The Sphinx: Totally Random Trivia
On Nov. 2, Egypt announced that archaeologists had discovered a set of millennia-old walls around one of the most iconic ancient monuments in the world -- the Great Sphinx of Giza. The walls, running 282 feet and 151 long, are believed to have been built by Pharaoh Thutmose IV (14th century B.C.), who constructed them because a dream promised he would become king of Egypt if they were completed. But the walls are only the latest secret to be discovered surrounding the 4,500-year-old sphinx.
Face in the Sand
Sphinxes were carved by Egyptian artisans as early as the Old Kingdom, which thrived around the third millennium B.C., and were associated with the civilzation's solar gods. What they were called back then is unknown. The Great Sphinx was probably built around 2500 B.C. Here: A group of American tourists visit the Great Pyramid and Sphinx at Giza in April 1923.
Look on My Works, Ye Mighty!
The Greeks learned of sphinxes through trade with Egypt, and gave the mythical creatures the name we know today. It is believed by many that they named the lion-bodied monster "the stranglers" after the method by which a lioness kills her prey (in which case "sphinx" shares a root with our modern word "sphincter"). Here: The Great Sphinx stands in 1901.
King Among Ruins in 1890
The Greeks appropriated the concept of the sphinx and made her a single monster that immigrated from Ethiopia to terrorize the Greek city of Thebes until defeated by Oedipus (yes, that Oedipus). She asked each traveller who approached the following riddle: "Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?" Anyone who got the answer wrong became sphinx food. Here: The Great Sphinx is buried under sand in 1890.
Riddle Me This
Oedipus came up with the right answer, and the sphinx of Thebes committed suicide by throwing herself off a cliff. The correct solution? Man, who begins life crawling (four legs), graduates to walking on two legs as an adult, and then takes to using an cane in old age (three "legs"). Here: English troops take time out after the bombardment of Alexandria to visit the pyramids and the Sphinx in 1882.
Restoration to Grandeur in 1925
After the Great Sphinx was abandoned millennia ago, it was eventually covered up to its neck in sand. In 1817, an Italian team uncovered the statue's chest for the first time since it was buried. French archaeologist Émile Baraize unearthed what is believed to be the entire statute for the first time in millennia from 1925 to 1936.
The Nose Knows
A common legend is that the nose of the Great Sphinx is missing because Napoleon shot it off during target practice for his cannoneers during the French dictator's African campaign. It's definitely not true: As early as the 15th century, Egyptian accounts discussed the missing facial feature. One writer said that a reverent Sufi Muslim destroyed the nose when he discovered local peasants were giving the sphinx offerings in hopes of receiving bountiful harvests.作者: evaxiaofan 时间: 2010-11-7 19:44
本帖最后由 evaxiaofan 于 2010-11-7 20:38 编辑
Old Meets New
It's believed by many that the Great Sphinx was built around 2500 B.C. by the pharaoh Khafra (who is also alleged by many to be the model for the creature's head), though the statue's origins and meaning are hotly debated. Here: A freestyle biker jumps in front of the Sphinx and the Giza pyramids during the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in 2010.
Sphinxes, Sphinxes Everywhere
The Great Sphinx is merely the most famous (and probably largest) of ancient sphinxes. Sphinxes popularly came in several varieties -- androsphinxes (with the head of a man), and criosphinxes (with the head of a ram), and hierocosphinxes (with the head of a bird). Here: Sphinxes lie partially submerged in the Nile River in 1961.
She's a Mystery to Me
Nowadays, the word "sphinx" is used to mean a mysterious or enigmatic person. Swedish actress Greta Garbo, for example, was a notoriously private person, leading her to be dubbed "The Swedish Sphinx." Here: Garbo is made to look like the Sphinx in 1954.
Modern-Day Sphinx
The word "sphinx" got its day in the limelight again in 2006, when British sculptor Marc Quinn made a lifelike statue of model Kate Moss in a yoga pose. He dubbed his controversial work Sphinx, calling it "a mirror of ourselves, a knotted Venus of our age." He later made a solid 18-karat gold statue of Moss that also alluded to Greek myth -- Siren.
Sphinxes of the World
Sphinxes aren't an entirely Egyptian phenomenon. Lions with human heads have been part of mythology and architecture from India to Thailand. Here: A snow sculpture of the Great Sphinx of Giza is displayed n Sapporo, Japan, in 2008.
Avenue of the Sphinxes
In February 2010, Egypt announced that excavators had unearthed 650 sphinxes built by the 30th Dynasty pharaoh Nectanebo (380-362 B.C.) in what is called the Avenue of the Sphinxes from Luxor to Karnak -- nearly 9,000 feet long. Here: A statue of a sphinx at the excavation site.
Welcome to Las Vegas, Mr. Sphinx
In Las Vegas, the Luxor Hotel and Casino's sphinx is 10 stories tall. The real Great Sphinx of Giza isn't quite as impressive, at least dimension-wise -- about 66 feet tall, 20 feet wide, and 241 feet long. In other words, not a lot of space for roulette tables.作者: davy10 时间: 2010-11-8 10:13
Egypt is a mysterious place.
for me , The Great Sphinx is more attractive than pyramid作者: evaxiaofan 时间: 2010-11-8 11:04
maybe only in front of them can I feel how great and miraculous they are~~~
