A group of scientists from New York University in the United States has suggested that the Great Sphinx in Egypt’s Giza may be only partially man-made. The study was published in the scientific journal Gallery of Fluid Motion (GFM).
Experts have reproduced the conditions that existed when one of the world’s most recognizable statues was built 4.5 thousand years ago.
“Our results offer a possible origin story for how sphinx-like formations can arise from erosion. Laboratory experiments have shown that remarkably Sphinx-like shapes can actually arise from materials eroded by fast currents.” explained Associate Professor Leif Ristof, senior author of the study.
The scientific study focused on reproducing yardangs, unusual rock formations formed by windblown dust and sand in deserts.
To do this, Ristroph and his colleagues took mounds of soft clay with harder, less erodible material trapped in them, mimicking the terrain in northeastern Egypt where the Great Sphinx was located.
They then washed these formations with a rapid stream of water to simulate wind, which carved and reshaped them, eventually resulting in a Sphinx-like formation. Harder or more durable material became the “head” of the lion, and many other features emerged, such as a cropped “neck”, “claws” lying on the ground in front, and an arched “back”. Later, people were able to modify the rock, giving it the characteristic features of a mythical creature.
According to the scientists, the results revealed a simple theory for the origin of the sphinx-like formations that emerged as a result of erosion. There are yadrangs that look like animals sitting or lying in deserts.
Previous scientists to create New Year’s table in an ancient Egyptian temple.