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Sphinx

Hattusa ivory ornament, dating back 2,800 years has been recently discovered and showcases depictions of sphinxes, lions, and trees of life on its ivory surface.    Source: Anadolu Agency

2,800-Year-Old ‘One of a Kind’ Ivory Object Unearthed At Hattusa

During excavations at Hattusa, capital of the Hittite kingdom during the late Bronze Age, archaeologists discovered a one-of-a-kind object crafted from Hattusa ivory, estimated to be around 2,800...
The Great Sphinx, Giza, Egypt. Source: Zzvet/Adobe Stock

Did Nature Have a Hand in the Formation of the Great Sphinx?

New York University Historians and archaeologists have, over centuries, explored the mysteries behind the Great Sphinx of Giza: What did it originally look like? What was it designed to represent?...
Thutmose IV found the Sphinx half-buried. Source: Kreatifquotes / Adobe Stock.

King Thutmose IV, The Pharaoh Who Found the Sphinx (Video)

King Thutmose IV, a prominent figure in ancient Egyptian history, is often associated with the remarkable discovery of the Great Sphinx . Rather than being its builder, he is known as the pharaoh who...
Marble capital and finial in the form of a sphinx. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain.

Why is the Sphinx Considered a Guardian Figure? (Video)

The Sphinx , an intriguing creature with the body of a lioness, avian wings, and a serpentine tail, is most commonly associated with the Egyptians but could also be found in Greek mythology . In fact...
The statue of pharaoh Senwosret III, who ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC, is another in a long line of missing Egyptian noses. Source: Public domain

Why Are So Many Ancient Egyptian Statues Missing Their Noses?

The missing noses on ancient Egyptian statues have been a topic of discussion and curiosity within art history circles for many years. It is a common question that many people ask: why are the noses...
Egyptian pharaoh. Source: Ivan / Adobe Stock.

How Egyptian Pharaohs Projected Divine Power (Video)

For centuries, the imposing monuments of Giza have fascinated people from all over the world. From the Great Sphinx of Giza, with its massive stature and enigmatic smile, to the sun temple of Pharaoh...
Old locked gate closed to a large castle. Source: Ekaterina / Adobe Stock

Archaeology Enigmas: Four Mystery Doors That Should Never be Opened (Video)

Archaeology is a field that is constantly searching for new discoveries and secrets buried deep in the past. Some of the most intriguing archaeological mysteries involve doors that have remained...
The smiling sphinx unearthed in Egypt. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Rare Smiling Sphinx Statue Found in Egypt and it May Depict Emperor Claudius

Archaeologists in southern Egypt have uncovered a remarkable miniature sphinx statue, sporting a rare feature of a smiling face with two dimples. The artifact was found near the Hathor Temple in a...
Thutmose IV’s Dream Stele standing between the front legs of the Sphinx in Giza, Egypt. Source: Claudio Caridi / Adobe Stock

The Dream Stele: How a Dream Changed the Course of Egyptian History

In or around the year 1400 BC, Menkheperure, an Egyptian prince, took a ride out to the pyramids of Giza. Upon reaching his destination, he did some hunting before eventually falling asleep under the...
The Giza Sphinx in Egypt. Source: donyanedomam / Adobe Stock

The Sphinx of Giza: Who Built the World’s Most Famous Sphinx in Egypt?

A sphinx is a monstrous being, a mythical creature with the face of a man, the body of lion, and an eagle’s wings. According to the Greek mythology, the sphinx was sent by the gods to punish the town...
Fragments of a colossal pair of limestone statues depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III as a sphinx have been found at an ancient Egyptian temple in Luxor. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Two Huge Sphinx Statues of Amenhotep III Found in Luxor

A fantastic discovery of two unique limestone statues in Luxor has been added to the recent flurry of archaeological findings in Egypt spearheaded by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. In a...
The Colossi of Memnon on the Theban West Bank. Antonio Beato. Brooklyn Museum. (Public Domain); An 18th century apothecary vessel with the inscription MUMIA. Deutsches Apothekenmuseum Heidelberg (Public Domain); Amy, Flinders Petrie's sister-in-law, buying antiquities at Abydos, circa 1899. © The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL, London. (Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin / CC BY-SA 4.0); One of the dahabeahs of Thomas Cook & Son, (Egypt) Ltd. Brooklyn Museum Libraries. Wilbour Library of Egyptology. (Ju

A History Of Egyptian Antiquities: Assessing Pivotal Highs And Lows Down The Centuries

Following the culmination of the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882, the British used their experiences in colonizing the Indian subcontinent to tackle the geo-political scenario in Egypt, opening the...
Fireworks at the Opet festival at Luxor’s Sphinx Avenue opening. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities – Egypt

Opet Festival Extravaganza Marks Reopening of Avenue of Sphinxes

Egypt hosted the re-enactment of the ancient Egyptian Opet festival last night. The grand ceremony was held to mark the reopening of the 1.7-mile-long (2.7 km) road which links the Temples of Karnak...
The Great Sphinx of Giza. Claims of a second sphinx are causing a stir in Egyptological circles. Source: Anton / Adobe Stock

That Old “Second Sphinx” Chestnut Is Back – Is There or Is There Not A Hidden Sphinx?

A tourism official in Egypt has been ridiculed by his peers after claiming a second giant statue of the famous Sphinx awaits discovery. This supposed second sphinx is causing quite a stir amongst...
One of the huge ram heads that sat on top of what is called a criosphinx, a combination of a ram and a sphinx.		Source: Dr Mostafa Waziry

Three Giant Criosphinxes Discovered On Egypt’s Cultic Avenue in Luxor

The remains of three giant ram head sphinx statues, known as criosphinxes, have been unearthed on Luxor’s Avenue of Sphinxes in southern Egypt. At least one of the sphinx statues had a coiled cobra...
The Two Egyptian sphinx statues found in a garden in Suffolk, UK.	Source: Mander Auctioneers

Egyptian Sphinx Statues Found In English Garden Fetch £200,000

A pair of 5,000-year-old Egyptian sphinx statues have sold for just under £200,000 ($270000) at auction. The owner was “shocked” having paid only £300 ($407) for the “garden ornaments”. Sphinxes are...
Vivant Denon’s sketch of the sphinx in 1798 depicts a man being pulled out of a hole in the sphinx’s head

The Big Egyptian Sphinx Cover Up: Hidden Chambers, An Unexcavated Mound and Endless Denial

In 1935, Egypt was still the main draw for archaeologists digging for answers. It was hardly more than a decade since the British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen on...
What secrets could the alignment of the Giza Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza be hiding? Could there be further hidden pyramid chambers inside the Great Pyramid? Source: Aliaksei / Adobe Stock

Could the Directions of Pyramids and Sphinx Hint at Hidden Chambers?

The Giza Sphinx faces east, while the pyramids’ sides are aligned precisely in the cardinal directions. There is little doubt that the Sun or stars must have been used to align the Giza pyramids, but...
Four ancient Egyptian sphinxes pictured at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor.     Source: Anton / Adobe stock

Four Ancient Egyptian Sphinxes Sacrificed In Political Chess Match

Four ancient Egyptian sphinxes are controversially being reallocated to a busy roundabout in Cairo and Egyptologists are warning they will be exposed to air pollution, which will cause irreversible...
Bird flying over Sigiriya / Lion Rock in Sri Lanka.         Source: Givaga / Adobe stock

How Sigiriya’s Ancient Connections Question Dogmatic World History

Sigiriya - literally translating to ‘Lion Rock’, pales in comparison to its famed Egyptian counterpart - not through a lack of sheer, grandiose scale, it is by no means unimpressive in either size or...
Sunset over the right shoulder of the Sphinx. Source: Ministry of Antiquities

Sunset Over the Sphinx Claimed to Prove Equinox Alignment

An image of the Egyptian Sphinx at Giza on the Spring equinox could revolutionize our understanding of the ancient structure. An eminent archaeologist and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities...
Granite sphinx of Rameses II, moved from Memphis Egypt to Philadelphia USA in 1913           Source: Penn Museum Archive.

Hi-Tech Levitation Devices Used To “Float” Ancient Egyptian Sphinx

In 1913, archaeologists working with the Egyptian Antiquities Service, the Egypt Exploration Fund and the British School of Archaeology, excavated an enormous red-granite sphinx representing the...
Underground  chamber at Nero’s Palace dubbed ‘Sphinx Room’

Enchanting Hidden 'Sphinx' Chamber Discovered At Nero’s Golden Palace

Rome continues to be a rich source of archaeological discoveries. Archaeologists have just announced the discovery of a spectacular underground chamber that was once part of the Domus Aurea palace...
Stone of the Pregnant Woman, an example of ancient high-tech stonework in Hajar al Hibla at Baalbek in Lebanon.

The High-Tech Stonework of the Ancients: Unsolved Mysteries of Master Engineers

There are many stone artifacts from the ancient world made from the hardest stone on the planet such as granite and diorite, which have been cut and shaped with such quality, precision and accuracy...

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