CodexMira
DeepEarly HoloceneNeolithicBronze AgeIronMedievalEarly ModernModern

Great Sphinx of Giza

Statue and ColossusContested

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A 73 m long lion with a human head, carved directly from the limestone bedrock.

ContinentAfricaConfidence: measured
Height20mConfidence: measured
MaterialLimestoneMohs 3-4 (mineral hardness scale)

Claims

FieldConsensusAlternative
Date

2558 BCE - 2532 BCE

c. 2550 BCE, reign of Khafre

UNESCO World Heritage List #86

Weathering of the enclosure suggests c. 7000-5000 BCE

Robert Schoch (1992) • Geological Society of America presentation, 1992

Proposes an origin near 10,500 BCE

Hancock and Bauval (1996) • The Message of the Sphinx, 1996
Purpose

Royal guardian figure

UNESCO World Heritage List #86
No claims found.
MethodNo claims found.

Precision & Alignment

alternativeAlignment

Faces the rising sun in Leo at the spring equinox of about 10,500 BCE

Hancock and Bauval • The Message of the Sphinx, 1996

Related Wonders at Giza Plateau

Sources: Geological Society of America presentation, 1992 • The Message of the Sphinx, 1996 • UNESCO World Heritage List #86

Bronze Age — Great Sphinx of Giza in context.

Bronze Age, 3,300 BCE to 1,200 BCEDates supported by mainstream archaeology. Natural formations remain undated.TimelineCarnac stones, 4,500 BCE - 3,300 BCEStone vessels of the Step Pyramid, 3,500 BCE - 2,650 BCEStep Pyramid of Djoser, 2,670 BCE - 2,650 BCE3Pyramid of Menkaure, 2,530 BCE - 2,500 BCESilbury Hill, 2,470 BCE - 2,350 BCEStonehenge, 3,000 BCE - 1,520 BCEMohenjo-daro, 2,500 BCE - 1,900 BCEPavlopetri, 3,000 BCE - 1,100 BCENebra sky disc, 1,800 BCE - 1,600 BCEUnfinished Obelisk, 1,479 BCE - 1,458 BCELateran Obelisk, 1,425 BCE - 1,390 BCEAbu Simbel, 1,264 BCE - 1,244 BCE3Pavlopetri3,000 BCE2,500 BCE2,000 BCE1,500 BCE

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Approximate - counted from January 1, 2,545 BCE (UTC). Based on the midpoint of 2,558 BCE - 2,532 BCE.

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