The remarkable accomplishments of the Ancient Egyptians have puzzled even the most well-respected experts for quite some time. Take, for instance, the question of the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
It has taken many years for scientists and archaeologists to find an answer, and even now, this is not entirely clear. However, researchers believe they have now figured out how the Great Sphinx was created over 4,500 years ago.
The discovery of the creation of Egypt’s Great Sphynx’s body
Generally speaking, there had been consensus for some time that skilled stone workers most likely carved the face of the massive limestone statue. Yet, the intricate, multi-part figure remained a mystery. Scholars at New York University recently determined that the body was likely not solely the result of local workers’ stonecutting skills.
It is believed that the shape was in fact created by none other than Mother Nature herself in the guise of wind. “Our findings offer a possible ‘origin story’ for how Sphinx-like formations can come about from erosion,” stated Leif Ristroph, the leading author of the research.
“Our laboratory experiments showed that surprisingly Sphinx-like shapes can, in fact, come from materials being eroded by fast flows,” Ristroph added.
Simulations produced by researchers
For their research, the team used hard rocks covered in layers of soft clay to mimic the landscape near the Nile River in northeastern Egypt. They then poured a fast stream of water over these formations to simulate the effects of wind. Eventually, the clay took on a shape resembling the Sphinx.
The resulting shape had a “head” like a lion, a “neck,” “paws” stretched out in front, and an arched “back.” Ristroph noted, “There are, in fact, yardangs (rock features formed by air erosion) in existence today that look like seated or lying animals, lending support to our conclusions.”
Aeolian erosion theory and the Great Sphinx
It is important to note that Ristroph and his team weren’t the first to propose the Aeolian erosion theory. In 1981, geologist Farouk El-Baz suggested that the famous Sphinx was originally a flat-topped shape that gradually eroded due to the effects of wind over time.
Furthermore, El-Baz believed that the builders of Ancient Egypt likely understood these natural processes and intentionally chose shapes for their iconic structures that could endure such erosion.
Great Sphinx of Giza, colossal limestone statue of a recumbent sphinx located in Giza, Egypt, dated from reign of King Khafre (2575-2465 BC) and depicts his face. It is one of Egypt’s most famous landmarks and is arguably best-known example of sphinx art.#archaeohistories pic.twitter.com/2QgzC0UvY3
— Archaeo – Histories (@archeohistories) January 19, 2022
“Today, the pyramids of Giza exist in perfect harmony with their windy environment,” a scientist mentioned back in 2001. “Had the ancients built their monuments in the shape of a cube, a rectangle, or even a stadium, they would have been erased by the ravages of wind erosion long ago.”
However, the New York University researchers were the pioneers in demonstrating precisely how this process might have taken place, and their discoveries hold wider significance.
“The work may also be useful to geologists as it reveals factors that affect rock formations—namely, that they are not homogeneous or uniform in composition,” Ristroph stated.
“The unexpected shapes come from how the flows are diverted around the harder or less-erodible parts,” he concluded.