The Riddle of The Sphinx Trivia Quiz

Answer: Old Kingdom

The Old Kingdom, also called the Age of Pyramids, began with the Third Dynasty in ancient Egypt and continued until the end of the Sixth Dynasty, from approximately 2686-2160 BC. It was a time of relative peace in ancient Egypt; the desert protected the land from invasion, so there was plenty of time to experiment with a number of things: mummification, architecture, mathematics, and writing, among others.

The pharaoh Zoser was the first to build a pyramid to house his remains. Built by his vizier, Imhotep, the step pyramid at Sakkara was a stunning achievement. Soon pyramids were popping up all over the place in Egypt!

Answer: Giza Plateau

Three "Great Pyramids", along with the Great Sphinx, were built on the Giza Plateau by pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty. The complex also included several cemeteries, temples, and a workers' village. It is commonly believed that the majority of the work on the plateau was performed by free men who needed employment during the Nile's flood season. Buildings were added to the site by later pharaohs, and the area was a popular tourist destination even then!

Answer: Limestone

The limestone used to sculpt the Great Sphinx was formed fifty million years ago during the Muqqatam Formation. As the first two pyramids were being constructed, a trench was dug which left a huge block of limestone for the building of the Great Sphinx.

The best limestone was located at what became the head of the Great Sphinx. What was taken away was probably used in the building of the pyramids; the limestone around its body, which was poorer quality, was used to build two temples nearby. Some archaeologists propose that the decision to sculpt the Sphinx was made when the limestone in the block was found to be too poor of a quality to use on the pyramids, while others say it is possible that the plan all along included the building of the monument.

Answer: Khafre

Even though there are some archaeologists who believe that the Great Sphinx bears the likeness of Khufu, his father, or Djedefre, his older brother, most believe that the Great Sphinx was built at the same time as Khafre's pyramid. Given its proximity to the pyramid and its facial resemblance to other statues of Khafre, the experts say there is no doubt that he sponsored the building of the great monument.

Many believe the Great Sphinx was the guardian of Khafre's complex on the Giza Plateau.

Answer: Lion

Many ancient Middle Eastern cultures revered the lion as a solar symbol; the position of the statue (facing the rising sun) supports the theory that the Great Sphinx was built for this reason. The goddess Sekhmet, depicted as a lioness, was a solar goddess said to be the daughter of the great Ra and the protector of the pharaoh. The pharaoh's head on a lion's body symbolized power and might of the pharaoh.

When viewed from a distance, it appears that the lion's paws are out of proportion to the head. Some believe this disproportion is proof that the Great Sphinx was somehow altered; perhaps the head was reconstructed over time. Others say that because this was such an ancient statue that it might be that the Egyptians had not yet worked out the law of proportions. It is also possible that there was not enough of the good quality limestone to make a head for that statue that was proportional to the body.

Answer: Thutmose IV

When Thutmose IV became pharaoh he not only had the sand cleared away from the Great Sphinx, but also made other repairs to the great statue. Repairs were made to the masonry and the body was encased to repair a break that cut across the back of the statue. He also erected the Dream Stele between the paws of the creature, which relates the story of how he became pharaoh.

Answer: Napoleon

Many of us have heard the tale that a cannonball fired by Napoleon's soldiers hit the nose of the Sphinx and caused it to break off; however, sketches of the Sphinx by the Dane Frederic Louis Norden that were created in 1738 already show that the nose was missing long before Napoleon took his army to Egypt. So, who was the culprit? Some say the British army or the Mameluk troops might have committed the atrocity, however, the dates don't match up.

There is another proposed vandal: Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, who lived in the area around 1378.

The Arab historian al-Maqrīzī says that al-Dahr was enraged to find peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in hopes of improving the harvest. He was hanged for the act of vandalism.

Answer: Beard

Many archaeologists believe the beard was a feature that had been added onto the Sphinx during later years of Egyptian antiquity. The reason cited is that they believe if it was original to the statue, the chin on the statue would have been damaged when the beard fell off; there is not apparent damage to the chin. Was the beard added during the 18th Dynasty renovation led by Thutmose IV?

Today one of the remains of the beard are on display at the British Museum. It is a small fragment, believed to be about 1/30th of the size of the original beard, brought to England after an 1817 excavation. Apparently British businessmen funded an expedition led by Giovanni Battista Caviglia to clear sand that had once again buried the statue. The agreement that included a directive from the leader of Egypt at the time, Mohammed Ali Pashawas, that said what was found should be taken to England. Parts of the beard were apparently left in the sand for future discovery.

Answer: True

Historians believe the face and body of the Sphinx was painted dark red at one time; near one ear, traces of the original paint can still be seen. It is also believed that the Khat head cloth was painted yellow with blue stripes.

Answer: No

The Greeks were the first to use the word "sphinx", which means strangler (a lion kills its prey by strangulation). Their creature had the head of a woman, the body of a lion, a serpent-headed tail, and the wings of a bird. It guarded the entrance to the city of Thebes; those who could not answer its riddle were typically eaten by the monster.

It is not known what the Egyptians called their great statue, which was typically a male (unless the pharaoh was Hatshepsut!). Their Sphinx was fiercely strong, but kind as it guarded the temple. There are no known inscriptions anywhere that allude to its construction or its purpose. During the New Kingdom it was called Hor-em-akhet, or Horus of the Horizon, and that is how it is referred to in Thutmose IV's Dream Stele.

One historian has theorized that the word "sphinx" was a Greek corruption of the Egyptian name "shesepankh," which meant "living image". This name implies that it was carved out of living rock rather than rock that was quarried and then brought to the site, however, there is no evidence of any connection to the Greek Sphinx. In fact, experts believe that the name "Sphinx" was not used to describe the statue until 2,000 years after its construction.