Robert Schoch's geology has been cited for an enclosure older than the Sphinx itself. Colin Reader develops the disputed claim that the first enclosure and temple phases predate Egypt's Fourth Dynasty in his 2024 book, 'Rewriting the History of the Great Sphinx.' Reader points to bedrock cut during the Khafre-attributed temple extension that is less weathered than the original enclosure wall. That comparison reflects erosion and exposure; the cut's Fourth-Dynasty date comes from archaeological context.
Colin Reader Argues an Early Sphinx Enclosure Phase Predates the Fourth Dynasty
EgyptTheory
Key facts
- Robert Schoch's geological work is cited for the argument that the Sphinx enclosure began before the statue; Colin Reader develops the specific pre-Fourth-Dynasty chronology.
- Colin Reader argues that the first enclosure and temple phases predate the Fourth Dynasty. This is a disputed interpretation, not a date established by geology.
- The temple extension is attributed to Khafre's reign through Egyptological context; the bedrock cut itself has no independent direct date.
- The less-eroded extension bedrock and more-eroded enclosure wall show differential weathering and exposure, not a stand-alone relative age.
- Reader presents this interpretation in his 2024 book, 'Rewriting the History of the Great Sphinx.'
Sources
archaeopress.com
Linked in video description
Geology of the Sphinx|AERAaeraweb.org
The Sphinx is carved from the natural limestone of the Giza Plateau known as the Mokkatam Formation. An Eocene-period sea retreated 50 million years ago, ...
Great Sphinx of Gizaen.wikipedia.org
Geologist Colin Reader suggests water runoff from the Giza plateau is responsible for the differential erosion on the walls of the sphinx enclosure.
The Great Sphinx of Egypt: Nature's Shabby-Chic Trick?geoexpro.com
The limestone formations constituting the Sphinx and its surrounding enclosure are normally subdivided into three members, as shown in the ...
Robert M. Schoch: Research Highlights The Great Sphinxrobertschoch.com
The Great Sphinx of Egypt in its enclosure, with a diagram indicating the deep fissures and undulating surfaces created by water (rainfall) weathering and ...
The Sphinx Controversy: Another Look at the Geological ...hallofmaat.com
The limestone beds are all certainly from the same geologic formation (the Mokattam), but the easily weathered, marly beds in the Sphinx enclosure appear to be ...
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