This article is from Ancient Egypt issue 140
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The lion-shaped Great Sphinx at Giza may have been shaped by wind erosion, according to new research from New York University. Laboratory experiments suggest that sphinx-like shapes can form naturally when clay is subjected to a fast-flowing stream of water, designed to replicate the action of wind-blown dust and sand. Harder, more-resistant material survives, creating a head shape at the front that shelters the ‘body’ behind it. The shapes are similar to the yardangs (isolated, highly eroded rocks) in the Egyptian White Desert. The team suggests that the ancient Egyptians visualised a sphinx in a yardang at Giza, and chiselled its shape into the form we see today.
Text: Sarah Griffiths
