Seen from above, the Sphinx sits inside a natural rock outcrop. Before carving, the head area rose above the terrain as a yardang, and surrounding bedrock had to be removed to expose the body. The enclosure was sand-filled for most of its history, so only the head showed. The video proposes the head was originally a lion, possibly recarved under Khufu or Khafre, then defaced by Napoleonic cannon fire — a disputed interpretation. 🦁
Sphinx cut from a natural yardang; video argues original head was a lion
EgyptTheory
Key facts
- An overhead view of the Sphinx enclosure shows the monument standing within a natural rock outcrop; before carving, the head area projected above the terrain as a yardang and surrounding bedrock had to be removed to expose the body.
- Rock surface outside the enclosure is at roughly the same elevation as the back of the Sphinx.
- The enclosure was largely filled with sand for most of the monument's history, so only the head would have been visible for much of that time.
- The video presents the argument that the original head was a lion that later weathered and was possibly recarved in the reigns of Khufu or Khafre, and that the face was defaced by cannon fire during the Napoleonic Wars; this remains a disputed interpretation.
- A lion-headed sphinx is depicted on the ceiling of the temple of Seti I, and the profile of the constellation Leo is compared with a lying lion.
- The video links the zodiacal "ages" scheme to the Sphinx as the composite creature of a bull, lion, eagle and human, referencing the book of Ezekiel.
Sources
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. Because ...
The Great Sphinx of Egypt: Nature's Shabby-Chic Trick?geoexpro.com
The Sphinx is located on the Giza Plateau, pointing to the East. Note how its southern enclosure wall (red) is quarried parallel to the Causeway ...
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 ...
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, ...
Sphinx water erosion hypothesisen.wikipedia.org
The Sphinx Temple was built on the foundation of the preexisting northern enclosure wall of the Valley Temple. · Unlike the Valley Temple, both the Sphinx ...
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