Answer · Great Sphinx of Giza
A wind-eroded yardang with a hard knob at its head end suggested the lion, and the builders finished it by…
A wind-eroded yardang with a hard knob at its head end suggested the lion, and the builders finished it by carving.
Where it stands
Still possibleIts tests haven't settled it: two pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- The head is cut from a harder bed than the body, as a resistant inclusion would require.
- The landform before quarrying stood above the plateau surface on its own.
- Other yardangs on the plateau or nearby share the Sphinx's orientation to the prevailing wind.
What would rule it out
- Mapping showing the body was freed only by cutting the surrounding ditch into a flat bench, with no pre-existing relief above the surrounding surface.
Evidence 2 for · none against
FOR
The questions it answers
Most likelyThe body was a reserved block left by cutting a U-shaped ditch into a sloping bedrock bench; no free-standing…
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). A wind-eroded yardang with a hard knob at its head end suggested the lion, and the builders finished it by… [Answer ANS0CTWSK301JCM]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CTWSK301JCM
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0ctwsk301jcm,
title = {A wind-eroded yardang with a hard knob at its head end suggested the lion, and the builders finished it by…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0CTWSK301JCM},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0CTWSK301JCM}
}