The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the most iconic and mysterious monuments in the world. Carved from limestone, it features a lion’s body and a human head, believed to be that of the pharaoh Khafre, who ruled Egypt around 2500 BC. But how much do we really know about this ancient wonder?
For decades, American archaeologist Mark Lehner has been trying to answer that question. He has dedicated his life to studying the Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza, using various methods, such as remote sensing, mapping, excavation and analysis, to uncover their secrets. He has discovered that the Sphinx was not an isolated monument, but a key element of a complex built by the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty, who wanted to create a grandiose project that reflected their religious and political vision.
But what led Lehner to this fascinating journey? Surprisingly, it was a psychic’s vision that sparked his interest in the Sphinx. In the late 1960s, when he was a teenager, his parents introduced him to the writings of Edgar Cayce, a famed clairvoyant who claimed that the Sphinx hid a hall of records from Atlantis, a lost civilization that supposedly had advanced technology and wisdom. Cayce also predicted that the hall would be discovered before the end of the 20th century.
“I was looking for something, a meaningful involvement,” Lehner said. He dropped out of college and joined a group tour of the Giza plateau sponsored by Cayce’s foundation. He was not impressed by the site at first, but he decided to stay and finish his education at the American University of Cairo with support from the foundation.
However, as he learned more about the real history and archaeology of Egypt, he became skeptical about Cayce’s claims. “There were thousands of tombs of real people, statues of real people with real names, and none of them figured in the Cayce stories,” he said. He also realized that there was no evidence of a hall of records under the Sphinx, as he and other researchers used state-of-the-art equipment to analyze the bedrock and found only natural cracks and fissures.
Lehner decided to focus on the scientific study of the Sphinx instead of the mystical speculations. He spent five years working between the Sphinx’s colossal paws, mapping it stone by stone and examining every detail of its structure and geology. He also explored the surrounding structures, such as temples, tombs and causeways, that were part of the original complex.
He discovered that the Sphinx was originally painted with red, blue and yellow colors, and that it has suffered from erosion, vandalism and restoration efforts throughout its history. He also found clues about how it was built and what it represented for its creators.
Lehner is now the president of Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA), a multidisciplinary organization that focuses on the Giza plateau. He has shared his findings with the public through books, documentaries and online platforms. In 2018, he released an expanded digital version of his Sphinx mapping project archive, which is the world’s first online dataset to document the history of masonry work on the Sphinx.
Lehner’s story shows how curiosity can lead to amazing discoveries, even if they are not what one expects at first. He started as a follower of a psychic’s vision, but ended up as a leader in Egyptology and Sphinx research. He may not have found a hall of records from Atlantis, but he has certainly uncovered some secrets of the Sphinx that are equally fascinating.
Relevant articles:
– Uncovering Secrets of the Sphinx, Smithsonian Magazine, February 2010
– Sphinx Mapping Digital Database, ARCE, 2018
– Mark Lehner, The George Washington University, n.d.
– After decades of research, American archaeologist Mark Lehner has some answers about the mysteries of the Egyptian colossus, History News Network, February 1, 2010