My Finds 
Statue
| Object Number: | E12326 |
| Current Location: | Egypt (Sphinx) Gallery Currently On Display |
| Provenience: | Egypt Memphis (Egypt) |
| Locus: | Sacred enclosure of the temple of the god Ptah |
| Period: | New Kingdom Nineteenth Dynasty |
| Date Made: | 1293-1185 BCE |
| Section: | Egyptian |
| Materials: | Granite |
| Iconography: | Sphinx |
| Length: | 362cm |
| Width: | 145cm |
| Credit Line: | Gift of the British School of Archaeology, 1913 |
Description
Red granite Sphinx of Ramses II, (19th Dynasty, circa 1293-1185 BCE). It was excavated in the area of the sacred enclosure of the temple of the god Ptah at Memphis, Egypt. The sphinx, a lion with a human head, represents the power of the Egyptian king, both to protect his people and to conquer the enemies of Egypt. This statue was buried up to its shoulders; only the exposed head was attacked by windblown sand, which eroded the facial features and the royal false beard. The inscriptions on the chest and around the base give the five names of Ramses II. His son and successor, Merenptah, added his own cartouches to the shoulders after his father's death. This sphinx, the the largest in the Western hemisphere, was quarried at Aswan and transported by river to the Ptah Temple at Memphis, 600 miles away. While it has never been placed on a scale, it is estimated to weigh just under 13 tons.
Current & Past Exhibitions:
| In A Rush? Take a Quick Tour of The Museum ( Sep 1996 - Jun 1997) | View Objects in Exhibition |
Bibliography:
| [Book] Wegner, Josef W. & Wegner, Jennifer H. 2015. The Sphinx That Traveled To Philadelphia. 239. | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Book] Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2014. History of the World in 1,000 Objects. : Page/Fig./Plate: Page 28 Bottom Row | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Article] Wegner, Jennifer H. 2014. Sphinx Celebrating a Centennial in Phildelphia. Expedition: The Magazine of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. 56 (2): 1-56. | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Catalogue] Bagh, Tine. 2011. Finds from W.M.F. Petrie's Excavations in Egypt in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Book] Horne, Lee C. 1985. Introduction to the Collections of The University Museum. | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Book] Porter, Bertha & Moss, Rosalind L. 1964. The Theban Necropolis Vol II. Vol II. Part 2. | View Objects cited in this Publication | |
| [Article] 1915. The Eckley B. Coxe., Jr. Egyptian Expedition. The Museum Journal. VI (2): 63-84. | View Objects cited in this Publication |
You may also be interested in these objects:
See a problem? Let us know online.collections@pennmuseum.org
