Ancient Egyptians carved thousands of similar figures; the sphinx was also found in ancient Greece and the Middle East. Sometimes the sphinx had the head of a ram or a hawk.
It is said the Sphinx asked a famous riddle of travelers: What walks on four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three at night? Those who were unable to answer were killed. Finally, a man named Oedipus solved the riddle by replying that Man crawls on four limbs as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and walks with the help of a cane or stick in old age. According to legend, the Sphinx then killed herself.
In 1997, a ten-year project to restore the Sphinx was completed. The work was done by Egyptian archaeologists, artists, geologists, and architects who wanted to make the Sphinx look as it did when the Pharoahs built it. They moved sand away from the Sphinx and replaced some of the limestone that had crumbled away.
Did you know that on March 21 and September 21 each year, the sun sets on the shoulder of the Sphinx? Some researchers think the Sphinx was built to represent Pharoah giving offerings to the sun god. What do you think?
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