Egyptian authorities have announced the discovery of an ancient Roman statue resembling the Sphinx.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities published a translated statement announcing the discovery of a Sphinx-shaped limestone statue.
An artifact was unearthed in a Roman-era villa made of limestone. The discovery was found in Qena Province, 280 kilometers south of Cairo, close to the Hathor Temple.
Some academics believe the Sphinx depicts Claudius, the Roman emperor who ruled from 41 to 54 CE. Claudius, reportedly “stretched Rome’s control into North Africa.”
Sphinxes often depicted a king or ruler with the body of a lion as a symbol of power and authority. Therefore, a monument of Claudius would not be out of the usual.
Compared to the enormous Sphinx at the Pyramids of Giza, a renowned tourist site, this new statue is rather little.
Dr. Mamdouh Damati, a former minister of archaeology and a professor of archaeology at Ain Shams University, lauded the find nevertheless, describing the Sphinx as “wonderfully amazing.”
The ministry’s release featured an additional quotation from Damati, who described the statue as “magnificent” and commended the “carefully recreated royal features and two dimples at the ends of his lips.” Moreover, remains of red and yellow paint were seen.
An ancient church with several graves was also uncovered there.
A month before to the discovery of the Sphinx, archaeologists south of Cairo excavated one of the oldest and most complete non-royal corpses ever discovered in Egypt.
