Great Sphinx of Giza

The oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, carved from a single mass of limestone on the Giza Plateau [1]. Measuring approximately 73 metres long and 20 metres high, it depicts a reclining lion with a human head wearing a royal headdress [1] [2] [3]. The Sphinx sits adjacent to the causeway connecting Khafre's valley temple to his mortuary temple, though some scholars propose his brother Redjedef or father Khufu as the commissioner [1] [2] [4]. Researchers estimate 100 workers spent three years carving it using stone hammers and copper chisels [5].