This display of sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 at the Louvre is referred to as the “Processional Way of the Sphinxes” and it contains six 𓏿 sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 dated to the later period of Egyptian history (no exact date is known but inferences have been made and will be mentioned as you read further).
It is thought that these limestone sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 lined the processional way to the Serapis Temple at Saqqara (also known as the “Serapeum of Saqqara”). This temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 was originally the burial place for sacred bulls (it was believed that the bulls were representations of the god 𓊹 Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱). Fun fact: Saqqara is the modern name 𓂋𓈖 for the area, but the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 called it Memphis 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖!
This area has quite a history because construction started in c. 1400 B.C.E. (New Kingdom), and continued through to the end of the Ptolemaic Period/end of Cleopatra VII’s 𓈎𓃭𓇋𓍯𓊪𓄿𓂧𓂋𓏏𓄿𓆇 rule (c. 31 B.C.E.). The temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐, during Ptolemaic rule, then was dedicated to the cult of Serapis (the Greco-Egyptian deity of the sun 𓇳𓏤).
So who built 𓐍𓂤𓅱𓋴𓀧 these magnificent sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦? There are two theories: it’s possible that the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Nectanbo I 𓇳𓆣𓂓 of the 30th Dynasty had over 600 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 built to line the processional way to the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐. However, some historians think that the sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 were built by Ptolemy I 𓊪𓏏𓍯𓃭𓐝𓇌𓋴 as he changed the area to be dedicated to Serapis. The reasoning for this is that the sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 share artistic features of the Ptolemaic Period, and they also don’t have inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on them, which is also typical of Ptolemaic objects. We will probably never know!