There is no end to the " finds " in
Egypt. It has hitherto always been believed that as much was known about the Sphinx as could be known ; but now Colonel Ronm, an American, by digging round the base, has brought some very curious facts to light. At the back of the figure was found a shaft 25 ft. deep, with two passages running out of it at the bottom. More important was the discovery of the long- lost cap of the Sphinx, which was found 15 ft. below the surface of the little temple or shrine between the paws. The cap is painted red, and is adorned with the three lotus columns and the serpent. As the hole in the top of the head of the Sphinx into which the cap was fastened is still un- damaged, the cap should be restored to its place. We hope that Colonel Roam's next find will be the fragments of the nose broken off by an Arab iconoclast some five hundred years ago. If these could be recovered and the nose restored, the Sphinx would be "the father of terrors" no longer; and we might see that look of benign calm which delighted the ancient world, and made the Greek poet speak of the Sphinx as "great Latona's servant, mild and bland."
Previous page
