Hello Everyone;
This is my first posting, so if it's improperly formatted, or this question has been beat into the ground, please forgive me. I have a couple questions on the conservation efforts on the Great Sphinx in the Giza compound.
I've checked several sites online for the latest news on the Great Sphinx, but none seem to be up to date. I realize that the Sphinx was covered in stones by the egyptians thousands of years after it was built, and then by the Romans, who did an excellent job (sort of)... It was then repaired in the 20's-80's by several groups, who all did a horrible job for the most part, and emoved (i've been told) ALL of the ancient and Roman stones from the exterior.
This leads me to believe that the only outer casing stones on the Sphinx are the ones placed since the 20's. On the Plateau website, It is generally stated that the larger stones are the ones that were placed before the 90's, and the smaller ones were placed in the 90's.
Now, my question is, by looking at pictures, it is unclear to me which stones are the newest that Dr. Hawass and his team have had placed. From his site, it appears they have only replaced the stones on the rear paws... however, the front paws look great, but he doesn't take credit for that. Does anyone know if
those are Roman stones, or stones from the 20's, or were in fact placed by Dr. Hawass's team in the 90's?
Also, the south (rear end) of the Sphinx looks pretty good, but he again doesn't mention that they have recovered that area. Again, are those Roman stones, or from the 90's? From what I've heard, they couldn't be from the 20's-80's conservation efforts, because they were disasterous, whereas these stones look great. Dr. Hawass does complain about the horrible "large" stones that they used in the efforts before the 90's, and says that it makes those areas appear much newer, and doesn't fit the contours of the Sphinx. Which area is he speaking of? He doesn't mention having the front paws recovered, so I would have to guess that he thinks they look bad? I think that area looks great... Dr. Hawass also has stated that they have chose not to treat the head or chest area in any way, partially because they have no idea of their original shape.
The pictures I see of the north side of the sphinx show it largely unfinished, with large stones making it look almost like a wall. Are these from Hawass's team, from the 20's, or Roman? In my opinion, they would be better served to cover it with the smaller stones they've used on the rear and front paws, but the pictures are old, so I'm not sure if they have done this or left it as is. Hawass also makes mention of his feelings that the cement added in the 20's to lengthen the headress should be removed, because it's not needed to support the head's weight, as previously thought. Does anyone know if they plan on doing this, since it is not an original feature of the statue, or if they are just
going to leave it as it is?
Sorry about all of the questions, but I am very curious about the Sphinx, and won't be in Egypt anytime soon to check for myself! Any answers would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again,
Ron Lyons