Monitoring Desk
CARIO: Archaeologists have unearthed the sphinx-like statue and the remains of a shrine in an ancient temple in Egypt, the antiquities ministry said.
According to BBC, the artefacts have been found near the Hathor Temple, one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient sites.
The limestone sphinx with its “laugh face and two dimples” is thought to represent Roman Claudius.
It is smaller than the famous Sphinx in the Pyramids of Giza, which is 20m high.
The artefacts were found inside a two-level tomb in the temple of Dendera in the province of Qena, 450km south of the capital of Cairo.
Emperor Claudius, whom archaeologists adhere the statue’s smiling features may belong to, extended Roman emperor rule into North Africa between 41 and 54 AD.
Egypt ministry’s statement
The ministry said that archaeologists would study the markings on the stone slab, which could reveal more information on the statue’s identity.
Besides the “beautifully and accurately carved” sphinx, archaeologists found a Roman period stone slab with demotic and hieroglyphic inscriptions.
The limestone shrine includes a two-layer platform and a mud-brick basin from the Byzantine period.
Some archaeologists see these discoveries by the Egyptian government as attracting more tourists to revive its tourism industry amid a severe economic crisis in the country.
