While growing up and even still today, my favorite civilization of all time are the Ancient Egyptians. I conclude that it's because we basically know nothing of their civilization, their culture, things like that. We know some, but not most. We know of what buildings they have created, but still, not all of them. Concerning the great architectural designs they have made, we only know about 10% of all buildings. Why? Because of the sand. The desert has taken back what it originally owned. The sand has covered everything back up.
In fact, for centuries upon centuries, no one knew what the Sphinx was; what was under the sand, what the body looked like.
It was only until the early 1920's that the entire Sphinx, for the first time in over 3,000 years, was completely uncovered. Even today, we don't know who built it; we have a general idea. But for some, it's not the truth. This includes me.
Most archaeologists believe that it was built by Khafra, sometime between 2555 - 2532 BC. There is, however, no agreement on the date of his reign. Some authors say it was between 2558 BC and 2532 BC. Some authors believe it to be much earlier than that; 2520–2494 BC.
About the age of the Sphinx, being built between 2555 - 2532 BC is the most accepted timeline. Though, because of the theory of water erosion on the Sphinx, some think it much older than that; that it's at least 5,000 years old. This would mean that it was built pre-dynastic times (before 3100BC). The Egyptologists who put the building of the Sphinx during the reign of Khafre reject the Water Erosion theory. Saying that it was because of Acid Rain or even the poor quality of the Limestone that caused the erosion.
The Sphinx is missing it's nose. There are several theories as to why it's missing. The earliest mention of it's nose missing is by a Historian from the mid 1300's. He said that the Egyptian-Arab ruler of that time was mad that the people were giving offerings to the Sphinx and so he broke it off. He was then hung for vandalism. Another theory is that French ruler Napoleon's soldiers shot a cannonball at it and it broke. Though, sketches done by the Dane Frederic Louis Norden, made in 1737 and published in 1755, illustrate the Sphinx already without a nose. Most Egyptologists use these sketches to say that Napoleon's men couldn't have been the reason as to why the nose is missing.
In addition to the missing nose, a Ceremonial Pharaonic Beard is thought to have been attached, although this may have been added in later periods after the original construction. Egyptologist Vassil Dobrev has suggested that had the beard been an original part of the Sphinx, it would have damaged the chin of the statue upon falling. The lack of visible damage supports his theory that the beard was a later addition. Indeed, I do believe the beard to be an addition from a much later period. I believe, because the beard was a different color than the rest of the Sphinx, that it was an addition by a later Pharaoh.
The identity of the Sphinx is still a mystery. No one knows who it's of. In fact, no one knows for certain if it is any particular ruler. Indeed, because of the erosion to the face over the millennia, making conclusive racial identification is difficult. A forensic anthropologist, that used detailed measurements of the Sphinx, forensic drawings and computer imaging, concluded that Kharfe was not the model of the Sphinx.
There were also 3 passageways in the Sphinx; all lead to nowhere. One is near the Tail, another by it's hip and the final one between the front paws. Because they lead nowhere, it is still a mystery as to why they were made in the first place.
Another mystery is a supposed secret chamber underneath the Sphinx's paws. It was originally found in 1996 by using ultrasound from the surface. The last known investigation into this was done in 1998 and nothing more came of it. The investigations stopped because the Egyptologist in charge believed that the room was filled with water, or perhaps flooded, and was therefore potentially dangerous to the structure of the Sphinx if it was unearthed. Because of it, no one knows for certain what's in the chamber. There are several theories; some outlandish, some possibly true. One theory is that it holds important documents that predate the Egyptians; possibly around the time of Atlantis. Some believe that it's just documents that relate to Egypt because it was found in an Egyptian building. An outlandish theory is that it contains a Star ship of some kind and that is has something to do with Aliens.
I have two possibilities as to what the chamber contains. My first thought is that it contains Documents. Of what sort, I am unsure. Perhaps dating from the Atlantis time. My other thought is simply that there may be nothing in the chamber. Though, with today's technology, I believe that another scan of some sort may be possible as to figure out what may be in the chamber.
Our unknown knowledge of Egypt and the many wonders still to be discovered, are just a small part of why Ancient Egypt is my favorite Civilization. Maybe perhaps we are not supposed to know all of what Egypt was. Still, every year, we find something new, hidden in the Sands of Egypt.
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