Scientists claim to have solved the mystery of the “true origin” of the story about the construction of the Great Sphinx of Giza this more than 45,000 years in Egypt by artists of the time.
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Historians agree that the Sphinx’s face was once carved by stonemasons, but experts speculate that it was the desert wind that shaped the animal.
AFP
A new study from New York University (NYU) tested this theory, which has been promoted since the 1980s, by using fluid dynamics to create miniature sculptures.
In fact, the study’s scientists found that it is possible that the rock’s natural shape, created by desert winds, inspired the Egyptians to create the Sphinx.
AFP
“Our results offer a possible ‘evolution story’ of how formations like the Sphinx can form through erosion,” explained lead author Professor Leif Ristroph.
“Our laboratory experiments have shown that striking sphinx-like shapes can actually form from materials eroded by fast currents,” he continued.
The scientific team used a 1981 theory by geologist Farouk El-Baz that the Sphinx originally had a flat shape that was gradually eroded by the wind.
AFP
According to him, the builders of the pyramids knew about these natural processes. “Today, the pyramids of Giza exist in perfect harmony with their surroundings,” El-Baz said in 2011.
“If ancient peoples had built their monuments in the shape of a cube, a rectangle, or even a stadium, they would have been wiped out long ago by devastating wind erosion.”
According to Farouk El-Baz, there is also the possibility of a yardang, an unusual rock formation found in deserts that is formed from wind-blown dust and sand.
Malaysia – Fotolia
The yardangs, naturally formed by the wind, may have originated on the Giza Plateau.
“The engineers may have chosen to reshape his head in the image of their king,” says El-Baz. “They also gave him a body that resembled that of a lion, inspired by the shapes in the desert.”
AFP
In the study, the team of scientists replicated the yardangs using mounds of soft clay mixed with harder, less erodible materials.
Together they captured what the landscape of eastern Egypt once looked like.
They then washed the earth formations with a rapid jet of water to replicate the wind that shaped and reshaped them, eventually giving them a sphinx-like appearance.
TanArt – Fotolia
In fact, the strongest or most resistant part became the “head” of the lion, and many other features appeared, such as the open “neck”, the “legs” in the front or the arched “back”.
“Our results provide a simple theory about the origin of formations like the Sphinx, which can be formed by erosion, which is useful for geologists,” emphasized Professor Ristroph.
Some Egyptologists believe that the Great Sphinx depicts the image of King Khafra. Others believe that Djadefre, Khafra’s older brother, built the Sphinx in honor of his father Khufu.
This would place the construction of the Great Sphinx of Giza between 2550 and 2450 BC. BC.