Sphinx Sculpture Uncovered in Egypt

ASWAN, EGYPT—BBC News reports that a sandstone sphinx measuring about 15 inches tall was discovered during work to reduce groundwater levels at the pharaonic temple of Kom Ombo, which was constructed by Ptolemy VI in honor of the twin gods Sobek and Haroeris. According to Egypt's antiquities ministry, the statue was found in the same area of the temple where two sandstone reliefs of King Ptolemy V were previously unearthed. The sphinx is thought to date to the Ptolemaic era, between 305 and 30 B.C. For more on the Ptolemaic era in Egypt, go to “In the Time of the Rosetta Stone.”