How did the nose of the Sphinx disappear?
The face of the Sphinx is better preserved than that of most ancient statues, but it has been completely destroyed by weathering and man-made destruction for thousands of years. The stone of the Sphinx itself is very soft limestone, which is not as strong as the pyramids. After years of sun and rain, coupled with strong sandstorms in western Egypt, the nose of the Sphinx was finally destroyed. In addition, according to 1402, an Arab historian recorded that a Sufi fanatic deliberately disfigured his face for the purpose of? Correct religious fallacies? .
The famous Sphinx stands in Giza, west of Cairo. You may not know that the Sphinx also has a name? Sphinx? (The Sphinx). The Sphinx is located in the east of khalaf Pyramid, 350 meters away from pyramid of khufu. It is said that the head of the Sphinx was carved according to the face of Egyptian Pharaoh khalaf as the patron saint of the pyramids in khalaf.
The prototype of the Sphinx is a female monster in Greek mythology with a winged lion. There are ancient sculptures about it not only in Egypt, but also in many European countries.
However, after thousands of years of weathering and years of erosion, the Sphinx still stands there guarding the khalaf Pyramid, but after thousands of years, things have changed, and now it is black and blue. Especially the nose of the Sphinx has collapsed deeply. Moreover, there is no exact record of how the nose of the Sphinx was destroyed, but there are also various legends circulating.
First, the nose of the Sphinx became a punching bag.
As we all know, building pyramids requires a lot of manpower and material resources. What's more, Egypt not only built a pyramid, but also built it on a large scale. Compared with the Great Wall built by Qin Shihuang, it is even worse. What kind of prince would like to have? When people can't stand it, riots are inevitable. The Sphinx became a punching bag for people, and the workers knocked off the nose of the Sphinx. People didn't really know that the Sphinx had a beard before. However, even the nose is gone, and the beard is covered? Pull? It is also inevitable.
Second, the Sphinx became a gun target.
In the Middle Ages, Egypt formed a unique military aristocratic group called Mamluk. When this military group attacked Egypt, it actually used the nose and beard of the Sphinx as the target of gun practice. It is said that the nose and beard that were knocked off still exist in the British Museum in London.
Third,? Not satisfied? Napoleon's sphinx
Everyone knows the history of Napoleon's attack on Egypt. 1789, Napoleon's army invaded Egypt with its head held high, and everyone bowed before Napoleon. However, only the Sphinx stood there, looking at the East and Napoleon. Perhaps the appearance of the Sphinx at that time was still very realistic, which made Napoleon unbearable and made Napoleon very angry. If you don't bow your head, you will be bombed. So he ordered his men to bomb the face of the Sphinx and destroy its nose.
Four. Oppose idolatry
The ancient Egyptians were forced to bow to the Sphinx under the threat of Pharaoh. Some brave people who opposed idolatry destroyed its face with pickaxes.
Various legends have also been widely circulated about the mystery that the nose of the Sphinx was destroyed. According to 1402, an Arab historian recorded that a Sufi fanatic deliberately disfigured his face, with the purpose of? Correct religious fallacies? . In fact, the only destroyer we can be sure of is a Muslim named Syme? Dai Haier, 1378, was executed for sabotage.
The culprit that caused the great destruction of the sphinx was nature at first. Pyramid of khufu is located in the west of Egypt. Strong storms carry a lot of sand and stones, which constantly impact the pyramids. The impact of sand and stone was so strong and frequent that the Sphinx was completely swallowed up by the desert many times.
When Napoleon arrived here in the18th century, the sand had flooded the sand around the Sphinx. At that time, the nose of the stone statue had been destroyed.