Cobra-Crowned Sphinx Statue with Ceremonial Beard Discovered in Egypt

By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor | September 19, 2018 10:16am ET

A beautifully preserved statue of a sphinx wearing a cobra crown has been discovered in Aswan, Egypt.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery Sept. 16 on its Facebook page. According to the ministry, archaeologists were working to reduce groundwater in the Temple of Kom Ombo at the site when they stumbled across the statue. The figure is about 11 inches (28 centimeters) wide and 15 inches (38 cm) tall, the BBC reported.

Kom Ombo sits along the banks of the Nile River in southern Egypt. It was constructed between 305 B.C. and 30 B.C., during the Ptolemaic period, making the statue just over 2,000 years old. The temple where the sphinx was found is constructed in a rare dual design, with one sanctuary devoted to Sobek, the crocodile god, and the other to Horus, the falcon-headed god associated with the pharaohs, according to Discovering Egypt.

The temple hosts a series of elaborate carvings, some showing ancient physicians at work with early surgical instruments. It was also the site of a recent discovery of two paintings on sandstone made during the reign of King Ptolemy V, according to the Ministry of Antiquities. Ptolemy V ruled between 204 B.C. and 181 B.C. [See Photos of Mummies Discovered at an Ancient Egyptian Cemetery]

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