THE SPHINX OF TANIS IN LOUVRE MUSEUM, PARIS

                                           

                       

A VISIT  TO LOUVRE  MUSEUM, PARIS...Great Sphinx of Tanis ..

(Lying in  room No 338,  Sully Wing,Level 1, Louvre Museum ,Paris)

An enigmatic half-human, half-animal creature with the body of a lion and the face of a King stands guard at the entrance to the Louvre's Department of Egyptian Antiquities.Deep down in the crypt, the Great Sphinx of Tanis welcomes visitors to a vast display of over 6,000 works spanning almost 5,000 years of Egyptian history.The displays on Level 1 take a historical and artistic approach with an overview of almost 5,000 years of Egyptian art. Highlights include the famous Seated Scribe with his bright-eyed gaze, and the statues of kings and queens including Sesostris III, Ahmose Nefertari, Hatshepsut, Amenophis III, Nefertiti, Akhenaton and Ramesses II.

This Sphinx was discovered among the ruins of the Temple of at Tanis (the capital of the 21st and 22nd dynasties in ancient Egypt) by a local in 1825 AD.This granite sculpture is about 4000 years old. It  was successively inscribed with the names of the pharaohs Ammenemes II (12th Dynasty, 1929-1895 BC), Merneptah (19th Dynasty, 1212-02 BC) and Shoshenq I (22nd Dynasty, 945-24 BC).According to archaeologists, certain details suggest that this sphinx dates to an earlier period - the Old Kingdom (c. 2600 BC).

This  Sphinx at Louvre is  not to be confused with the massive Sphinx at Giza .The famous Great Sphinx in Giza is alongside the Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France as one of the most popular and fascinating monuments in the world.

There are many  sphinxes outside of Egypt and  some are on display inside the Louvre Museum  in Paris. One amongst the displayed Sphinxes is the Great Sphinx Of Tanis .It had been buried in the sand for centuries and was in a poor state of preservation.Captain Pierre Bouchard and his team excavated the Sphinx and brought it to the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it has been on display ever since. It is said that the Sphinx Lion design is inspired by the constellation Leo.

A Sphinx is an ancient Egyptian world described by the Greek name Ssp Ankh, which translates to “living image.” Amenemhat III was the first King to have a lion mane and a sphinx on his head. Sphinxes are common in many mythologies, including Ancient Greece. They are usually portrayed as having human heads, with the bodies of a lion and are sometimes depicted as winged. In Egyptian mythology, they are often portrayed as benevolent and strong and they are usually associated with royalty. The best-known Sphinx in Egypt is, of course, the colossal one at Giza, adjacent to the Great Pyramids.The famous Great Sphinx in Giza is alongside the Roman Colosseum in Rome, Italy, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France as one of the most popular and fascinating monuments in the world.

(Avtar Mota )

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