The Great Sphinx

Lore & Background

Archaeological evidence suggests the Sphinx was created by Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khufu () or Khafre (). Scholars and Egyptologists believe the face of the Sphinx was carved to represent either the pharaoh Khufu or one of his sons, pharaohs Djedefre and Khafre, but a consensus has not been reached and the person(s) in whose likeness the Sphinx was carved remains in dispute. The original name the Old Kingdom creators gave the Sphinx is unknown. In the New Kingdom, the Sphinx was revered as the solar deity Hor-em-akhet.

The commonly used name 'Sphinx' was given to it in classical antiquity. Medieval Arab writers call the Sphinx by an Arabized Coptic name Belhib, Balhubah, or Belhawiyya. The medieval Egyptian Arabic name is Abū il-Hawl, meaning 'father of terror'.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

• Some believe the Sphinx’s nose was destroyed by Napoleon’s cannonfire, but it was actually deliberately broken off with rods or chisels.
• It is often assumed the Sphinx was entirely carved by human hands, but it may have begun as a natural yardang shaped by wind before being sculpted.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

The Great Sphinx endures as a silent witness to the Old Kingdom’s ambitions, its weathered face and incomplete temple reminding us that even the most monumental works of antiquity remain shrouded in mystery. Its survival across millennia challenges us to respect the fragility of cultural heritage while inspiring curiosity about the beliefs, rulers, and craftsmanship that shaped one of humanity’s most iconic symbols.

Reader's Guide

The Great Sphinx is a monolith carved from the limestone bedrock of the Giza Plateau, which also served as a quarry for nearby pyramids. One geological theory suggests its head may have been initially shaped by wind erosion as a natural yardang, with the surrounding ditch later quarried to expose the full body. The stones removed from the enclosure were used to build a temple in front of the statue, though neither the temple nor the enclosure was ever completed, and there is little evidence of a cult dedicated to the Sphinx during the Old Kingdom.

The monument was part of the Khafre funerary complex, as the construction of the Sphinx required the deconstruction of a wall in Khafre’s Valley Temple, and the causeway linking Khafre’s pyramid to that temple already existed when the Sphinx was planned. After the Giza Necropolis was abandoned during the First Intermediate Period, drifting sand buried the Sphinx up to its shoulders. The first recorded excavation occurred under the New Kingdom pharaoh Thutmose IV, who cleared the front paws and erected a shrine between them housing the Dream Stele. This stele, though damaged, associates the Sphinx with the pharaoh Khafre, though the relevant hieroglyphs are incomplete.

Later, Ramesses II may have undertaken a second excavation. The Sphinx was later revered as the solar deity Hor-em-akhet. Its modern name derives from classical antiquity, referencing the Greek mythological sphinx, while medieval Arabic sources called it Abū al-Hawl, meaning “father of terror.”