RARE! Sphinx-like Roman-era statue with dimples and smiley face unearthed in Egypt

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a limestone sphinx-like statue with a smiley face and two dimples, near the Hathor Temple, 500 kilometres south of the capital city of Cairo.

The artefact was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple and could be a stylised representation of an ancient Roman emperor, the antiquities authorities said.

The archaeologists believe that the statue may be depicting Roman emperor Claudius who ruled between 41 and 54 AD and extended Rome's empire into North Africa.

“It is a beautifully and accurately carved sphinx. Primary examination of the statue shows that it could belong to the Roman emperor Claudianoius,” saidMamdouh El-Damaty,professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University.

Apart from the smiling statue, the archaeologists also stumbled upon a Roman-era slab with demotic and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Though the statue is comparatively much smaller than the widely popular Sphinx in the Pyramids of Giza which stands tall at 20 metres, the archaeologists will continue their research to reveal more information about its identity. Deciphering the slab may shed important information about the statue, the ministry noted.

Notably, the Hathor Temple where the discovery has been made housed the famous Dendera Zodiac - an ancient bas-relief temple ceiling carved with mysterious celestial symbols.

The map was blasted out of the temple by a Frenchman named Sebastien Louis Saulnier and since 1922, it has been on display at the Louvre in Paris. Cairo, on numerous occasions, has demanded that the French government return the property.

The discovery comes days after a hidden corridor was discovered close to the main entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The discovery within the pyramid was made under the Scan Pyramids project. The project, kickstarted in 2015, has been using non-invasive technology including infrared thermography, 3D simulations and cosmic-ray imaging to peer inside the structure.

According to Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, the unfinished corridor was created to redistribute the pyramid's weight around either the main entrance or around another as yet undiscovered chamber or space

The series of announcements in recent weeks, however, has made experts wary about the intentions of the Egyptian government. Some believe that the government is attempting to drive up tourism in the region by making such announcements which are more economically motivated than scientific.

(With inputs from agencies)

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