Archeologists in Egypt discover ancient Roman emperor sphinx

Posted by Jordyn Johnson on 9 March 2023

Archeologists in Egypt have discovered a sphinx, who is thought to be an ancient Roman emperor.

A team from Ain Shams University (ASU), headed by Professor Mamdouh El-Damaty, is currently on its first Egyptian mission in the Dendera Site. The Dendera temple is found in Qena, a southern Egyptian city on the eastern banks of the Nile River.

The team found a limestone shrine with a two-level platform, and inside the shrine was a water-storage basin made from brick and mortar. They discovered the sphinx while cleaning the basin. The statue donned a Nemes with a ureaus, which is a headdress with a cobra-shaped end (usually only worn by pharaohs), and had a slight smile with two dimples.

The ASU website described the sphinx as ‘wonderfully beautiful, as its face is characterised by royal features depicted accurately.’

Al Jazeera reported that it is ‘believed to be a stylised representation of an ancient Roman emperor,’ and could be Emperor Claudius, the fourth Roman emperor who ruled between the years 41 and 54.

The archeologists found a Roman stele, or painting, written in hieroglyphics and demotic (the simplified or colloquial form of hieroglyphics). Researchers hope that once the stele has been deciphered, they will be able to accurately identify the sculpture.

El-Damaty said that excavation work will continue at the Dendera site for many seasons to come. They hope to make discoveries that will ‘add a lot to the history of Egyptian civilisation in the Greek and Roman ages.’

ALSO READ: New discovery: Elephant bird lineage identified from ancient eggshells

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