Egypt may be associated with ancient times , ancient rulers , and ancient gods , but it is a modern state , expanding just like any other . However , worker on an Egyptian infrastructure project this hebdomad had to hold minutes as they stumbled across a sphinx - same statue , which lead to show that whether you like it or not , in somewhere like Egypt you are literally set off over history at every turn .
Work on theAl - Kabbash Roadproject , link the temple complex of Luxor and Karnak – which date back to around 1400 BCE , when Luxor was known as the ancient metropolis of Thebes – is due to be finished later on this yr . However , the discovery of the statue has brought a temporary stop as the statue can not presently be move .
Not very much is known about it yet , and photos are special . According to the Director General of Antiquities at Luxor , Dr Mohamed Abdel Aziz , speak to news siteYoum , the worker found a statue of a “ lion ’s physical structure with a human head ” , but it can not be lift above solid ground yet “ due to the nature of the environment it is in . ”
archaeologist need to preserve the statue without taking any unnecessary peril , so it will stay where it is for now . However , if it really does have the torso of a Leo the Lion and a human head , similarities to the famous Egyptian mythical sphinx are clear , which mean it would have been commissioned by someone very important from that time .
In ancient Egypt , the sphinx was consider a symbol of royal line , with many Pharaoh get their likeness carved on to the body of a Leo the Lion - esque creature to symbolize their secretive family relationship to the solar deitySekhmet , who , like many of the ancient Egyptian god had an animal form , in her example , a lioness .
The most famous sphinx statue , of course , is the one that stands guard over the Great Pyramids at Giza . Thought to be built by Pharaoh Khafre , as he was ruler at the time of construction , around 2550 BCE to 2450 BCE , it measures a humongous 73 meter ( 239 feet ) prospicient and 20 meters ( 65 ft ) high . It is also the old and largest known monumental sculpture in the world .
Unfortunately , this fresh find is not the famous rumored “ Second Sphinx ” that many British tabloid have account on for arresting force ( the newspaper headline areexactlywhat you ’d imagine ) . First of all , a few Sphinx have been found over the years in this sphere thanks to its proximity to the Valley of the King just 6 klick ( 4 miles ) away .
second , the rumour " Second Sphinx " – since they unremarkably appear in span , next to or opposite each other – which was apparently mentioned by the ancient Egyptians , Greeks , Romans , and Muslims was thought to have been built on the opposite bank of the Nile to the Great Sphinx , placed there to represent the dividing line between Northern and Southern Egypt .
However , this find is still exciting , as is any that helps fill up in the details of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and their civilizations .
