Desert winds made the Great Sphinx, Egyptians gave it a facelift, new theory says

Along the west bank of the Nile River lies the Great Sphinx of Giza, a majestic symbol of ancient Egyptians, and a source of mystery.

The origins of the limestone statue of the mythical creature who has the head of a human and the body of a lion have for years remained a head-scratcher.

However, scientists have now suggested a theory that may explain how the creature known for posing riddles to travellers came to regally perch in the Giza desert.

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The origins of Great Sphinx of Giza

Some decades ago, in 1981, Farouk El-Baz, a geologist writing in the Smithsonian Magazine, theorised that like the pyramids, the Egyptians didn't create the mighty Sphinx from scratch. Instead, he speculated that the desert winds had a hand in the formation of the overall contours of the Abū al-Hawl, or "Father of Terror."

Now, more than 40 years later, researchers from the New York University have tested El-Baz's theory and there actually might be some truth to it.

How they tested the theory

Using fluid dynamics, scientists from the New York University (NYU) created miniature, lion-like landforms from clay. They deduced that it is actually possible that ancient Egyptians were inspired by the shape of a rock and visualised the Sphinx as we know it.

Led by Leif Ristroph, the team from New York University was originally studying how water eroded clay when they were "struck" by a familiar shape.

"We were struck by the resemblance to a seated lion or a lion in repose. And I was reading about this and came across the idea that perhaps even the Great Sphinx was one of these natural formations that then got, obviously, a little facelift from the ancient Egyptians," said Ristroph, in a conversation with New Science. Their findings have been published inPhysical Review Fluids.

While the way water erodes clay and how wind may erode rocks are different, Jani Radebaugh of the Birmingham Young University, Utah, said that the behaviour observed by the NYU team is a geological phenomenon called 'Yardang' that exists in deserts across the world. She says that these Yardangs also exist on Mars, where the lack of water has allowed erosion to create sphinx-like shapes.

Ristroph and his colleagues are now working on developing a mathematical description of the geological process that may have contributed to the Sphinx's origins.

(With inputs from agencies)

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