The controversy about the Sphinx in Egypt

The Sphinx on the Giza plateau symbolizes a lion's head creature, protecting the Egyptian pharaoh's tomb.

The Sphinx , an exquisite carved monolith on the limestone base of the Giza Plateau, is one of the most famous remains of ancient Egyptians. The statue depicts a legendary creature with the head of a lion and a man, according to the Ancient Origins.

Sphinx statue on Giza plateau, Egypt.(Photo: Daniel Mayer).

The Sphinx was built in the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt (Old Kingdom) during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre (2558 - 2532 BC). This is also the time when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

According to legend, the Sphinx protects the tomb of Egypt's greatest pharaohs since 2500 BC. But recently, there have been many debates surrounding the origin and true nature of this statue.

Some believe that evidence of erosion trenches on the Sphinx shows that it was built hundreds or even thousands of years earlier than it is currently estimated. The first part of the statue is not symmetrical, so it was not a Sphinx at first but a lion or even a dog god, Anubis.

The Sphinx is a mythological character from the Greeks and Egyptians. It is often described as having the head of a man, a lion's body and an eagle's wings. Sphinxes can be male or female, but always have a cunning and cruel character.

Usually in myths, the Sphinx asks riddles and people will be eaten if they answer incorrectly. Sometimes sphinx also attacked an entire village. The statue of the Sphinx at Giza represents a pharaoh's protective creature, not allowing anyone to pass unless they correctly answer a puzzle.