The Sphynx
Jan 12th, 2007 by Lee (admin)
A little-known fact - sphynx can be found around the globe, from Asia to Scotland, of all places.
Most feature a lion’s body with some varying type of head on top.
However, the most famous sphynx of all can be found on the Giza plateau in Egypt, just a short distance from Khufu’s Great Pyramid.
Covered in sand for most of its 4500 years in existence, the sphynx is a sandstone sculpture, approxiamately 60 metres long and 20 metres tall.
There are three types of sphynx - all have a lion’s body; one has a human head, the second has a human face, and the third a ram’s head.
In Greek mythology the sphynx had a female head and the wings of a bird.
In Egypt the head was more often than not that of a god or the pharaoh.
In the case of the Great Sphynx it is possible that the face is that of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid.