Great Sphinx of Giza
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | [[Image:The Sphinx by Maxime Du Camp, 1849.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Great Sphinx]] by [[Maxime Du Camp]], [[1849]], taken when he traveled in [[Egypt]] with [[Gustave Flaubert]].]]{{Template}} | + | [[Image:The Sphinx by Maxime Du Camp, 1849.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[The Great Sphinx of Giza (photo by Maxime Du Camp)]], 1849]] |
| - | Giza is most famous as the location of the [[Giza Plateau]]: the site of some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including a complex of [[ancient Egypt]]ian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the [[Great Sphinx]], the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], and a number of other large [[pyramid]]s and [[temple]]s. | + | {{Template}} |
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| + | The '''Great Sphinx of Giza''' is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on the [[Giza Plateau]] on the west bank of the [[Nile]], near modern-day [[Cairo]], in [[Egypt]]. It is the largest [[monolith]] statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. It is the oldest known [[monumental sculpture]], and is commonly believed to have been built by [[ancient Egypt]]ians in the [[3rd millennium BCE|third millennium]] <small>BCE</small>. | ||
| + | == Builder and timeframe == | ||
| + | Despite conflicting evidence and viewpoints over the years, the view held by modern [[Egyptology]] at large remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately [[2500 BC]] by the pharaoh [[Khafra]], the builder of the [[Pyramid of Khafre|Second Pyramid]] at Giza. | ||
| + | ==Missing nose and beard== | ||
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| + | The one-metre-wide nose on the face is missing. The Egyptian Arab historian [[Al-Maqrizi|al-Maqrīzī]], writing in the [[15th century AD]], attributes the loss to [[iconoclasm]] by [[Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr]], a [[Sufi]] Muslim from the [[khanqah]] of Sa'id al-Su'ada. In AD 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose, and was hanged for [[vandalism]]. Al-Maqrīzī describes the Sphinx as the "[[Amulet#Talismans in the Abrahamic religions|talisman]] of the Nile" on which the locals believed the [[Season of the Inundation|flood cycle]] depended. | ||
| + | A story claims that the nose was broken off by a cannonball fired by [[Napoleon I of France|Napoléon]]'s soldiers and that legend still lives on today. Other variants indict British troops, the [[Mamluk]]s, and others. However, sketches of the Sphinx by the Dane [[Frederic Louis Norden]], made in 1737 and published in 1755, illustrate the Sphinx already without a nose. | ||
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| + | In addition to the lost nose, a [[Pharaoh#Regalia|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. | ||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Sphinx]] | ||
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The Great Sphinx of Giza is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, in Egypt. It is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. It is the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in the third millennium BCE.
Builder and timeframe
Despite conflicting evidence and viewpoints over the years, the view held by modern Egyptology at large remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC by the pharaoh Khafra, the builder of the Second Pyramid at Giza.
Missing nose and beard
The one-metre-wide nose on the face is missing. The Egyptian Arab historian al-Maqrīzī, writing in the 15th century AD, attributes the loss to iconoclasm by Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, a Sufi Muslim from the khanqah of Sa'id al-Su'ada. In AD 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose, and was hanged for vandalism. Al-Maqrīzī describes the Sphinx as the "talisman of the Nile" on which the locals believed the flood cycle depended. A story claims that the nose was broken off by a cannonball fired by Napoléon's soldiers and that legend still lives on today. Other variants indict British troops, the Mamluks, and others. However, sketches of the Sphinx by the Dane Frederic Louis Norden, made in 1737 and published in 1755, illustrate the Sphinx already without a nose.
In addition to the lost 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.
See also
