The Sphinx

The ancient Egyptian sculpture called The Sphinx is also located on the Giza plateau, and was probably carved at the request of the 4th dynasty pharaoh Chephren or Khafre. The statue is carved out of the native bedrock, and has the body of a lion and (so is believed) Pharaoh Chephren's face. Later the Sphinx became associated with the Egyptian god Harmakhis. For more in-depth reading:

• Ancient Egypt Timeline
• The Great Sphinx, from TourEgypt.
• The Sphinx: History of a Monument, by Christiane Zivie-Coche
• The Sphinx, a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson