The sphinxes of Queen Hatshepsut

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What does the word sphinx mean?

The word sphinx is a Greek word which means combination. This word symbolizes sovereignty combining the power and strength of a lion and the intelligence of human beings. The word sphinx most probably derived from the ancient Egyptian word Ssp anx that means the living image. At the beginning the ancient Egyptians called it Hr m Axt which means Horus in the horizon. Then it was called Hr m Axty which means Horus of the horizon. Later on it was called bw Hwl that means the sacred place of god Hwl one of the Asiatic gods from which derived the Arabic word أبو الهول. The Arabic word is derived from either the ancient Egyptian word bw Hwl and this is the most convincible idea or it is derived from the Arabic word حول that means a year. Finally, some scholars believed that when the Arabs came to Egypt they saw this huge statue, that made them really scared, so they screamed saying يا للهول أبو الهول that means the terrifying one or the father of fear.

Kinds of sphinxes:

Through all the Egyptian history we notice three kinds of sphinxes which are:

<!--The first type representing a human‘s head attached to a lion’s body. This type is called the classical sphinx; it is best represented by the great sphinx of Giza

<!--The second type is representing a ram’s attached to a lion’s body and it is called the criosphinx of god Amen. It was widely spread during the New Kingdom time. The best example exists in the avenue of Karnak temples at Thebes

<!--The third type is representing a human’s face with a lion’s mane and body like those of Queen Hatshepsut.

The statue:

This statue belongs to Qeen Hatshepsut. It is made out of pink granite which was quarried form Aswan. It was found in the site of Deir El Bahari. Most of the kings used to represent themselves in the form of sphinxes as a king of power and wisdom. Thus, Queen Hatshepsut represents herself in this form in order to show that she is not less than any king that ruled Egypt. The queen is represented wearing a striped nms head dress protected by a uraeus but unfortunately it is completely damaged. The false royal beard is attached to her chin by two bands which rejoin the head dress. She is also wearing a wide collar and we can see the lock of hair that gathered behind her head known as Lapis Lazoli of god Re. one can easily recognize in this sphinx the remarkable features of the queen which have been preserved for us in numerous portraits such as the feline eyes, the arched nose, the full cheeks and delicate mouth with slightly incurved lower lip. On the sphinx’s chest an inscription in sunken relief gives the coronation name of Queen Hatshepsut nsw bity mAat kA ra king of Upper and Lower Egypt soul of justice of god Re. while the rest of the inscription is completely erased. We don’t know who exactly had done this but most probably king Thutmosis III is responsible for erasing the queen’s name and titles. We can notice that the muscles and veins of the lion are well elaborated as a kind of showing power and strength. Thus, the sculptor was skillful enough to show all the feminine features of the queen.

The second statue:

This statue is made out of limestone which was quarried from Maasara Turah and Mokattam hills. The queen is represented wearing the pleated nms head dress with frontal uraeus which is badly damaged. The false royal beard is attached to the chin by means of straps. Part of the head is damaged “the nose”.

The hybrid alliance between the man and the lion is artistically achieved and the well known elegance of Hatshepsut’s statues transpires even through the lion’s body whose permanent musculature and stylized ribs are represented with great dexterity. On the sphinx’s chest an inscription in sunken relief gives the coronation name of the queen:

Nsw bity mAat kA ra mry imn di anx Dt

King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the soul of justice of god Re, beloved of god Amen who was given life for ever.

This sphinx is having a human’s face with a lion’s mane and body. The features of the face are for Queen Hatshepsut, the famous queen of the New Kingdom, the statue was found in the site of Deir El Bahari