Great Sphinx of Giza

The oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt, carved from a single mass of limestone on the Giza Plateau during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre (c. 2558-2532 BC). Measuring approximately 73 metres long and 20 metres high, it depicts a reclining lion with a human head wearing a royal headdress. The Sphinx sits adjacent to the causeway connecting Khafre's valley temple to his mortuary temple, and facial analysis supports attribution to Khafre, though some scholars propose his brother Redjedef or father Khufu as the commissioner. Researchers estimate 100 workers spent three years carving it using stone hammers and copper chisels.