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WHAT IS THE GREAT SPHINX?
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By: Elias Sherman
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Introduction Did you know that the Great Sphinx is the world’s largest statue but also the most mysterious? In this paper you will learn about why the sphinx was made, who made the sphinx, and theories about the sphinx. If you want to know more about the sphinx, then here is what we recently know about the Great Sphinx. King Khaefre, son of Khufu, made the Sphinx next to the Great Pyramid on the Giza plateau facing east toward the rising sun. The Sphinx was made in 25582532 BCE in the 4th Dynasty, so it took 26 years to make. It was carved from a single stone of bedrock. Now it is a massive sized fragile structure that was covered with sand for about 4,500 years. It is 240 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66 feet tall. The sphinx lost its beard and nose, and its eyes got damaged. Some people say it was from Napoleon’s army shooting at it, but the nose and beard were already gone. A part of the beard is in the British Museum. The damage was caused by wind, sandstorms and other natural ways. The Sphinx also once had colors which are gone. Napoleon’s army used the sphinx for target practice.
Archaeologists think the sphinx had colors of red, blue, green, and black
We don’t know where the nose is. www.touregypt.net
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People think King Khaefre made the Sphinx to symbolize strength, wisdom, and protection. Some think Khaefre made it for his father Khufu, and the other people think that the Sphinx was thought to be a god and that it was made to scare off thieves, but it never would scare anyone.
According to history, Khufu was alive when we think the Sphinx was made.
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The Egyptians today call the sphinx “Abu El Hol”. No one knows what the ancient Egyptians called it. The Greeks gave it the name of Sphinx. The Sphinx is mysterious, because there are many strange stories about it. An old story about the Great Sphinx is “When Prince Thutmose IV went out hunting, he fell asleep in between the Sphinx’s paws and he dreamt that if he would clear the sand off the Sphinx, he would become King of both Upper and Lower Egypt.” He did. Some people think that someone or something else made the Sphinx at a different time and left something behind inside the Sphinx like a spaceship. A geologist thinks the Sphinx is much older than we say it is, but Dr. Zahi Hawass wants to prove him wrong. These are a few of the strange stories and ideas about the Great Sphinx. That is what archaeologists know about who, when, why and the theories of what we call the Great Sphinx. If you want to know more about who made the Sphinx, why the Sphinx was made, and theories about the Sphinx well sorry. That’s all archaeologists know.
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GLOSSARY Abu El Hol/ Means the sphinx. Giza Plateau/A plateau in Giza, Egypt. Great Sphinx/A giant statue of a lion and man’s head. King Khaefre/ The maker of the sphinx. Protection/The act of protecting. Strength/ The power of resisting force. Wisdom/ Good sense.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Boltin, A. (2007). Pyramid and Mummies. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. Millard, A. (1998). Pyramids. New York: Scholastic Inc. Steele, P. (2009). Passport To The Past Ancient Egypt. New York: Rosen publishing group. The Sphinx Guardian of the Tombs. (2001-2013). Retrieved 3 25, 2013, from Learning Haven: http://www.learninghaven.com/ancient_egypt.htm Prince Thutmose IV