On the West Bank, Nile, on the Plateau Giza Nearby from Cairo, next to the pyramid of Heffren, is one of the most famous and, perhaps the most mysterious historical monument of ancient Egypt - a large Sphinx.

What is a big Sphinx

Great, or large, Sphinx - the oldest monumental sculpture of the planet and the largest of the sculptures of Egypt. The statue is carved from the monolithic cliff and depicts a lying lion with a human head. The length of the monument is 73 meters, the height is about 20.

The name of the statue of Greek and means "scenario", reminding about the mythical FVAN Sphinx, who killed travelers who did not solve him a riddle. Arabs called the giant lion "Father of Horror", and the Egyptians themselves - "Shepes Anh", "Living".

Big Sphinx was highly revered in Egypt. There was a sanctuary between the front paws, the altar of which Pharaohs pinned their gifts. Some authors have passed the legend of the unknown God, asleep in the "sands of oblivion" and forever remaining in the wilderness.

The image of the Sphinx is a traditional motive for ancient Egyptian art. The lion was considered the royal animals dedicated to the God of the Sun of the Republic of Armenia, so in the form of Sphinx always portrayed only Pharaoh.

With ancient times, a large Sphinx was considered the image of the pharaoh Hifera (Hefrena), as it is located next to his pyramid and as if guarding it. Perhaps the gigid was really designed to keep peaceful monarchs, but the identification of the sphinx from Hafra is wrong. The main arguments in favor of Parallel with Hefren were images of Pharaoh, found at the statue, but nearby was a memorial temple of Pharaoh, and the finds could be associated with it.

In addition, the studies of anthropologists revealed a non-shaped type of face giant. Numerous inscribed sculptural images available at the disposal of scientists do not carry any African features.

Sphinx riddles

Who same when the legendary monument is created? For the first time, Herodotes made a generally accepted point of view. Describing the pyramid in detail, the historian did not mention the Great Sphinx. Clarity made 500 years later, Pliny Senior, told about cleaning the monument from sandnotes. Probably, in the era of Herodotus Sphinx was hidden under the vegans. How many times for the history of its existence it could happen, it remains only to guess.

In written documents, there is not a single mention of the construction of such a grand sculpture, although we know many names of authors of much less majestic structures. The first mention of the Sphinx refers to the epoch of the new kingdom. Tutamum IV (XIV century BC), not being the heir to the throne, allegedly fell asleep next to a stone giant and received the command from God to cry and repair the statue in a dream. In return, God promised to make him Pharaoh. Thenmos immediately ordered the liberation of the monument from the sand. Works ended in a year. In honor of this event, the sculpture was installed stela with an appropriate inscription.

It was the first well-known restoration of the monument. Subsequently, the statue was repeatedly released from sandnotes - at Ptolemy, during the times of the Roman and Arab dominion.

Thus, historians cannot submit an informed version of the origin of the Sphinx, which gives the work of the work of other specialists. Thus, hydrologists noticed that the lower part of the statue carries the traces of erosion from long-staying in water. Increased humidity in which Nile could fill the basis of the monument, characterized Egypt's climate in IV thousand BC. e. On limestone, from which the pyramids are built, there are no such destruction. This was considered proof that the Sphinx is older than the pyramids.

Romantically, configured researchers found erosion the result of the Biblical World Flood - the catastrophic spill of the Nile 12 thousand years ago. Some even started talking about the era of the glacial period. The hypothesis, however, was challenged. Destruction was explained by the effect of rain and low quality stone.

Astronomers have made their contribution that put forward the theory of a single ensemble of pyramids and sphinx. The construction of the Egyptian complex was supposedly perpetuated by the time of their arrival in the country. Three pyramids reflect the location of the stars of Orion's belt, personified Osiris, and Sphinx looks at the sunrise point on the day of the spring equinox that year. This combination of astronomical factors belongs to XI thousand BC.

There are other theories, including traditional aliens and representatives of primitive. Indeed evidence apologists of these theories, as always, do not lead.

Egyptian colossus tatt a lot of other riddles. For example, there are no assumptions, some of the Vladyk he depicts, why proof shoulder running from the sphinx towards the pyramid of Heops, etc.

Modern condition

The final clearing from the sands spent in 1925. Stamp reached our days in good safe. Perhaps the centuries-old sandy cover and saved the sphinx from weathering and temperature drops.

Nature spared the monument, but not people. The face of the giant is badly damaged - he is off his nose. At one time, damage was written off on Napoleon's artillery, who shot the statue of cannons. However, the Arab historian of Al-Macrisi in the XIV century reported the absence of a nasal sphinx. According to his story, the face was damaged by the crowd of fanatics to bring some preacher, because Islam prohibits a person. This statement is doubtful because the Sphinx was honored by the local population. It was believed that he causes the Living Spills of the Nile.

There are other assumptions. Damage is explained by natural factors, as well as the revenge of one of the pharaohs who wished to destroy the memory of the monarch, whom the Sphinx depicts. According to the third version, the nose beat the Arabs when conquering the country. Some Arabian tribes existed belief that, if you beat off the nose at a hostile god, he could not take revenge.

In antiquity, the Sphinx had a patch beard, the pharaoh attribute, but now only debris remained from her.

In 2014, after restoration of the statue, tourists opened access to it, and now you can approach and consider the legendary giant, in the history of which much more questions than answers.

Character legend about Edipe.

Egyptian Sphinx

The oldest images of Gollywolva were found in the excavations of Göbekley-Tepe and dating 10 thousand to n. e.

The statues of the sphinxes became the attribute of ancient Egyptian art during the ancient kingdom, the earliest depicts, probably, Queen Hietepheres II. One of the largest monolithic statues of the world is the sculpture of Sphinx (large Sphinx), which protects the Pharaoh's Pyramids in Giza.

There were three common options for Sphinxes:

• The classic version of the Egyptian sphinx was androsphinx With a person's face, as a rule, a high-ranking person - for example, Pharaoh.
• Temples of God Choir adorned sphinxes with falcon's head - hieraacosphinces
• Near the temples of Amon were installed sphinxes with a muzzle of the Baran - cryosphinches.

The winged stitcher was sent to the beads of the goddess Hero for the crime of the FVAN king, in relation to the Churchippa. She settled the travelers, asked them the helica puzzles and killed everyone who could not guess them. Hera lowered her on the hair. Having learned the riddle of the muses, Sphing sat down at the Fikeh Mountain and began to ask her to Favans.

After the Oedip has solved the sphinx riddle, the monster rushed from the top of the mountain into the abyss. According to one version, the mystery was a poetic, and the Sphinx eaten not solved it. Her image was on the Athen's helmet. In Olympia, "FVAN children abducted by sphinxes are depicted.

There is a version that she was a side daughter of Laya, and he told her the secret of saying the Delphian God, given Cadmu. There were many sons from the concubine, and they all could not answer the question and gibbles.

In another interpretation, she was a marine robbery wandering around the seas with the army and fleet, capturing the mountain, she was engaged, until the Oedip with the army from Corinth won it. According to one more interpretation, this is Amazon, the first wife of Cadma, strengthened on Mount Fikion and began to fight with cadm.

The acting face of the Satyrovsky drama of the Sphinx, the plays of the unknown author "Sphinx", Comedy Epharma Sphinx.

India

In the period of Hellenism, the motive of "manolly" spread far east of Asia. In India, a number of terms are used to refer to such sculptural images, for example, Purushamrig. Charming with the body of Leo and the person of a person are found in the south of Asia everywhere until the Philippines and Ceylon. With each new century, Asian images are becoming more and more original and less remind of Greek prototypes.

New time

"French Sphinx"

The motive of the Sphinx returned to European art in the era of mannerism, when the artists of the Fontainebell school were systematically used, who worked at the court of Francis I. The sphinx of the new time, as a rule, raised head, naked female breasts and pearl earrings. This is a kind of fantastic barcode, which architects of the XVII-XVIII centuries. Refreed strict regular fleets of royal and aristocratic residences.

Such sphinxes were inspired by the grotesque frescoes of Domus Aurea - the Nononsky Palace found in the XV century. The motive was easily included in the iconographic corps of the classical motifs of Arabeskov, and spread over Europe by means of engraving in the XVI-XVII centuries. Sphinches decorate the frescoes of the Vatican loggia of Raphael (1515-20). In French art, sphinxes first appear in the art of the Fontainebleau school in the 1520-30s, and traced in the Baroque and Late Regency Epoch (1715-1723). Thanks to the French influence, the Sphinx becomes a widespread garden and park decoration throughout Europe (Belvedere (Vienna), San Sustia (Potsdam), Branitsky Palace (Bialystok), La Granha (Spain) and a late Rococo version in the Portuguese Palace Kelaus).

Sphinx in the art of classicism

The images of the Sphinx are abounding in the art of classicism since the interiors of Robert Adam and ending with the empty furniture of the era of romantic "Egyptomania".

The sphinxes of the steel were an attribute of neoclassical decoration, and the return to the simplified early version, more similar to the painting of grotesque, occurred. Masons considered them a symbol of mysteries and used them in their architecture, considering as the guards of the gates of the temple. In the Masonic architecture, the Sphinx is a frequent detail of the decor, for example, even in the image of the image of his head on the blank of documents.

It was during this period that St. Petersburg decorated with numerous images of the Sphinx (see, for example, the Egyptian bridge). In 1832, pair sphinxes transported from Egypt were installed on the Embankment Neva before the Academy of Arts. The same motive was used when designing a monument to victims of political repression.

From 1800 in St. Petersburg under the leadership of A. F. Labzin, the Masonic Lodge "Dying Sphinx" was operating. In the US, the sphinxes still establish at the entrance to the halls of the Masonic meetings as the personification of the mystery and the call for silence.

see also

• Humiela - ancient sculptural image of an animal.
• In honor of the Sphinx named asteroid (896) Sphinx (eng.)russianopened in 1918.

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Excerpt characterizing Sphinx

"Mute Natalie," said Princess Marya, "Know that I am glad that the brother found happiness ..." She stopped, feeling that she was telling a lie. " Natasha noticed this stop and guess the reason for her.
"I think the princess that now it's inconvenient to talk about it," Natasha said with external advantages and coldness and with tears that she felt in her throat.
"What I said I did!" She thought, as soon as he left the room.
Long waited for this day Natasha for dinner. She was sitting in her room and sobbed, like a child, shrinking and sobbing. Sonya stood over her and kissed her into her hair.
- Natasha, what are you talking about? She said. - What is your work to them? Everything will pass, Natasha.
- No, if you knew you, as it's a shame ... Exactly I ...
- Do not say, Natasha, because you are not guilty, so what is your business? Kiss me, - Sonya said.
Natasha raised his head, and kissing his girlfriend on his lips, pressed her wet face to her.
- I can't say, I do not know. Nobody is to blame, - Natasha said, - I am guilty. But all this hurts terrible. Oh, that he does not go! ...
She with red eyes came to dinner. Marya Dmitrievna, who knew how the prince took Rostov, pretended to do not notice the frustrated face of Natasha and firmly and loudly joking at the table with the graph and other guests.

On this evening, Rostov went to the opera, to which Marya Dmitrievna took the ticket.
Natasha did not want to go, but it was impossible to abandon the gentleness of Mary Dmitrievna, exclusively for her intended. When she, dressed, went out into the hall, waiting for his father and loypped into a big mirror, saw that she was good, very good, she was even more sad; But sad and lovingly sweet.
"My God, if he was here; then I would not since before, with some kind of stupid timidity before something, but in a new one, just hugged him, I would have pressed against him, I would force him to look at me by the distorting, curious eyes that he so often looked at And then I would make him laugh as he laughed then, and his eyes - how I see these eyes! Thought Natasha. - And what does it work to his father and sisters: I love him one, his, it, with this face and eyes, with his smile, male and together for children ... no, it is better not to think about him, not to think, forget, quite Forget for this time. I will not carry this expectation, I am now buried, "and she moved away from the mirror, making an effort on himself, so as not to cry. "And how can Sonya can so smoothly, so calmly love Nikolinka, and wait for so long and patiently"! " She thought, looking at the part, too, dressed, with a fan in his hands Sonya.
"No, she is completely different. I can not"!
Natasha felt at this moment such a softened and blended, that she had little to love and know that she was loved: she needs now, now it was necessary to hug a loved one and talk and hear from him the words of love that was full of her heart. While she was driving in a carriage, sitting next to his father, and thoughtfully looked at the lights flashed in frowning window, she felt still in love and sadder and forgot with whom and where she rides. Having hit in a variepete of a carriage, slowly squealed with wheels in the snow wagon rosy drove to the theater. Natasha and Sonya hurriedly jumped, picking up dresses; A graph, supported by the lacquers, and between the necessary ladies and men and the selling posters, all three went to the Benoire corridor. Because of the pretensed doors, music sounds have already been heard.
- Nathalie, Vos Cheveux, [Natalie, Your Hair,] - Sonya whispered. Kapeldiner courtesy and hastily slipped before the ladies and opened the door of the lodge. The music brighter has become audible in the door, shone the illuminated rows of lies with naked shoulders and hands of the ladies, and noisy and brilliant marundirs parquet. The lady, which was part of the neighboring Benoire, looked at Natasha in a female, envious look. The curtain has not yet risen and played an overture. Natasha, the recovery dress, went along with Sonya and sat down, looking around the illuminated rows of anti-fallen lies. For a long time, the feeling of the fact that hundreds of eyes look at her naked hands and neck, suddenly and pleasantly and unpleasantly embraced it, causing a whole swarm of the corresponding feeling of memories, desires and excitement.
Two wonderful pretty girls, Natasha and Sonya, with the Count Ilya Andreich, who has not seen for a long time in Moscow, have drew general attention. In addition, everyone knew vaguely about the collusion of Natasha with Prince Andrey, they knew that since then Rostov was lived in the village, and with curiosity they looked at the bride of one of the best grooms of Russia.
Natasha looked in the village, as she was told, and this evening, thanks to his excited state, was especially good. She struck the completeness of life and beauty, in conjunction with indifference to the whole surrounding. Her black eyes looked at the crowd, not looking for anyone, and a thin, nude elbow hand, bugged on the velvet ramp, obviously unconsciously, in the tact of an overwhelming, shrinking and squeezed, rushing poster.
- Look, here is Alenina - Sonya said, - it seems from the mother!
- Batyushki! Mikhail Kirilych then I would have grown out, "said the old graph.
- See! Anna Mikhailovna Ours in the current what!
- Karagina, Juli and Boris with them. Now you can see the groom with the bride. - Drubetskaya made an offer!
"How, now I learned," said Shinshin, which was part of the Lyubovoy.
Natasha looked by the direction of which the Father watched, and saw, Julie, who with pearls on the thick red neck (Natasha knew, sprung on a powder) sat with a happy view, next to his mother.
Behind them with a smile, tilted by the ear to the mouth of Jules, visited the smoothly combed, beautiful Boris's head. He looked at the growth and smiling told something to his bride.
"They talk about us, about me with him!" Thought Natasha. "And he truly calms the jealousy to me his bride: in vain worry! If they knew how I could not do any of them. "
Rear sat in a green current, with the devotee of God and a happy, festive face, Anna Mikhailovna. In the bed, they stood the atmosphere - the groom with the bride, which was so he knew and loved Natasha. She turned away and suddenly everything that was humiliating in her morning visit, remembered her.
"What right does he not want to take me into his relationship? Oh better not to think about it, do not think before his arrival! " She said she and began to look back familiar and unfamiliar faces in the parter. Ahead of the parquer, in the middle of the middle, closing his back to the Ramp, stood all the way with a huge, upward wrapped curly hair, in a Persian costume. He stood in relevant theater, knowing that he draws attention to all the halls, as well as he was standing in his room. Near him, the most brilliant youth of Moscow was stood, and he apparently first marked between them.
Count Ilya Andreich, laughing, pushed the blushing Sonya, pointing to her on the former admirers.
- I learned? - he asked. "And where he came from," said Count to Chinchin, "after all, he disappeared somewhere?
- disappeared, - answered Shinshin. - It was in the Caucasus, and there he fled, and they say, some kind of provincial prince was the minister in Persia, killed her brother Shakhov: Well, Moscow Barsni is crazy! Dolochoff Le Persan, [Persian Nolochov,] and even over. We now have no word without Dolokhov: they swear, he is called on him as a sterling, "said Shinshin. "Doolokh, yes Kuragin Anatol - we all have a lady crazy."
The neighboring Benoop entered a high, beautiful lady with a huge oblique and very shaggy, white, full shoulders and neck, on which there was a double thread of big pearls, and a long sacing, noise with her thick silk dress.
Natasha involuntarily peered into this neck, shoulders, pearls, hairstyle and admired the beauty of the shoulders and pearls. While Natasha was peeled into her for the second time, the lady looked around and, having met with his eyes with the Count Ilya Andreich, nodded his head and smiled. It was the Countess of Bezuhova, the wife of Pierre. Ilya Andreich, who knew everyone in the world, having frowning, spoke to her.
- How long have you greeted, Countess? He spoke. - I will come, I will come, the handle is a kiss. And I came on the affairs and girls with you brought. Unfortunately, they say, Semenova plays, "said Ilya Andreich. - Count Peter Kirillovich never forgot us. He's here?
"Yes, he wanted to go," said Helen and looked attentively at Natasha.
Count Ilya Andreich sat down again in his place.
- After all, good? - He told Natasha's shopot.

Sphinx Giza is one of the oldest, largest and most mysterious monuments ever created by a person. Disputes about his origin are still going. We gathered 10 little-known facts about the majestic monument in the Sahara desert.

1. Large Sphinx Giza Sphinx is not

Specialists argue that the Egyptian Sphynx can not call the traditional image of the Sphinx. In the classic Greek mythology, the Sphinx was described as a creature that had a body of a lion, a woman's head and bird wings. In Giza, the sculpture of Androsfinse is actually towers, since he has no wings.

2. Initially, the sculpture had several other names.

The ancient Egyptians initially did not call it a gigantic creature "large sphinx". In the text on the "Stale of Dreams", dating from about 1400 BC, the Sphinx is referred to as the "statue of the Great Hepri". When the future pharaoh Tutamos IV slept next to her, he dreamed of a dream in which God Hepry-Ra-Atum came to him and asked to free the statue of sand, and in return he promised that the tathmos would become the ruler of all Egypt. Tutamos IV Dippophaded in the sandy sand with the statue, which after that became known as Horam Axet, which is translated as "mountains on the horizon." Medieval Egyptians called Sphinx "Balkhib" and "Bilhow".

3. No one knows who built a sphinx

Even today, people do not know the exact age of this statue, and modern archaeologists argue about who could create it. The most popular theory says that the Sphinx arose during the Board of Hefren (the fourth dynasty of the ancient kingdom), i.e. The age of the statue dates from about 2500 a year before our era.

This pharaoh is attributed to the creation of the pyramid of Hefren, as well as necropolis Giza and a number of ritual temples. The proximity of these structures with Sphinx prompted a number of archaeologists to believe that hefren ordered to build a majestic monument with his face.

Other scientists believe that the statue is much older than the pyramid. They prove that the face and head of the statue are traces of obvious damage to water and put forward the theory that the Great Sphinx already existed during the era when the region faced an extensive flood (6 millennia to our era).

4. Who would build a sphinx, he rushed from him to break his head after the end of the construction

American archaeologist Mark Leger and the Egyptian archaeologist Canes Havass found a large stone blocks, tool kits and even petrified dinners under the sand layer. This clearly indicates that the workers are so hurried to go away, they did not capture with them even their tools.

5. Basher workers who built a statue, perfectly fed

Most scientists think that people who built the sphinx were slaves. However, their diet assumes quite different. As a result of the excavation, under the leadership, Mark Leger was found that the workers regularly dinner beef, lamb and kvdvatin.

6. Sphinx was once covered with paint

Although now Sphinx gray-sand color, once it was completely covered with bright paint. Red paint residues still can be found on the face of the statue, and on the sphinx body there are traces of blue and yellow paint.

7. Sculpture for a long time was buried under the sand

Great Sphinx Giza several times became the victim of the Szybuchi sands of the Egyptian desert during his long-term existence. The first known recovery of almost completely buried under the sand of the Sphinx occurred shortly before the 14th century BC, thanks to the Rasmos IV, which soon became Egyptian pharaoh. Three millennia later, the statue was again buried under the sands. Up until the 19th century, the front paws of the statue were deep beneath the desert surface. Fully Sphinx was excavated in the 1920s.

8. Sphinx lost his headdress in the 1920s

During the last recovery, a large Sphinx fell out of his famous headdress, and the head and neck was seriously damaged. The Egyptian government hired the team of engineers to restore the Statue in 1931. But during this restoration, a soft limestone was used, and in 1988, the 320-kilogram part of the shoulder fell off, almost killing the German reporter. After that, the Egyptian government again began to restore the work.

9. After the construction of the Sphinx, there was a cult that reverend him

Thanks to the mystical vision of Tutamos IV, who became Pharaoh after the gigantic statue was dug, in the 14th century BC, a whole cult of worship of the Sphinx arose. Pharaohs, ruling during the new kingdom, even built new temples, from which it was possible to see a large sphinx and worship him.

10. Egyptian Sphinx is much the good of Greek

The modern reputation of the sphinx as a cruel creature occurred from Greek mythology, and not Egyptian. In Greek myths, the Sphinx is mentioned in connection with the meeting with the Oedip, to which he guess the allegedly intractable riddle. In ancient Egyptian culture, the Sphinx was considered more benevolent.

11.Napoleone is not to blame for the fact that the Sphinx no nose

The mystery of the lack of nose in a large sphinx spawned all sorts of myths and theories. One of the most common legends states that Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to beat off the nose statue in a gust of Gordini. However, early sphinx sketches show that the nose statue lost even before the birth of the French emperor.

12. Sphinx was once bearded

Today, the remains of the Big Sphinx beard, which were removed from the statue due to severe erosion, are stored in the British Museum and in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, created in Cairo in 1858. However, the French archaeologist Vasil Dobrev claims that the statue was not from the very beginning, and the beard was added later. Dobrev argues his hypothesis by the fact that the removal of the beard, if it were a component of the statue from the very beginning, would lead to damage to the chin of the statue.

13. Big Sphinx - the most ancient statue, but not the most ancient Sphinx

Great Sphinx Giza is considered the oldest monumental sculpture in human history. If we assume that the statue dates back to Hefren's rule, smaller sphinxes depicting its consolidated brother of Jedfra and Sister Notefer II, older.

14. Sphinx - the biggest statue

Sphinx, the length of which is 72 meters, and the height of 20 meters is considered the largest monolithic statue on the planet.

15. Several astronomical theories are associated with Sphinx

The riddle of a large Sphinx Giza led to the emergence of a number of theories about the supernatural understanding of the ancient Egyptians of the space. Some scientists, such as Leger, believe that the Sphinx with the pyramids of Giza is a giant machine for capturing and processing solar energy. In another theory, the Sphynx coincidence, the Pyramids and the Nile River with the stars of the Constellations of Leo and Orion are noted.

Each civilization has its own symbols that are considered the inalienable parts of the people, its culture and history. The Sphinx of ancient Egypt is the immortal proof of the power, the strength and grandeur of the country, a dumb reminder of the divine origin of his rulers who have rushing in the century, but left the image of eternal life on Earth. The national symbol of Egypt is considered one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past, still leading the invalid fear of its impressiveness, halo of secrets, mystical legends and age-old history.

Monument in numbers

Sphinx Egyptian is known to everyone and every resident on Earth. The monument is cut down from the monolithic rock, has the body of a lion and the human head (according to some sources - Pharaoh). The length of the statue is 73 m, the height is 20 meters. The symbol of the power of the royal power is located on the Plateau Giza of the West Coast of the Nile River and is surrounded by a wide and fairly deep moat. The deep sphinx look forward to the East, towards the point of heaven, where the sun rises. The monument was under the cover of the sand many times and was renovated more than once. The statue was completely cleaned from the sand only in 1925, having struck the imagination of the inhabitants of the planet with their scale and sizes.

Story of Study: Facts against Legends

In Egypt, the Sphinx is considered the most mysterious and mystical monument. His story for many years causes a rustling interest and special attention of historians, writers, directories and researchers. Everyone who happened to touch eternity, which the statue personifies, offers its version of its origin. Locals call the stone attraction "Father of Horror" due to the fact that the Sphinx is a keeper of many mysterious legends and a favorite tourist destination - fans of mysteries and fiction. According to researchers, the history of the Sphinx has more than 13th centuries. Presumably, it was built in order to fix the astronomical phenomenon - the reunification of the three planets.

Myth about origin

Until now, there is no reliable information about what symbolizes this sculpture, for which it was built and when. The lack of history is replaced by the legends that are transmitted from the mouth to the mouth and told tourists. The fact that in Egypt Sphinx is the most ancient and largest monument, creates mysterious and ridiculous stories about him. There is a suggestion that the statue protects the tombstones of the greatest pharaohs - the pyramids of Heops, Mikherina and Heffren. Another legend says that stone sculpture symbolizes the Pharaoh Hefren's personality, the third is that this is a statue of God Mount (the god of the sky, receiving, half-clock), observing the ascent of his father - God of the Sun of RA.

Legends

In ancient Greek mythology, the Sphinx is mentioned as an ugly monster. According to the Greeks, the legends of the ancient Egypt about this monster sounds like this: a creature with a body of a lion and a man gave rise to Echidne and Typhon (female half and a giant with hundreds of dragon heads). It had face and breasts of women, body lion and bird wings. The monster dwells not far from FIV, slept people and asked them a strange question: "Which living beings in the morning moves on four legs, day on two, and in the evening on three?" None of the wanderers who trembled from fear could not give the sphinx of an intelligible response. After that, the monster sentenced them to death. However, the day came when the wise Oedip was able to solve his riddle. "This is a person in childhood, maturity and old age," he replied. After that, the crushed monster rushed from the top of the mountain and crashed about the rock.

According to the second version of the legend, in Egypt Sphinx was once God. One day, the Heavenly Ruler fell into the cunning trap of the sands, called the "forgetting cell", and fell asleep in her eternal sleep.

Real facts

Despite the mysterious subtext legends, a real story is not less than mystricted and mysterious. According to the initial opinion of scientists, the Sphinx was built at one time with the pyramids. However, in the ancient papyrus, of which information was drawn about the development of the pyramids, there is not a single mention of the stone sculpture. Known names of architects, builders who created grand grafflies for pharaohs, but the name of the person who gave the world of Sphinx Egyptian, still remains unknown.

True, in a few centuries after the creation of the pyramids, the first facts about the statue arise. The Egyptians are called her "Shepes Anh" - "Live Image". More information and scientific explanation of these words to the world could not give peace.

But at the same time, the cult image of a mysterious Sphinx - the winged masturbation of the monster is mentioned in Greek mythology, numerous fairy tales and legends. The hero of these legends, depending on the author, periodically changes his appearance, speaking in some versions given a half-half, and in the other - a winged lioness.

History about Sphinx

Another puzzle for scientists was the chronicle of Herodotus, which in 445 BC. Described in the smallest detail process of building a pyramid. He told the world interesting stories about how the structures were erected, for what time and how many slaves were involved in their construction. The story of the "Father of History" was touched by even such nuances as the nutrition of slaves. But, oddly enough, Herodotus, never mentioned a stone Sphinx in his work. None of the subsequent records of the construction of the monument was also found.

Help shed a scholar light on the work of the Roman writer Plinia Senior "Natural History". In his records, he tells about the next cleansing of the monument from the sand. Based on this, it becomes clear why Herodotus did not leave the world a description of the Sphinx - the monument at that time was buried under the layer of sandy nanos. So how many times did he find himself in the sand trap?

First Restoration

Judging by the inscription left on the stone stele between the colors of the mounds, Pharaoh Tutamos I spent the year for the liberation of the monument. Ancient letters tell about the fact that, being a prince, the tupes snapped with a strong sleep at the foot of the sphinx and saw a dream in which God Harmakis appeared. He predicted the prince ascent to the throne of Egypt and ordered to free the sculpture from the sandy trap. After some time, the Tutmos was safely became Pharaoh and remembered the promise to this Divine. He ordered not only to dig the giant, but also renovating it. Thus, the first revival of the Legend of Egypt occurred in the XV century. BC. It was then that the world found out about the Grand Construction and a unique cultone monument of Egypt.

It is known for certain that after the revival of Sphinx by Pharaon, it once again pulled him out when the ptolomeyev dynasty is reigning, in the Roman emperors who seized the ancient Egypt, and the Arab rulers. In our time, he was again liberated from the sands in 1925. To this afternoon, the statue has to be cleaned after sandy storms, as it is an important tourist object.

Why does the monument have no nose?

Despite the antiquity of the sculpture, it is practically preserved in the original form embodulating the Sphinx. Egypt (photo of the monument is presented above) managed to preserve his architectural masterpiece, but failed to protect it from the barbarism of people. The sculpture has no nose at the moment. Scientists suggest that one of the pharaohs on an unknown science, the reason ordered to beat off the nose in the statue. According to other sources, the monument damaged Napoleon's army, shelled his face from the gun. The British are bored by the beard of the mounds and crossed it into their museum.

However, in the newly discovered records of the historian Al-Macrisi from 1378, it is said that the stone sculpture has no longer had a nose. According to him, one of the Arabs, wanting to redeem religious sins (the image of human faces was prohibited in the Quran), the nose of the giant was broken. In response to such atrocities and abuse of Sphinx, the sands began to take revenge on people, advancing the earth Giza.

As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that the Sphinx was lost in Egypt as a result of strong winds and floods. Although this assumption has not yet found real confirmation.

Stunning secrets of Sphinx

In 1988, as a result of the impact of the caustic factory smoke, a decent part of the stone block (350 kg) broke off from the monument. UNESCO, concerned with the appearance and condition of the tourist and cultural facility, resumed repairs, thereby discovering the road to new research. As a result of a thorough study of the stone blocks of the pyramid of Heops and Sphinx, the hypothesis was put forward by the Japanese archaeologists that the monument was built much earlier than the Great Tomb of Pharaoh. The conclusion became a stunning discovery for historians who assumed that the pyramid, Sphinx and other funeral structures are contemporaries. A second, no less awesome discovery, was the long narrow tunnel, connected to the peyramid of Heops, discovered under the left pavement.

After the Japanese archaeologists, hydrologists were engaged in the ancient monument. They found on his body traces of erosion from a large water stream, which moved from north to south. After a number of studies, hydrologists came to the conclusion that the stone lion was a silent witness to the spill of the Nile - the biblical catastrophe, which occurred about 8-12 thousand years ago. The American researcher John Anthony West explained traces of water erosion on the body of Leo and their absence on the head proof that the Sphinx existed during the time of the ice age and dates back to any period of up to 15 thousand to N. e. According to French archaeologists, the history of ancient Egypt may boast an ancient monument that existed even during the death of Atlantis.

Thus, stone sculpture tells us about the existence of the greatest civilization, which was able to erect such a majestic structure that became an immortal manner of the past.

The worship of the ancient Egyptians in front of the Sphinx

The pharaohs of Egypt regularly made pilgrimage to the foot of the giant, who symbolized the great past of their country. They brought victims to the altar, which was among his paws, weed incense, receiving a silent blessing from the giant to the kingdom and throne. The Sphinx was for them not only the embodiment of the God of the Sun, but also a sacred way, who gave them the hereditary and legitimate power from the ancestors. He personified a powerful Egypt, the history of the country was reflected in his majestic form, embodying each image of the new pharaoh and turning modernity into the component of eternity. Ancient letters glorified the sphinx as a great God-Creator. His image reunited past, present and future.

Astronomical explanation of stone sculpture

According to the official version, the Sphinx would be built in 2500 BC. e. By order of Pharaoh Hefren during the reign of the fourth ruling pharaoh dynasty. The huge lion is located among other majestic structures on the stone plateau Giza - three pyramids.

Astronomical studies have shown that the location of the statue is not chosen in the blind key, but according to the intersection point of the heavenly luminaries. He served an equatorial point indicating the exact location on the horizon of the Sunrise Place on the Spring Equinoxy Day. According to the opinion of astronomers, the Sphinx was built 10.5 thousand years ago.

It is noteworthy that the pyramids of Giza are located on Earth in exactly the same manner as three stars in the sky that year. According to legend, the Sphinx and Pyramids recorded the position of the stars, the astronomical time called the first. Since the heavenly personification of the ruled at that time, was Orion, man-made structures were built in order to image the stars of his belt, in order to perpetuate and fix the time of their power.

Great Sphinx as a tourist object

Currently, a giant lion with a head of a person attracts millions of tourists who thirs to see the legendary, shrouded in the darkness of centuries-old history and a multitude of mystical legends stone sculpture. The interest in it of all mankind is due to the fact that the secret of creating a statue and remained unscrewd, buried under the sands. It is difficult to imagine how much secrets keeps the Sphinx. Egypt (photo of the monument and pyramids can be seen on any tourist portal) can be proud of its great history, outstanding people, grand monuments, the truth about which their creators took with them to the kingdom of Anubis - God of death.

Great and impressive huge stone Sphinx, the story of which remained unsolved and complete secrets. Everything is also directed a calm look of the sculpture of the distance and everything is also unperturbed his appearance. How many of the centuries is he a silent witness of human suffering, the vanity of rulers, the sorrows and misfortunes, comprehended by the Egyptian land? How long does the Great Sphinx keep in themselves? Unfortunately, all of these questions for many years have not found answers.

Sphinx - the largest statue in Egypt. Big Sphinx in Egypt - monolithic sculpture from limestone. It was not built from bricks of a certain shape and sizes, and pushed out of one monolithic stone of Plateau Giza: already later the lower part of the sphinx was covered with stones to protect against destruction. If you take Egyptian civilization, then the Sphinx is the personification of the strength and power of Pharaoh (man - God) on Earth.

The statue is a body of a lion from a man's head (pharaoh) and has a length of more than 70 m., And in a height of 20 m. Chipping stones from the plateau, 9 meters from the sphinx paws in parallel Sphinx Templewhose ruins can be observed now. It is assumed that this is the temple of the Sun, because In it, 2 shrines and 24 columns are symmetrically located (analogy of 24 o'clock in days). During the spring and autumn equinox, the Sun formed a straight line between the Eastern and Western sanctuary. Next, she passed through the shoulder of the statue of the Sphinx and stretched to the southern corner of the second pyramid of Giza (Hafra) - where the sun was sis. These assumptions allow scientists to put forward the theory that the second pyramid of Giza, Sphinx and the Sphinx Temple were built with Pharaoh Hifra (Hefren) in 2575-2465 BC And it is his face depicted on the Sphinx.

The next theory refutes the fact that the face of the Sphinx is the face of Pharaoh Hefren (Hafra). For this, a detailed work was carried out on Compare the faces of the Great Sphinx Giza and Statue of Pharaoh Hefren from the Museum in Cairo. Despite the fact that the appearance of the Sphinx suffered from time to time (there is no nose), a discrepancy was clearly identified. Moreover, the study of the features of the face of the Sphinx statue led to the conclusion that the face belongs to the African race. And this leads to another theory, before this place became the desert, North Africa inhabited the people of Ukraine. Perhaps the face of the Sphinx is the face of the Black African King or Queen?! This theory also confirms the fact of water erosion, which washed the soft breeds of limestone for many millennia, destroying the initial smooth surface of the famous statue. And such climatic conditions were on the territory of Egypt long before the pharaohs and the ancient civilization of Egypt, approximately 9000 years. BC (36 thousand years before n. e).

There is another theory according to which Egypt It is the keeper of the knowledge of the Great Civilization of Atlantis. According to this theory, in the middle of 11 millennia BC (36 thousand years BC) in Giza was arranged a huge cache of the deceased Atlantis. And the entrance to it is at the right front of the sphinx paw. This is mentioned in the prophecies of Edgar Casey, as well as when scanning the specified area by Japanese scientists: voids were found. Perhaps soon we are waiting for the discovery that will turn the idea of \u200b\u200bhistory.

First restoration of Sphinx Was in the era of the new kingdom (1500 BC). At this time, the statue was drowned in the sand on the neck. Taxmos IV. ordered to erect two brick walls that achieved 8 meters high so that they protect the sphinx from the sand of the desert. The sculpture was digested, strengthened with stones and painted in red, blue and yellow colors. Between the paws installed the statue of the Tutamos on the granite stele, on which the inscriptions were left. However, the wind, sand and time again drowned in the sand Monumental monument of history, and the result of the next paddings, which reached this day, was completed only in 1925.

Sphinx - Guardian of the Tomb of Pharaohs and their secrets. Three majestic pyramids: Heops, Hefren and Micheerina - part of the extensive necropolis of Giza. Daily late in the evening at the Plateau Giza passes a grandiose performance - an exciting light-music show, where the beams of the searchlights snatch from the darkness of the monuments of ancient civilization and all this spectacle accompanies a story about each of them.