it is one of the most recognizable sculptures, and the secrets of its construction have long fascinated archaeologists. The monolithic statue was probably made around 2550 BC, on the initiative of Khafre, and is a reclining mythical creature, usually depicted as a lion with a human head.
Khafre initiated the construction of the second largest pyramids at Giza and is believed to have ordered the Sphinx to guard the gate of his burial chamber. It is not without reason that the Sphinx is located close to the pyramid.
Over the years, theories about the creation of the Great Sphinx have multiplied, but research from 2023 clearly placed the origins of this sculpture in history.
This research suggests that the Great Sphinx of Giza was probably not shaped from scratch by humans, but by wind movements long before ancient Egyptian artists carved the iconic statue into its final form.
Research published in the journal “Physical Review Fluids” showed that the surprisingly Sphinx-like shapes represented rock formations made of materials that succumb to the influence of fast-flowing wind, which often carries grains of sand.
“Our findings offer a possible history of how Sphinx-like formations formed through erosion,” study co-author Leif Ristof of New York University told the Independent.
Research has suggested that the Sphinx's initial shape was the result of natural erosion, but even if the ancient Egyptians had indeed created the Sphinx from a piece of rock with an uncanny yet natural shape, they would still have had to delicately shape the iconic features of the Sphinx that survive to this day.
To study the shape of the Sphinx, the team took a mound of soft clay with a harder material inside and placed it in a water tunnel with a rapid stream flowing through it to simulate thousands of years of wind erosion. The team described the entire experiment in a statement.
At the beginning of the experiment, the team formed the clay into a half-oval shape. When the water destroyed some of the clay, it left a shape that looked nothing less than… famous
During the research process, scientists discovered, for example, that the lion's head had become one from a “harder and more erosion-resistant material”, while features on the front resembling the neck and paws also appeared.
“We have shown that the natural erosion process can actually carve a shape that looks like a lying lion with its head raised,” said Leif Ristof in an interview with “Live Science”.
According to researchers, the basis of the sculpture could have been a natural rock formation called . When warm winds blow across rock formations in the desert, the softer parts of them erode while the harder sediments remain in place. This causes the rocks to take on various shapes – sometimes they are as tall as towers, and sometimes they resemble animals or people.
– No one says it's entirely man-made, and no one says it's entirely nature-sculpted. The question is how much of this sculpture occurred naturally and was then subject to further modifications by humans, says Leif Ristof.
Regardless of the role of wind erosion, researchers agree that the creation of the Great Sphinx would have required highly skilled craftsmen. There is also no doubt that the facial features and details were made by humans.