Selim Hassan uncovered ear stelae (Esteli) around the Sphinx in the 1930s, dating to the New Kingdom when the monument was worshipped as Horemakhet. Pilgrims would speak prayers into carved ear tablets as a ritual act. Some scholars now propose the rectangular feature below the ear may have been designed to hold a royal ear stela, possibly with the right ear reserved exclusively for the pharaoh.
Ear stelae found near the monument link feature to ancient worship practice
EgyptArchitecture
Site mentioned
Key facts
- Selim Hassan discovered ear stelae (Esteli) around the Sphinx in the 1930s
- The stelae date to the New Kingdom, when the Sphinx was worshipped as the god Horemakhet (Horus in the Horizon)
- Ancient Egyptians practiced a religious ritual of speaking prayers into carved depictions of ears inscribed on tablets, which were dedicated at sanctuaries
- Dozens of such ear tablets were found at the Sphinx during the New Kingdom
- Canaanite settlers in Egypt also worshipped the monument, identifying it with their god Hon, which over time merged with Horemakhet
- The feature below the ear may have been hollowed out to insert a royal ear stela or to allow a pharaoh to climb a ladder and speak directly to the god
- The right ear was likely reserved specifically for the pharaoh's use
- The work on the feature appears unfinished, suggesting it was never completed
Sources
Biography-Selim Hassanselim-hassan.cultnat.org
He discovered many of the Giza mastaba tombs and undertook a great deal of digging there.Moreover, he unearthed the Sphinx and its temple, and completely ...
Selim Hassanen.wikipedia.org
Selim Hassan was an Egyptian Egyptologist. Selim Hassan. Born, (1886-04-15)15 April 1886. Mit Nagi, Mit Ghamr, Dakahlia, Egypt. Died, 1961(1961-00-00) (aged ...
Limestone ear stela - Digital Gizagiza.fas.harvard.edu
Details ; Findspot: N of Sphinx ; Material: Limestone ; Dimensions: H 11.8 cm ; Credit Line: Egyptian Museum, Cairo ; Selim Hassan excavation number: SH_exc_1887.
Professor Selim Hassan Believes He Has Settled Old ...nytimes.com
Prof S Hassan dates building of Sphinx about time of 2nd pyramid; Professor Selim Hassan Believes He Has Settled Old Problem by Excavation Discoveries -- Tombs ...
Sphinx Complex | Dream Stela of Thutmose IVmused.com
commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, generally believed to represent the Pharaoh Khafre. Hassan, Selim. The ...
Great Sphinx of Gizaen.wikipedia.org
The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a resting sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion.
stelabritishmuseum.org
Limestone stela of Mahuia: a small, round-topped stela originally incised on its face with forty-four ears divided into six rows on each side of the stela,
ear stela - Egypt at the Manchester Museumegyptmanchester.wordpress.com
The ears enabled the deity to hear people's petitions or prayers. Some stelae have dozens of ears carved on them – presumably to aid their ...
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