Tag: louvre

This sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 in the Louvre is one of the largest outside of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖! It is known as the “Great Sphinx of Tanis” because it was found in the ruins of the Temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 of Amun-Ra 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏺𓇳 in Tanis 𓆓𓂝𓈖𓏏𓊖! Tanis 𓆓𓂝𓈖𓏏𓊖 was the capital of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 from the 21st-23rd Dynasties. The sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 is made of granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿 – an extremely strong 𓄇𓏏𓂝𓏭 and durable rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙!

This sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 is so interesting because the cartouches of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 Merneptah 𓇳𓃒𓈖𓈘𓊹𓊹𓊹 (19th Dynasty) and Sheshonq I 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓌻𓆷𓆷𓈖𓈎 (22nd Dynasty) are both seen on the sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤. Why are two 𓏻 pharaoh’s 𓉐𓉻 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 there? Well, the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 used to recycle monuments, a process called “usurping.” The practice of usurping was when the current pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 would take old pharaoh’s 𓉐𓉻 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 off of monuments and put their own there! It is basically ancient plagiarism and it occurred quite frequently.

Some Egyptologists say this sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 actually dates back to the Old Kingdom, as the face 𓁶𓏺 doesn’t represent any known pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! A book that I have says the sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 dates to the Middle Kingdom. We will probably never know!

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!