Construction of the Great Sphinx
The Great Sphinx — a recumbent lion with a human head — was carved from a single mass of limestone left over from Khufu's quarrying operations. Its face is widely believed to be a portrait of Khufu's son and successor Khafre (Chephren), though this attribution is not universally accepted. The statue served as the guardian of the Giza necropolis. The Dream Stele, erected between the sphinx's paws by Thutmose IV around 1401 BCE, records that the sphinx appeared to the prince in a dream and promised him the kingship if he cleared the sand that had buried it to the shoulders — evidence that the monument was already ancient and partially buried by the New Kingdom.
- Year: 2540 BCE
- Category: Cultural
