a carved limestone statue of a laughing sphinx It was found in Egypt. That was announced on Monday Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a statement, mentioning that the monument could represent a Roman emperor whose identity has not yet been confirmed.
The Archaeological Mission reported the find in the Dandera Temple, in the southern Qena Governorate, 500 kilometers south of Cairo. The team found the sphinx in a “Byzantine cistern in a two-tiered tomb.”
A “Roman stela engraved in Demotic and hieroglyphic” was also discovered next to it.
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According to Mamdouh El Damaty, leader of the archaeological team, former Minister of Antiquities and Professor of Egyptology at Ain Shams University, the piece was excavated where in the past stood a temple dedicated to the god Horus.
Initial examination of the statue’s face indicates so it is probably a depiction of Emperor Claudius. According to El Damaty, the statue’s face is distinguished by accurately rendered regal features and a slight smile appears on the lips, which have two dimples at either end.
This discovery comes just days after an international scientific mission announced the discovery of a nine-meter-long and two-meter-wide hidden passageway in the Great Pyramid of Cheops.
The Cheops Pyramid, the largest of the three pyramids at Giza, is the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
Source: Eluniverso
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