Ancient Archaeology and World Heritage

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining Sphinx (a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion). It stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The Great Sphinx of Giza The Great Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt . Its’ original shape was cut from the bedrock and was subsequently restored with layers of limestone blocks. The nose of the monument was broken at some point during the 2nd Millennium CE. The most famous story is that Napoleon Bonaparte shot the nose of the Great Sphinx with a cannonball during the French invasion of Egypt. However, historical records suggest that the invasion took place between 1798 CE and 1801 CE, whereas there were paintings of the Great Sphinx with its broken nose from as far back as the 17th century CE. The other story is that in 1378 CE, a religious rebel by the name of Mohamed Sa'm al-Dahr was responsible for destroying the nose. Neither story has been...

The Colossi of Memnon  are two massive statues constructed using blocks of quartzite sandstone. The statues represent the 18th dynasty  Pharaoh Amenhotep III  who ruled Egypt between 1390 BCE and 1352 BCE. The two statues stand at the front of the  Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III  (built by the main architect  Amenhotep, son of Hapu around 1350 BCE ) which is believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake which occurred around 1200 BCE. At the time of its’ construction, the temple was the  largest in the Necropolis of Thebes .   The Colossi of Memnon Even though, certain inscriptions may differ, the two statues are believed to have been identical to each other when they were initially constructed. The twin statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and facing towards the Nile River. There are two shorter figures carved into the front throne alongside his legs representing his wife Tiye and mother ...