Archaeologists in southern Egypt have discovered a sphinx statue from the Roman era
Cairo – Archaeologists in southern Egypt have discovered a sphinx statue from the Roman era. The AP agency informs about it today. Cairo hopes the new archaeological finds will boost tourism, an important source of income for Egypt.
Advertisement'; }
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the statue was found in a temple complex in Dandara in the province of Kena, about 450 kilometers south of the capital Cairo.
Archaeologists believe that the smiling face of the sphinx is meant to represent the emperor Claudius, who extended Rome's dominion in North Africa between 41 and 54 AD. However, the statue is significantly smaller than the famous 20-meter-high Great Sphinx in the pyramid complex of Giza.
A Roman-era stone tablet with hieroglyphic and demotic writing was also found at the site where the remains of the sanctuary are located. Archaeologists will continue to investigate the discovery and hope it will help them learn more about the statue. According to Egyptian conservationists, the limestone sanctuary also contains adobe bricks from the Byzantine period.
