Aytena
sphinx
The Sphinx, unlike the Pyramids, is carved out of the living rock. It is 241 feet (73.5 meters) long and in parts is 65 feet (20 meters) high. It faces due east,towards the equinox.
www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3499/sphinx.htm
The traditional and probably still majority view is that the Great Sphinx was built at the same time as the nearby Pyramid of Khafre (Khaf-Ra, Chephren) in about 2540 B.C.E. The face of the Great Sphinx has been thought to be Khafre's, though recent evidence casts doubt on this notion (see below).
However there has been lively debate in recent years arguing that it may be anywhere from two to four times that old. John Anthony West first noticed weathering patterns on the Sphinx that were consistent with water erosion rather than erosion produced by wind and sand. These patterns were not found on other structures on the plateau. Geologist Robert Schock agreed that water erosion was in evidence.
Egypt is arid today, but about 10,000 years ago the land was wet and rainy. West and Schock conclude the Sphinx must be on the order of 7,000 to 10,000 years old in order to have the marks of water erosion they found.
Also, Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock have developed a theory that the Sphinx, when considered with the neighboring pyramids and ancient writings, is part of, and possibly the first element of, a kind of astronomical map related to the constellation Orion. They have concluded that the "best fit" for this map is found for the position of the stars as they were in 10,500 B.C.E.
Finally, there are no inscriptions or writings that directly indicate the builder or date of construction for the Sphinx. There are, in fact, some minor references that the Sphinx existed prior to the pyramids.
The evidence is controversial. Yet consider ... even using the traditional age, the Great Sphinx is 4,500 years old! Even the standing stones at ancient Stonehenge are not that old (though special use of the site itself dates to the 8th or 9th millennium). This Sphinx's great age is part of its wonder, and a big part of the reason we have insufficient written record to know more about its age and construction.
sphinx
The Sphinx, unlike the Pyramids, is carved out of the living rock. It is 241 feet (73.5 meters) long and in parts is 65 feet (20 meters) high. It faces due east,towards the equinox.
www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3499/sphinx.htm
The traditional and probably still majority view is that the Great Sphinx was built at the same time as the nearby Pyramid of Khafre (Khaf-Ra, Chephren) in about 2540 B.C.E. The face of the Great Sphinx has been thought to be Khafre's, though recent evidence casts doubt on this notion (see below).
However there has been lively debate in recent years arguing that it may be anywhere from two to four times that old. John Anthony West first noticed weathering patterns on the Sphinx that were consistent with water erosion rather than erosion produced by wind and sand. These patterns were not found on other structures on the plateau. Geologist Robert Schock agreed that water erosion was in evidence.
Egypt is arid today, but about 10,000 years ago the land was wet and rainy. West and Schock conclude the Sphinx must be on the order of 7,000 to 10,000 years old in order to have the marks of water erosion they found.
Also, Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock have developed a theory that the Sphinx, when considered with the neighboring pyramids and ancient writings, is part of, and possibly the first element of, a kind of astronomical map related to the constellation Orion. They have concluded that the "best fit" for this map is found for the position of the stars as they were in 10,500 B.C.E.
Finally, there are no inscriptions or writings that directly indicate the builder or date of construction for the Sphinx. There are, in fact, some minor references that the Sphinx existed prior to the pyramids.
The evidence is controversial. Yet consider ... even using the traditional age, the Great Sphinx is 4,500 years old! Even the standing stones at ancient Stonehenge are not that old (though special use of the site itself dates to the 8th or 9th millennium). This Sphinx's great age is part of its wonder, and a big part of the reason we have insufficient written record to know more about its age and construction.