an important part of ancient Egyptian art. SphinxSculptures are usually made of materials such as wood, brick or stone. These sculptures; its head is depicted as a human, ram or bird, and its body as a lion. In Egypt, Sphinxes are often seen as guardians of the tombs of pharaohs or other high-ranking people. In ancient Egyptian mythology, sacred animals, especially lions, are thought to represent the power and protective qualities of them. Sphinxes are usually designed in the supine position and are associated with the sun.
First encountered in Egypt, the Sphinx was also of great importance in ancient Greek mythology and got its name from here. The original name of the sphinx in Egypt can translate as “living statue”. The most recognizable Sphinx is the Great Sphinx of Giza. Sphinx figures are also found in other civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Assyria, Persia, India, China, and Japan. But it was most commonly used in Ancient Egypt.
Great Sphinx of Egyptian Civilization
The Great Sphinx of Giza is the largest stone statue in the world, located in the area of the pyramids of Giza, near the capital of Egypt, Cairo. This statue was designed with the body of a lion and the face of a pharaoh. The face of the Great Sphinx of Giza is thought to belong to Pharaoh Khafre, and its construction date coincides with the Fourth Dynasty. However, some theories claim that the Sphinx was made before the Old Dynasty and even in the prehistoric period. This sphinx is seen as the protector of the Egyptian pyramids.
The Great Sphinx of Giza faces east and has a temple between its claws. The Sphinx, whose body is a lion and a human head, is 73 meters long, 20 meters high and 5 meters wide. The Sphinx, also known as ‘Harmakis’, represents the rising sun and the resurrection of the pharaoh. The Great Sphinx of Giza was built so that he could see Ra, the sun god, as soon as he rose, due to his east-facing face. At the time of the sphinx, there were sacrificial altars between its forelimbs. The alabaster sphinx at Menfis and Karnak Temple The ram-headed sphinx, thought to have been nine hundred in the past, is one of the famous Egyptian sphinxes.
It is not known what the ancient Egyptians called this statue. Sphinx in Arabic means “Father of Terror”. Although named Sphinx in Greek, the head of the statue belongs to a man, not a woman. They are known as treasure keepers who can take the form of any creature.
Sphinx in Greek Civilization
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx appears as a unique demon who represents destruction and bad luck. According to Hesiod, the Greek mythological figures; According to other sources of Cimera and Ortrus; She is the daughter of Typhon and Echidna. In vase paintings and reliefs, the Sphinx resembles a winged lion with a female head. Sometimes she resembles a woman with claws, nails, and a body of a lion, a tail of a snake, and bird wings. Creatures with human and animal forms in Greek mythology are the remnants of ancient beliefs. For example, creatures like Medusa, Lamia.
According to Greek mythology; Hera or Ares orders the Sphinx from Ethiopia to sit outside Thebes and ask passersby the most famous puzzle in history. He also fulfills the order and stops the passers-by and asks them the riddle. Those who cannot solve the riddle are strangled to death or eaten on the spot. Opposite the Sphinx is Oedipus, who is known for his sharp wit and wisdom in Greek mythology. The monstrous Sphinx asks him the same riddle; “What creature walks on all fours in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?” Oedipus manages to solve the puzzle; “That creature is human. Because when a person is a baby, he crawls on all fours, using his hands as feet, and walks on two legs when he is an adult, but when he gets old, he also uses a cane to walk, that is, he becomes three-legged. Realizing that he was defeated, the Sphinx throws himself from a high cliff and dies. In different versions of the story, he is said to have devoured himself with greed.
Sphinx in Other Civilizations
human-headed lion sphinxes in Anatolia; It is more common as a statue in the Hittite, Lydian and Phrygian civilizations. Some of the most famous ones are the sphinxes erected on both sides of the Alacahöyük city gate and the Neo-Hittite sphinxes discovered in Zincirli. Narasimha, a transformation of Vishnu in Hinduism, is a creature with a human body and a lion’s head.
The city of Alacahöyük, which was a settlement during the Old Hittite period, has two gates with sphinxes used for the protection of royal or sacred places. The sphinxes erected on both sides of the city gate were used to protect the city. The depiction of sphinxes is usually lion-bodied and human-faced. Sphinxes made in the Old Hittite period represent the power of the holy places or royalty in the city.
While human-headed lion sphinxes are often seen as statues in Anatolian civilizations, there are bull statues guarding the temple entrances in Assyrian civilization. The sphinxes of the Assyrian civilization were less commonly used, unlike the sphinxes of Ancient Egypt. In Assyrian cities, sphinxes are seen in front of city gates or in front of holy places. These sphinxes were used to protect the city or holy places.
