Is This Irrefutable Evidence That the Sphinx Is 54,000 Years Old?

The Great Sphinx of Giza is the oldest, largest, and best preserved monumental sculpture in the world. The earliest known documentation for it comes from an inscription on a limestone stela (an upright stone slab) made during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose IV in 1400 B.C., which refers to the “Sphinx” as Horemakhet-Horus-in-the-Horizon (“Horus upon his Horizon”). But it may actually be much older. The Sphinx’s name has always been associated with its function as guardian of a sacred site; however, no early Egyptian text offers any real explanation about the Sphinx’s construction or age. In this episode of The Untold History of Egypt, we question the age-old assumptions about the age and gender of the Sphinx.