How did the Sphinx look 5000 years ago?

[@DesertSkies120]

The Sphinx was DEFINITELY painted in bright colors! A survey of the monuments at Luxor reveals some quite large areas of paint that survive almost intact, especially on ceilings and other areas protected from direct sun, wind, and rain. Ancient Egyptians loved lots of color on their monuments!

[@soisaidtogod4248]

@Gary Allen Yup, the forever yellowish tint of sand everywhere.

[@anonymousposter3570]

The Egyptians didnt build the Sphinx. It is far older than the Egyptians, a proven fact.

[@MikeAG333]

@@anonymousposter3570 You haven't got the first idea of the meaning the word "fact", have you.

[@DesertSkies120]

@@mariestreeting4213 Men also wore fake beards in ancient Egypt.

[@susanq-m8e]

Not much of the beige, grey and greige we deal with today. 😊

[@seanmc7128]

I would love to go back in time and see ancient wonders such as this right after they were completed.

[@QuelSalius]

This was pretty good. I thought that you might color it as well, since it supposedly had pigment... 😏

[@blazinjaden]

are you coming on to the sphynx? 🤨😳

[@QuelSalius]

@@blazinjaden I heard that the Sphinx was painted and time plus environment eroded it.

[@ge2623]

@@blazinjaden Pervert.

[@banana9106]

@Gary Allen I agree, the uraeus would have been higher and the eyes were sculpted. These are things for which there is clear evidence, but how do they know it had a beard?

[@gennaterra]

True... even Romans and Greeks works were in color.

[@northernskys]

Of course, the Sphinx was also brightly coloured with pigments, some of which are still evident on the brow, and it would have been nice if you could have included the uraeus, an upright cobra figure, to finish off the head, since this was a critical symbol of power in Ancient Egypt. Still, a pretty good representation of the Sphinx as it would have looked. Nicely done.

[@ahmedbbadran4311]

I'm Egyptian . The Sphinx is very important in relation to the Egyptian civilization. Indeed, there are many miniature Sphinxes found in tombs, and you can see its nose and face that it is close to this, but with a straight nose and a little smaller.

[@yawos9024]

Your being Egyptian has no bearing on the Sphinx since your people were not even existent when the Sphinx was built. They cannot white-wash the sphinx. The sphinx has always had very marked negro feature.

[@AFRICA4AFRICANS]

F’n STOP YOU ARE ASIATIC INVADER!!!!!! You are a arab!!! The profile is purely BLACK AFRICAN!!!… It’s written on the walls carved in stone…THIS IS THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PHARAOH AHMOSES…O lord help us crush and drive out THE VILE ASIATICS!!! This is on the walls

[@AFRICA4AFRICANS]

@@UlyssesDrax of what????? NOT OF ANCIENT EGYPTIANS(K’MTNU) EGYPT IS A ENGLISH FROM THE GREEK WORD…FOR THE BLACK AFRICAN GOD OF KA P’THA

[@yawos9024]

@@UlyssesDrax The original people of that land never called themselves 'Egyptians'. They called themselves 'Kermet' which translates to 'Land of the Blacks'. We know some of you try verbal gymnastics by saying it means 'The Black land' referring to the soil, but this is some bs. The who land of Egypt was not black.

[@yawos9024]

@@UlyssesDrax Are you black?

[@XenoKnightAlpha]

Fascinating. I vaguely remember learning that the Sphinx might've been colored too. It makes me a bit curious. Nevertheless, nice work!

[@SlumberBear2k]

I was gonna mention the same thing. think you can still see some of the paint around the forehead.

[@Gerry1of1]

@@SlumberBear2k I thought I saw some red and some blue where the head band would be, too.

[@kiely4561]

I think most statues in the ancient world had colour added to them, people ask why the pupils are always missing in Ancient Greek and Roman statues, the simple answer is the eyes were generally painted which eroded over thousands of years

[@SlumberBear2k]

@@kiely4561 interesting! good point.

[@lchambers56]

There's still some color there. At least it looks that way to me, anyway.

[@janeteholmes]

It would have been painted, presumably in the same colours used in temples and tombs. All those marble statues from Ancient Rome and Greece were brightly painted as well.

[@BillWoodillustrator]

Don’t find it odd that no colours are really found on any of those statues though? I mean NONE?

[@seancdaug]

​@@BillWoodillustrator Exposed paint doesn't last very long, and the newest of these are well over 1500 years old. Besides which, traces of the original pigments often can be detected, at times even visibly so. Faded, but still there in trace capacities.

[@greatdaneacdc]

It really looked nice 11,000 years ago

[@varoonnone7159]

4500 years ago

[@leobelleobel2007]

Thanks to napoleon for ordering his troops to hit sphinx face as a cannon training exercices

[@ajmittendorf]

There is some incredible computer work done in this video.

[@norasmith4939]

You can still see the color on the forehead of the sphinx so yes it did have color. Would of been nice to see with the color added

[@brucebeamon5460]

Nothing but pale white as ORIGINALLY intended !

[@Akrafena]

@@brucebeamon5460 you are trolling, i really almost took the bait there

[@Larrymarx]

Best restoration to date.... Thank you for taking the time to make and post this excellent video... *I Love It* 😊

[@henryhawthorn8849]

It’s possible that the Sphinx was originally painted in different colors just like the ancient Roman and Greek monuments, and statutes. It has also been theorized that the Sphinx was originally built at a time that Egypt had lush vegetation, which would have been thousands of years before the pyramids were built.

[@rodneyLee336rlb]

the red-brown pigment is still visible to this day on Hor-em -Akhet ( Heru of the Horizon) which is the original name. Sphinx is Greek and means strangler. Abu - Hol is Arabic and means father of terrors

[@proveritate9312]

The sphinx is definitely older than 4500 years ! Archeological research shows perhaps anything from 15 to 75000 years. It stays an enigma

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

The only archaeology evidence that supports that claim comes from conspiracy theory wonks trying gain notoriety. And THE ONLY so called evidence is that supposedly the Sphynx has experienced more erosion then can be explained if its age is 4500 years. The problem is that that statement was not based on any evidence of erosion patterns of limestone of which the sound is carved from. Further there is no evidence of this alledged earlier culture that supposedly carved the Sphynx. Conclusion:. Any claims for the Sphynx bring significantly older than 4500 years is wild baseless speculation. Have a good day.

[@rafiamadeo5363]

Beautiful work, nice video. Thank you.

[@chandarussell]

I thought you might add the colours. The headpiece in particular was said to have several brilliant colours in it.

[@mattrost2574]

I've heard several theories that say originally, the Sphinx had a feline head; later resculpted to look like a king or somebody......

[@dashxlife]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the body was covered in sand with just the head sticking out until it was dug up in 1930. It makes me wonder if Romans, Greeks, or even the Egyptians themselves carved the head not knowing how deep it was buried, resulting in it not being proportional to its body. If this is true then the sphinx could be a lot older than we thought

[@sarahrose5772]

The recent discussion about the rain and flooding damage on the body has led many archaeologists to speculate it dates back to the Younger Dryas. This would date it around 11,500 bc at the latest. But the face has been recarved since the original construction. It’s absolutely nuts.

[@XenoKnightAlpha]

ahhh interesting, I didn't know about that!

[@Keznen]

@nameYUnoavailable It is thought to have originally been a lioness.

[@maszkalman3676]

@@XenoKnightAlpha Because it's bullshit told by the kinds of "peoples i guess" like Graham HanCuck...

[@tthomas184]

Maybe actually read about the Younger Dryas before posting pseudoscience and misinformation.

[@markgreiser464]

@@Keznen doubtful. A Lion is far more likely.

[@johnjones393]

It's likely that the Sphinx was built by an earlier civilization and Egyptians found it. The head would have been that of a cat and the Egyptians replaced it.

The Sphinx is much , much older than 5000 years.

[@rustythecrown9317]

really?... how do you know this?. Ancient Aliens?. lol

[@Banydian]

Loved the transitions and comparisons at the end

[@suzielynne9421]

Astonishing, thank you. Your hard work shines.

[@kevincohalan7397]

Beautiful job! Next question: what about the theory that the original head of the Sphinx was much bigger than the one we see today?

[@jlopez3a]

The sphinx head is way out of proportion to the rest of the body. It's hard to believe the Egyptians would make that mistake.

[@Jan6750]

It was a lion, and 10,500 years ago would have been perfectly aligned with the Leo constellation. That with over 10,000 years of water erosion coupled with the fact that the original megalithic Sphynx temple (on the level of its paws) had an Egyptian temple built over the top of its north west corner!. So for people to say the Egyptians carved it is a bit rich.😏

[@Jan6750]

@Xl Bubblehead yep. The step pyramid is built over the top of a deep shaft with a giant granite box at the bottom. There's an identical shaft right next to that bad construction and another three in the immediate area, at the same depth as the Saqqarah tunnel system. I posted a video after my visit. You wouldn't believe what is round the back near the car park in a 'dumping ground'!

[@cpfs936]

That's what I thought-nice human restoration, but that's NOT the original. The original was either a lion or a jackal. As others have noted, the current human face is uncharacteristically out-of-proportion.

[@northernstar4811]

The Sphinx was covered by sand nearly up to its neck for thousands of years until the 1930`s when they finally dug it out. The amount of weathering on the Sphinx is amazing considering it was covered up by sand for so long, so how old is the Sphinx? Who really knows...

[@missscarlett186]

The estimated date is was completed is 2532 BC. So over 4,000 years ago.

[@TheT-90thatstaresintoyoursoul]

Well, that explains how Napoleon shot off the nose so easily back in 1798

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

@Northern Star On what do you base your claim that the Sphynx was buried in sand for thousands of years?

[@tellzywellzy1604]

Apparently the original head of the sphinx which was much bigger, was replaced by this newer head that looks all out of proportion compared to the body

[@rustythecrown9317]

Really. what are your sources for this?.

[@gilesa.4052]

There are 'theories' that originally the sphinx had the head of a lion and it was re-sculpted.

[@rustythecrown9317]

but they're wrong... no historical data to back it up.

[@Jan6750]

Amazing how over 10,500 years can take its toll!

[@jandrews6254]

Amazing how well it’s lasted, given the climate. Not too many buildings or structures have lasted so well, so long

[@Jan6750]

@@jandrews6254 Well, being buried helps...look at Gobegli Tepe. 🤔

[@evgenipronenko927]

Well done! Extremely impressive! Post more videos like this

[@wolfman7393]

Thoroughly enjoy this! Thanks you!

[@friedpuddycatgamer4682]

It can't be 4,500 years old. The water damage, and water erosion surrounding it are caused by either heavy rainful or flooding. More likely 12-14,000 years old. You get a great job on the photoshop. When it was first built. It was most likely the head of a lion. And the more modern Egyptians changed it to a face.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

What evidence of erosion of limestone backs up this claim of a much older Sphynx than 4500 years old?? The general statement you are making is not evidence!!

[@DrCrabfingers]

That was fun to watch...but the Sphinx was heavily decorated with bright colours.

[@khalatelomara]

one of the best videos 😀

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Very nice time lapse. I would have loved to see it coloured as it was in all its glory...

[@josephgioielli]

That's what it looked like when the Egyptians restored it. That head is much too small for the body. It is believed the original head was a jackal. A larger version of the smaller statues in that area.

[@jeannerogers7085]

Delightful to watch.

[@kenskinner6948]

Great work. Thank you for sharing.

[@nissmoguy]

AT THE TOP OF HIS HEAD IN THE CENTER WAS THE SERPENT WHICH YOU DISPLAYED AS A BLOB

[@thecollector5204]

Maybe one day people will see Mount Rushmore the same way we see the Sphinx.

[@giuseppersa2391]

Now this is awesome thanks ❤..

[@FABIO.AYUB.]

Muito interessante... Eu não imaginava desse jeito... Interessante mesmo! Parabéns 👍🏻 Quanto as cores, que as pessoas mencionaram nos comentários, isso eu não consigo imaginar... Grande abraço 👍🏻✌🏻

[@Hardrada00]

"The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and pigment residue suggests that the entire Great Sphinx was painted."

[@floydfanboy2948]

I wonder what the sphinx looked like originally, I mean before the head of a pharaoh was cut out of the original head. The current head is so small and out of proportion with the rest of the body. I bet it was the head of an animal.

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

Looks good - now do something about those pores! And a cobra on the headpiece please.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

nice job. the human head on the sphynx is thought to have been added later, reshaped from that of a lion's head, as the human head is out-of-proportion smaller than thre rest of sphynx's lion body. its also thought to have been built, like the great pyramid, LONG before the other two pyramids and before egypt even became a "nation." personally, i believe these to be the case. "ancient," pre-civilization humanity was much more advanced than we give it credit for. i'll argue that our species has been actually moving backwards on so many levels the last 6000 years, not forwards. its my belief that humanity has been recovering from the collapse of past civilizations 10,000 years old or even older.

[@jeffbaxter8770]

Beeautifully done. Wow.

[@c4c4cr0773]

This is quite impressive. You should try to paint it. It was most likely painted to look more realistic.

[@Höwlingwölföpå]

Ok. This is my last comment because I keep commenting in almost every link I go in…because this is just so damn cool. If I had your skills, I’d be doing this for my own entertainment and curiosity. Especially with old ruins and structures. I will be lost in this channel for days, thank you. This is the channel I didn’t know that I was forever searching for! 🍻

[@freeman8128]

This restoration has missed the cobra on the head and the bright colours, traces of which are still visible. Much of the damage to the face was done by Napoleonic soldiers using it for cannon practice.

[@marmanuri9895]

Maravilloso!!! Me gustaría mucho ver este rostro acabado, como haces con las estatuas y ver como se verian si estuvieran vivos, y también ver la Esfinge con colores.Seria estupendo!!! Muchas gracias!!!❤

[@haroldmorris5901]

Very good reconstruction! The face of the "Mehit" (Sphinx) is not Khafre. It is the face of Nesi (Pharaoh and Great Royal Queen) Khen-Ta-Ka (Khentakawes I), the last king of the 4th Dynasty and mother of the first two kings of the 5th Dynasty, Asar-Kaf (Userkaf) and Ra-Anu-Sah (Sahure).

[@Nobody-cw4wm]

Wow, good work!

[@sergeyandreev356]

Great job, but there are comments on individual fragments. The beard of the sphinx was different - the beard "hebeswt" curved at the tip. The snake had a three-dimensional shape of the muzzle - its fragment is now on display in the Cairo Museum.

[@alazarano2]

Pretty impressive!

[@tinovanderzwanphonocave544]

there are several mistakes here 1 The Pharaohs always had pierced earlobes 2 The beard of the sphinx was actually found and was of the slender braided variety 3 The whole thing was painted in bright colors 4 The sphinx has remnants of irises in its eyes 5 The thing on its forehead was a cobra diadem and used to have a snakehead that has since eroded away. research is valuable in historic reconstructions and, these facts are not hard to find is saddens me that you seem not even to have bothered but went for visual clues only.

[@Desenter_7]

I really like this

[@armchair22]

You didn't answer your own question...you just filled in the blanks.

[@johnnyboyvan]

Looks like the face seen on Mars!

[@KenrickJoseph-ok5vz]

There weren't people like that in Egypt 5000 ago.

[@lyarrastark6254]

Great job. That looks convincing.

[@johnvonjasper7893]

Nice work on the restoration! I would be curious to see what it would look like if the head were expanded to be in proportion with the body. The ancient Monument makers were masters of proportion and on the Sphinx the head is too small leading to the idea it was recarved. My hunch is a chunk of the original limestone cracked off either during or shortly after construction causing them to improvise with what was left.

[@Raygo.]

Actually it was the lack of eye pupils and irises that bothered me. Aren't they clearly visible on the Sphinx? But not on your recreation.

[@steveafanador6441]

Incredible 😮😮😀😀👍👍

[@glennwebster1675]

I believe originally it was a lion's head......

[@roylcraft]

Very fun to see! Part of the false beard does exist, it had a herringbone pattern.

[@Sk8Bettty]

Not from a single block - it was carved right where it stands from bedrock. It’s still attached. Either it was a natural outcropping or the rest of the entire Giza Plateau was leveled off.

[@ninarizzo7312]

How fabulous to see how it originally was! Was it not painted too? Is it possible to see the original colours too? Magnificent ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@johnvonjasper7893]

Faded traces of red, blue, and yellow have been found on the Spyhnix. Must have been quite a sight in its original glory!

[@ninarizzo7312]

@@johnvonjasper7893 It certainly must have been!!!!

[@alechorn1109]

Many archeologists believe the original Spinx had a lion’s face which was later recut to replace with Pharaoh’s face. The side view indicates a disproportionate head. Also they know this same Pharoh modified other paintings to replace face.

[@tommywestbrook6470]

Excellent work.

[@davemmar]

I was hoping the uraeus would be reconstructed. I also felt reconstructing the nose would be purely guesswork. But I like the final product and it is probably an excellent interpretation.

[@thomaslong8401]

Imagine the pressure of working on it. There could be no do overs if you made a mistake.

[@GarryOwens-lm2sk]

The Sphinx's color scheme should have also been attempted, as well as the restoration of the cobra badge on the headdress' crown.

[@lesleyfromkent6938]

Next version, taking account of comments should be vv good. Its beard is in basement of British museum, not on display, and also has paint remnants on it. They won't return it, I've been told, until Egyptians agree to reattach it with removable glue, while Egyptian government want it back on permanently..

[@_hunter_hunter1048]

Can you restore the paintings on it's head ? We can still see traces of the paint and drawings

[@soyyoroaldo]

Wow really really interesting. I’ve always wondered. Very nice to get an excellent guess. Deepens for me what I’ve always felt - that Sphinx makes my skin crawl. I think it is so creepy.

[@missscarlett186]

Yes, it really depicts what the Era back then was like. The Egyptian religion was the main religion at that time, so the Israelites weren't allowed to defy it. The consequences were death, or at least severe punishment to not worship their gods.

[@winnifredforbes1114]

Wasn’t it Napoleon’s army that destroyed the nose? 😱

[@speakingfromsource]

Great work

[@reneraguse3673]

Das ist der falsche Bart. Der Sphinx trug einen geflochten Götterbart und darunter stand eine Statue .

[@Kinship1]

I reckon it used to be an anubis.

[@Gerry1of1]

Didn't the Egyptians paint their statues? I read somewhere they did. Time to add some colour !

[@brucebeamon5460]

YES WHITE OF COURSE RIGHT ?

[@Gerry1of1]

@@brucebeamon5460 I doubt it. But the head dress had colours

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

@@Gerry1of1 He's a troll.

[@Gerry1of1]

@@MayYourGodGoWithYou which is the troll? Me or the other commenter?

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

@@Gerry1of1 The other commenter who continually posts about the original colours being snow white. I've seen exactly the same comments posted on other videos under different names so guessing they are all sock-puppets/trolls.

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

It was in even worse shape when uncovered. Partial reconstruction of the headdress was undertaken. Old photos show it pre-restoration.

[@Chris.Davies]

It never looked as good as this. It was a highly weathered natural outcrop of less-than-perfect quality. They will have filled cracks and defects with mortar to improve the look, and then painted it - no doubt.

[@wbwilhite]

Interesting. What about the ornament above the forehead? And the color?

[@bobross1829]

It probably was brightly painted, as we now know most cultures did that back then. Ironically the "unpainted" look we have for statutes and monuments from antiquity we now assume was based upon people from 1700-recent just did not know that they were painted.

[@FortuneFinders]

Crazy to think that their civilization didn’t hold up. If it had these structures would have been kept in tact and look just how they did back when they were built.

[@soisaidtogod4248]

The ever changing climate rules all living under its effects.

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

The Egyptian civilization lasted from 3100 BCE until almost the end of the last century BCE with the Ptolemaic period that last of the Egyptian era. That is longer than any other culture in history. So I don't get what you mean by their civilization not holding up?!

[@davidwarren9204]

Given that everything INSIDE the tombs etc was vividly painted, I''m guessing the Sphynx was probably painted as well (and just wore off over time). That could explain why, for example, there are no pupils etc carved into the eyeballs - they would have been painted on instead. Great photoshopping, BTW.

[@steveafanador6441]

This is gonna be awesome 👍👍

[@keith3970]

It was painted.

[@marcioramosramos8865]

magnifico, parabéns !!!

[@rheffner3]

I've seen this before. Several times. But always cool.

[@fionalee5177]

Nicely done 😊

[@GwynEllisHughes]

The beard is the wrong design to the fragments that still exists of them. The beard was originally carved with a braided design, and not straight perpendicular lines. Fragments of the beard can be seen in the Egyptian museum in Cairo. Other pieces are housed in the British museum in London.

[@r.b.667]

Nicely done, but i also expected restoring the polychromy

[@Hassar650]

They could have restored the colors and the Cobra badge above the head as well.

[@SeaBreeze2247]

Well done!

[@margaretasaarenpaa4239]

That was very good. I think it had a snake on the top of the head piece. The snake was a symbol of royalty and was only allowed for king or queen.

[@janiceg7661]

Amazing!❤

[@albertcheeni]

Bravo. Very good

[@Frodojack]

The Sphinx was called Hor-em-akhet ("Horus of the horizon") by King Thutmose III about a thousand years after it was sculpted. We don't know the original name. The nose was purposely damaged, allegedly by a Sufi in the 14th century, but archaeological evidence indicates that it was actually damaged hundreds of years earlier.

[@RaymondCore]

The French Occupation Army fired rifles and artillery at it and did most of the damage.