Geologist Robert Schoch argued in the 1990s that deep weathering around the Sphinx was caused by heavy rainfall, which would point to a much earlier date. Most Egyptologists and many geologists reject this.
Truth label: Debated. Serious people disagree. You get both sides.
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The rain argument
Rounded, rippled grooves in the enclosure walls look like water running down them over a very long time, in a climate much wetter than Egypt's for the last 5,000 years.
The mainstream view
The Sphinx is usually dated to Pharaoh Khafre, around 4,500 years ago. Critics say salt and soft limestone can weather this way without heavy rain.
Learn
- Both sides agree. The Sphinx was carved directly out of the bedrock, and the rock it sits in is unusually soft and layered.
- Where they split. Whether the weathering needs rain over thousands of years, or can be explained by salt, wind and occasional floods.
Test yourself
What kind of evidence is the "older Sphinx" idea based on?
Weathering of the rock. The argument comes from how the limestone has worn away.
Sources
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