| The ancient Egyptian sphinx is a symbol of royal power. It represents a king, or sometimes a queen, with the body of a lion. The Hellenised feature of this statue shows it was made in 332-30 BC, in the Ptolemaic period. As usual, the king wears a "nemes" headcloth with a cobra on the forehead. Sphinx statues flanked temple doorways and processional avenues. Their role was to act as guardians, keeping enemies of the gods at a distance. Egyptian sphinxes are very different from the cruel female sphinx of Greek mythology. ? The Trustees of the British Museum (2012). |
