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THE KING AS A SPHINX

 

 

   The sphinx , a fantastic animal with the body ofa lion and human head (androsphinx or human-headed sphinx) goes back in very ancient Egyptian mythology. Little or nothing is known about its origins and its ritual, religious meaning; any information is derived from Egyptian papyri or Near Eastern cuneiform tablets.

 

The sphinx can also have a head of a falcon (ieracosphinx or falcon-headed sphinx) or of ram (criosphinx or ram-headed sphinx). It is more commonly depicted couchant, but also walking or seated, winged or wingless and symbolizes the royalty of the pharaoh and his power.

 

The first representations of sphinxes in glyptic art are found on Hyksos scarabs. It is depicted walking, fronting a cobra snake, the embodiment of evil which the sphinx fights, or a plant, the symbol of fertility.

 

During the New Kingdom, almost all the pharaohs have been represented in the shape of sphinx with their various attributes. Scarabs with this motif were deemed to have, for the bearer, a powerful apotropaic effect.

 

In this small survey of a few scarabs, we have variety of shapes and  various royal attributes, especially in the various different headdresses.

 

Sphinx 1              

  

This item represents a falcon-headed sphinx walking to the right which fronts a upright uraeus, in this case symbol of evil and danger. Date: Hyksos period.

See: BEN-TOR1; NICCACCI2; KEEL3; TUFNELL4.

 

                                                                                                              

Sphinx 2 

  

Here the ram-headed sphinx is represented lying down and holding with his legs the was scepter, a symbol of command. It wears the Atf  crown with uraei. On the left , the writing

Imn Ra nb = Amon-Re, the Lord (it must be remembered that the ram was one of the zoomorphic manifestations of this god). As to the dating, we lean to the late Ramesside period.

 

Sphinx 3 

 

A ram-headed sphix more, with swty crown flanked by two uraei crowned by sun disk.

  MAat goddess between fore legs and a protective winged uraeus upon its back.

  Ramesside  period. See: PETRIE5; HORNUNG6.

 





Left to  right: Numbers 1,2 and 3

 

 

Sphinx 4 

 

   This human-headed sphinx wears the blue crown with uraeus. MAat goddess between fore legs and a protective winged uraeus upon its back. The odd singularity of this scarab is in the horizontal and opposite arrangement of the feather adorning the head of MAat: evidently, the lack of space upon the head of the goddess led the engraver to take this liberty. Owing to the scarce quality of the item, we think probable it's the matter of a Late Period mass-production.   See: KEEL7.

 

Sphinx 5 

 

   In this scarab the human-headed sphinx wears the cover-wig nemes with uraeus and the ritual beard. It has a fore leg raised in an attitude of adoration of the obelisk it has in front8. Over its back the title nb tAwy = Lord of the two Lands. Bottom, a line to represent the ground. Datable to the second half of XVIII dynasty.

 

 

Sphinx 6 

 

 

In this case the human-headed sphinx is winged and wears the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. It holds between its legs a  h. s vase symbolizing praise. Most of the sphinxes holding the h.  s vase are datable to the XXV Dynasty9.

 

 

 





Left to right: Numbers 4, 5 and 6.

 

 

Sphinx 7 

 

   Human-headed sphinx wearing the nemes with uraeus, ritual beard and a two-loop necklace.  Over its back the solar disk to emphasize the connexion between sphinxes and the cult of the sun. Between legs a h.  s vase.

 

Sphinx 8 

 

   Human-headed sphinx wearing the Blue Crown. A protecting winged uraeus over its back. Between its legs is an ank sign. Under the sphinx a large nb sign. This composition also represents a cryptografic trigram of Amen. In fact: I from i'rt  = uraeus, m from m3w-h.  r = mirror (ank sign) n from nb = sphinx,10 with a total meaning: Amen the Lord. A dating to the XVIII dynasty seems very likely.

 

 

Sphinx 9

 

  Winged sphinx walking to the right wearing the two feathers Sw upon it's head  At the top the solar disc and at the bottom the basket nb. It is trampling down an anemy (partly missing) unusually vertically arranged on the right (one can see only an arm and a leg). The motif of the sphinx (not winged) trampling down an enemy is well documented in XVIII dynasty, while the sphinx lain upon an enemy it's more of Ramesside period. See KEEL11. Dating to New Kingdom.

 

 





Left to  right: Numbers 7 , 8 and 9

 

 

 

Sphinx 10

 

    Human-headed sphinx with ritual beard walking to the right and fronting a cartouche with the signs xpr ra, maybe a inaccurate writing for <Mn>xpr Ra, Thuthmoses III. Over the back of the sphinx there is the title nTr nfr, perfect god, and behind the title nb tAwy, Lord of the two lands. New Kingdom.

 

Sphinx 11 

 

   In this scarab, the falcon-headed sphinx is magnificently depicted: it wears a two-coils collar. It's lying down upon a supine enemy. In front the royal title nTr nfr = perfect god, and over it's back the cartouche with the name of Amenhotep II. The item dates to the XVIII dynasty.

        Cfr.HALL12 e JAEGER13.  

   




Left to  right: Numbers 10 and 11

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