# When was the Great Sphinx carved? · Great Sphinx of Giza > Five answers have been proposed. The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the… leads… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:57:33+00:00 --- **0** # When was the Great Sphinx carved? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·5 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: the Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the…** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Five answers have been proposed. The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the… leads, with evidence 4 for, 2 against: supported by its tests. Four are still possible. Of the one narrower question under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters The Sphinx is the largest statue of the Old Kingdom and has no inscription naming its maker. Its date decides whether it belongs to the Fourth Dynasty building programme at Giza or to an earlier, otherwise undocumented phase of work on the plateau, and every rival reading of the erosion and the head depends on it⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRSPG31HX/reconstructing-the-sphinx)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRWM84SS4/the-great-sphinx-robert-schochs-statement-of-the-redating)⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRWW22NE7/a-geomorphological-study-of-the-giza-necropolis-with). ## Answers 5 [**The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSDYY5J8F/the-sphinx-was-carved-under-khafre-about-2550-to-2520-bc-in) Supported by its tests Evidence: 4 for, 2 against Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSJV63YWA/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSGD23JAV/the-sphinx-was-carved-in-the-early-dynastic-period-in-the) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 2 for, 2 against Disputed [**The Sphinx was carved under Khufu, Khafre's predecessor, and Khafre's causeway was laid out around it.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSFNM2P13/the-sphinx-was-carved-under-khufu-khafres-predecessor-and) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**The core body was carved in the early Holocene or before, between about 10,000 and 5000 BC, and later…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/answers/ANS0CTWSHM40AJC/the-core-body-was-carved-in-the-early-holocene-or-before) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 for, 3 against Disputed ## History 1. 1992[Lehner puts forward: the Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRSPG31HX/reconstructing-the-sphinx) 1. 1992[Lehner: no Old Kingdom text names the Sphinx or its maker.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRSPG31HX/reconstructing-the-sphinx)Against: The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the… 1. 1992[Lehner: the fossil-bed match ties the Sphinx Temple's blocks to the ditch, and the temple's construction matches…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRSPG31HX/reconstructing-the-sphinx)Against: The Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began… 1. 1992[Dobecki & Schoch: schoch and Dobecki report a low-velocity weathered layer beneath the ditch floor, 1.8 to 2.5 m on the front…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRWCE2JAW/seismic-investigations-in-the-vicinity-of-the-great-sphinx)For: The core body was carved in the early Holocene or before, between about 10,000 and 5000 BC, and later… 1. 1994[Lehner: a drainage channel along the north side of Khafre's causeway opens into the upper corner of the ditch, which…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRT6451X8/notes-and-photographs-on-the-west-schoch-sphinx-hypothesis)For: The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the… 1. 1994[Lehner: the causeway drainage channel that opens into the ditch implies the ditch is later than the causeway.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRT6451X8/notes-and-photographs-on-the-west-schoch-sphinx-hypothesis)Against: The Sphinx was carved under Khufu, Khafre's predecessor, and Khafre's causeway was laid out around it. 1. 2000[Stadelmann puts forward: the Sphinx was carved under Khufu, Khafre's predecessor, and Khafre's causeway was laid out around it.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWS09E6ANS/the-great-sphinx-of-giza) 1. 2001[Reader puts forward: the Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRWW22NE7/a-geomorphological-study-of-the-giza-necropolis-with) 1. 2001[Wilkinson: wilkinson's comment in the same issue of Archaeometry disputed the archaeological case for an early Giza…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRX3W7VW8/comment-on-c-d-reader-a-geomorphological-study-of-the-giza)Against: The Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began… 1. 2001[Reader: reader accepts runoff erosion in the ditch and argues that Khufu's quarries upslope would have cut off the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRWW22NE7/a-geomorphological-study-of-the-giza-necropolis-with)For: The Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began… 1. 2010[Hadingham: fossil beds in the Sphinx Temple's core blocks match the strata of the Sphinx ditch, so the temple was built…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWRTNR2N3D/uncovering-secrets-of-the-sphinx)For: The Sphinx was carved under Khafre, about 2550 to 2520 BC, in the same quarrying operation that supplied the… 1. 2026[JPP: reader's 2026 book adds a Second Dynasty date, Ma'adi-period occupation of the plateau and a later Valley…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0CTWS01M05VX/rewriting-the-history-of-the-great-sphinx-book-review)For: The Sphinx was carved in the Early Dynastic period, in the Second Dynasty or soon after, before Khufu began… 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCG26180/when-was-the-great-sphinx-carved%23add-source) Where it fits Great Sphinx of Giza **When was the Great Sphinx carved?** Key question · you're here [Did the builders start from a natural landform?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/great-sphinx/questions/QST0CTWSCQW3QY8/did-the-builders-start-from-a-natural-landform)Most likely · the body was a reserved block left by cutting a U-shaped ditch into a sloping bedrock bench; no free-standing… [ Ask a question under this one ]