Blog post #4 monuments

In a depression in the south of Khafre's pyramid in Giza, sits a huge creature with the head of a human and a lion's body. It is known as the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The sphinx is the largest stone statute in the world. It stands in front of the great pyramids of Giza. It is the oldest monumental structure on Earth and is 73.5 meters (241 ft) long, 6 meters (20 ft) wide, and 20.22 m (66.34 ft) high. Scientists believe The Sphinx was built in the Old Kingdom: 2555 BCE to 2532 BCE. Most people believe that the Sphinx was built for the Pharaoh Chafer during his time as Pharaoh. The Sphinx is missing its nose, and it’s ceremonial Pharaohs beard. Some people think that the beard was not part of the original structure because of the lack of damage to the Sphinx’s chin.
The word "sphinx", means 'strangler', was first given by the Greeks to a mythical creature, which had the head of a woman, and the body of a lion. There are many different sphinxes in Egypt, usually with the head of a king in his headdress and the body of a lion.
The Sphinx can be found near the banks of the Nile, facing east. Awhile after the Sphinx was built, the Sphinx was buried in a sand drift. An ancient piece of stone, the Dream Stella, tells a story of a young prince who fell asleep on top of the sand drifts that buried the Sphinx. He dreamed the sphinx talked to him, she sphinx promised the prince he would be king of Egypt if he could clear all of the sand. He was later known as pharaoh Thutmose IV. It is also believed that Ramesses II removed the sand later, the last clearance of sand happened around 1925.