To receive the newsletter by e-mail,
sign up today!

Egypt’s Great Sphinx

Next to the Great Pyramids, the giant statue of the Great Sphinx is one of the most spectacular ancient artifacts found on the Giza Plateau in Egypt. With the body of a lion and the head of a man and measuring 241 feet in length by 20 feet in width the Great Sphinx has fascinated generations of archaeologists about the meaning of the monument as well as finding out which pharaoh was responsible for its construction.

The predominant and most widely accepted theory amongst Egyptologists is that it was built during the Old Kingdom reign of the pharaoh Khafra around 2500 B.C. Although there have been many alternate theories, some of them fantastical, one of the more recent and credible challenges to conventional wisdom was posed in 2004 by French archaeologist Vassil Dobrev who thinks that Khafra’s half-brother, Pharaoh Djedefre, may have been the builder.

In this mini unit, you read an illustrated guide on the Great Sphinx, learn fun facts about the giant statue, find out what happened to its nose, explore a recent alternate theory about which pharaoh built the Sphinx, walk through an interactive map of the Giza Plateau, watch a video of Sphinx archaeologists at work, compare the Egyptian Sphinx with Greek ones and decide if you have enough evidence to solve the mystery of the Sphinx builder.

Reading

Guardian’s Sphinx

Fun Facts About the Sphinx

What Happened to the Sphinx’s Nose?

Answer “Found” to Riddle of the Sphinx

Timeline/Map

Explore the Giza Plateau

Multimedia

Watch Archaeologists Work Under the Great Sphinx

Activities

Compare the Great Sphinx of Egypt with the Greek Sphinx

You Decide! Which Pharaoh Resembles the Sphinx?

Recommended Resource

Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself
Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself helps bring the remarkable customs, people, and innovations of one of the world's most fascinating civilizations to life through hands-on building projects. Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself includes biographical sidebars, illustrations, historical facts, anecdotes, and more than 25 activities that allow kids to explore ancient Egypt in a fun, hands-on way, including:

-Create a replica of the Great Pyramids
-Make a papyrus boat that actually floats
-Cook Egyptian flatbread and date candy
-Create wearable ancient Egyptian jewelry and clothing

List Price: $14.95 LTH Shop Price: $11.25

Read more about the book: Here