Scientists were shocked when they discovered the 'hybrid' monster of the Sphinx in the ancient tomb of the Tang Dynasty

Is this a "relative" of the Sphinx that guards the Egyptian pyramids?

The Sphinx is a representative representation of the ancient Egyptian stone carving art. It was thought that this was the only treasure of the Egyptians, but people have dug up a "second version" statue in China. What's the story like?

The world famous Sphinx is located in the Tomb of the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. It is 20 meters tall, with a total length of 72 meters including the front feet. In ancient Egypt, the lion was the embodiment of the god of war, a symbol of strength and pharaoh.

This statue has similarities with the Sphinx of Egypt.

Not only in Egypt, the Sphinx suddenly appeared in China. The discovery of the "tomb monster" in Xi'an is one of the discoveries that shocked the scientific world.

When archaeologists excavated an ancient Tang Dynasty tomb in Chang'an District, Xi'an, China, they determined that the owner of the tomb was named Wang Shitong . He was an official in the court at that time.

In the tomb, experts have found a large number of cultural relics such as terracotta warrior statues, bronze artifacts and coins. Especially in the bones of the right hand of the remains. There is also a "little stone pig " (a pig made of stone).

In fact, this is one of the features of ancient funeral culture. Pigs represent wealth and prosperity. Therefore, people of high status like to bury a pig next to them.

Not stopping there, people also see "beasts" with human faces and brightly painted animal bodies at the entrance. It is only 20 cm high and 10 cm wide, has the body of a male lion, but its head and face look like a human with benevolent eyebrows. In general, this statue has similarities with the Sphinx of Egypt.

Explaining this monstrously shaped animal, experts say that in ancient custom, they are a kind of "magic weapon" .

Several other monster figurines are noted. (Image: Sohu)

The ancients believed that after death, many kinds of ghosts will be born. The demons in the Underworld will harm the souls of the dead. Therefore, in order for the deceased to rest in peace, relatives will place monsters to suppress the tomb to ward off evil and protect the souls of the dead.

The prototype of these beasts is "Phuong Tuong Thi". According to legend, this is an animal with four golden legs, wearing a black bear skin, wearing a red shirt and black pants, and is responsible for guarding the tomb.

In the process of excavating the ancient tomb later, people also unearthed beasts in the tomb of Zhou during the Warring States period. However, their shapes are more abstract and peculiar. In the later period, most suppressed summoned beasts had one or two heads, their appearance was considered quite scary.

Return to the monster in Vuong Si Thong's grave. Traditionally, the animals in the tomb are sculpted with scary faces. However, the mascot in his tomb has a very kind and gentle face. Scholars consider this to be "the Sphinx in China".

However, the capital Chang'an (now Xi'an) and Egypt were thousands of kilometers away, how did the ancients have such similarities? This is clearly an unanswered question.

After the statue was excavated, it caused much discussion among international scholars. The mystery of the birth and the relationship between the beast in the Tang tomb and the Sphinx of Egypt still needs further research to find the most satisfactory explanation.