The Sphinx is the symbol of inscrutable wisdom, and its lips are supposed
to be closed in mysterious silence,--knowing profoundly, but telling
nothing. These are, however, mere impressions. Facts are the important
things. No one knows how old the Sphinx is. It is supposed to have been
made during the middle empire; but later investigations seem to prove
that the Sphinx existed in the time of Cheops, which would mean that it
is even older than the Great Pyramid. The Sphinx was made out of living
rock, and the dimensions are as follows: Body, 150 feet long; paws, 50
feet long; head, 30 feet long; face, 14 feet wide; and the distance from
top of head to base, 70 feet.
[Illustration: FALLEN STATUE OF RAMESES, MEMPHIS]
It must have been an imposing monument when constructed; for then it
stood in position to guard the valley of the Nile, and about it was
Memphis, the great city of Egypt--Memphis now past and gone. Memphis was
once the capital city of the Pharaohs, and is said to have been founded
by Menes. In its day of glory it was a prosperous and well fortified
city. About 1600 B. C. it was supplanted as capital by Thebes, and the
glory of Pharaoh's court was transferred to the southern city.