What do you get when you combine the Sphinx with cleavage? You get a video that looks something like this (Watch the Video).
YouTube phenomenon Marina Orlova, a former teacher who presents facts with a slightly risqu twist, gives a lesson on the famous monument.
According to her bio she holds two degrees in philology (that’s historical linguistics), has just under 400,000 YouTube subscribers and yes she did teach high school, back in Russia. She uses the tag line intelligence is sexy.
To be fair to her, the video is informative and while her attire is – eye-catching – it isnt by any means pornographic.
A few facts on the Sphinx, some mentioned in her video and some which I have thrown in.
- ONE The Sphinx was carved into the natural bedrock at the base of a causeway in Khafres pyramid complex.
- TWOIts widely believed that the Sphinx was built by the pharaoh Khafre, who succeeded Djedefre as the leader of Egypt. As such it would have been built around 2500 BC.
- THREEArchaeologist Michel Baud points out that its odd that Khafre chose to build his pyramid complex at Giza. Khafre was the son of Khufu and Baud notes that normally children built their pyramid in a different place than their parents.
- FOUR No texts, which date from the time the Sphinx was built, survive to present day. This fact makes it hard to determine why a monument of this size was built.
- FIVEMark Lehner points out that during the New Kingdom (more than 1,000 years after the Sphinx was constructed)Egyptiansregarded itas the image of the sun god, whether it was originally built with that intent is unknown.
Video: Hot For Words – Great Sphinx in Egypt
- SIX The Sphinx has the body of a lion but the head of a pharaoh (in this case probably Khafre). Lions were commonly used as symbols of royalty throughout the Middle East, indeed the Assyrians display it prominently in their hunting scenes.
- SEVENThe monument towers about 20 meters high. As Mark Lehner notes, the Egyptians would not build statues on this scale, again,for another 1,200 years.
- EIGHTWhy the nose is missing is a bit of a mystery as Heritage Keys Prad Patel notes it may have beendamaged at some point in the 18th century. Thereis also textual evidencewhich suggests that it was destroyed in the 14th century for religious reasons.
- NINE An incomplete temple was built in front of the Sphinxs paws.It may have been dedicated to the monument.
- TENRestoration work on the Sphinxhas taken place at various timesover the past 3,500 years. The most recent work is being led by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. They are drilling under the Sphinx, to keep its paws dry (watchMark Lehner explain in thisvideo).