egyptian Sphinx:
- guard the house of the gods;
- teach people wisdom;
- show the right path to knowledge;
- personify the god Harmahis on earth.
God Harmakhis is one of the incarnations of the young Ra. Osiris and Isis became the parents of the divine essence. Seth killed Osiris even before the conception of Harmahis, but his wife, with the help of magic, brought him back to life. A little later, Seth dismembered Osiris, scattered his remains around the world, in the hope that Isis would no longer be able to resurrect him. The goddess had to hide from Seth for a long time in the swamps of the Nile in order to keep the child in the womb.
At the moment of the birth of the deity, a red star lit up in the sky. The mother protected her child with magic until he came of age. Throughout childhood and adolescence, Harmakhis successfully studied and gave knowledge to others. At the age of 30, he had 12 disciples who helped heal the sick.
Matured Harmakhis fought Seth to avenge his father. During the battle, Set tore out the eye of the young man, but the young god, who was not bewildered, returned it to himself and, having killed Set, took the male nature of the enemy. With the help of his eyes, he resurrected his father and became the full-fledged ruler of Egypt. He was identified with victory and the power of justice.
There is a legend in which Set is the personification of darkness, and Harmahis is the personification of light. Their fight was not the only one, but continued for an eternity, starting at dawn and ending with the onset of dusk. Their fight is an eternal struggle between good and evil.
Some monumental structures depict the Egyptian Sphinx as a lion with a falcon's head and one large eye in its forehead. The Egyptians believed that God had the gift of clairvoyance, which helps him to distinguish truth from false every time. By putting his eyes on the sick person, he helped to gain clear thoughts and see the resolution of a difficult situation. The magic of God consisted in the ability to see with eyes full of love, without bending over, without being selective and not harboring malice in the heart.
A little later, the interpretation of the god-ruler was pushed into the background, since persons who were not of royal blood began to be allowed to power, which changed the attitude towards the pharaohs at the root. Harmakhis became not the supreme god, but the son of the god Ra. Subsequently, the divine descendant was betrayed by one of his disciples. Harmakhis was crucified and buried. He lay there for 3 days, and then rose again.
Historical mysteries
There is still controversy about the origin of the Egyptian Sphinx. Its existence is surrounded by secrets and mysteries:
- There are 3 underground passages under the monument. We managed to find only one, located behind the head of the statue.
- It was not possible to establish the exact time of the appearance of the monument. There is historical evidence that it was built long before the beginning of the reign of Pharaoh Khafre.
- The accusations of the French emperor Napoleon and his army of destroying the face of the statue may be groundless, since there are sketches of the ancient traveler, depicting a pedestal already without a nose, and they are dated at a time when Bonaparte was not yet born.
- There is not a single mention of the erection of the monument in the records of the Egyptians. The people carefully documented the cost information for all builds.
- The first mentions of the statue are found in the records of Pliny the Elder. They contain information about the excavations, during which the monument was freed from sand captivity.
Restoration work
The first pharaoh who managed to free the statue from the sand completely was Thutmose IV. Later, Ramses ordered the excavation of the monument. Then restoration attempts were made in the 19th-20th centuries.
Today, active work is underway to restore and strengthen the monument. The statue was closed for 4 months and the composition of the material was carefully analyzed, and the possibilities of strengthening the foundation were determined. All cracks were insulated with modern building materials. For tourists, the monument became available in 2014.
Big Sphinsk is one of the most valuable statues in Egypt. Scientists from all over the world are still working on the riddles of the monument. There is no documentation regarding its origin, so it was not possible to fully understand when it was built. In mythology, the Sphinx appears before people in different guises. It carries the wisdom of the ages, helps to shed light on solving complex problems and is the guardian of the world of the gods.
