Stellar Alignments with the Sphinx from the Sphinx Temple
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The Sphinx temple is unlike the other Valley temples of the Giza complex in certain important aspects. The Khufu Valley Temple, the Khafre Valley Temple and the Menkaure Valley Temple were all connected to their respective pyramids via three causeways whilst the Sphinx Temple has no causeway and sits right beside the Khafre Valley Temple and directly in front of and very close to the Sphinx. The Sphinx temple, in common with the valley temples has a large open air courtyard which allowed the stars and the pyramids to be seen clearly from the courtyard , however the Sphinx temple lies almost directly in front of the Great Sphinx and being so close to it, the view framed by the colonnades of the open courtyard is dominated by the Pharaonic head of the Sphinx that looms some 22 metres above the courtyard level with the paws of the leonine body less than 10 metres from the outside West wall of the temple. Whilst the peak of Khafre can be seen in the distance down the southern side of the Sphinx, the proximity of the temple to the Sphinx opens the possibility that like the alignments between the Valley Temples and the pyramid peaks, important alignments were made from the Sphinx temple and the Sphinx. Unlike the pyramids, that have a narrow peak for alignments with the Sun and stars, the sphinx has a broad head but it was originally adorned with a Uraeus or cobra that, before it was chiselled off in antiquity, would have sat proud of the stone carved head and allowed precise alignments to be made between the setting stars and the head of the cobra from within the courtyard of the Sphinx Temple.
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Image of Sphinx's Snake head now in the British Museum in London
The question is where within the temple might alignments have been made from, as the sphinx is so close to the temple that the range of angles of alignment possible within the court yard vary by around thirty degrees. The first thought is that the viewing positions are most likely to have been from the eastern side of the courtyard which is furthest from the sphinx and maximises the visibility of the sphinx head to the West. The next question is where would somebody position themselves along the length of the eastern side of the courtyard. There are four pillars demarcating the courtyard on the eastern edge of the courtyard, matched by four pillars along the western side of the courtyard. In addition, four L-shaped pillars defined the corners of the rectangular courtyard whilst two further pillars, positioned centrally on the northern and southern edges of the courtyard completed the courtyard opening. Today there are in front of each of the ten rectangular pillars, rectangular sockets that are believed to have once held statues. The identification of the Egyptian deities or Pharaoh that were carved as these statues that once stood in the sockets in front of each pillar is not known but these statues may have marked the discreet positions where alignments between the stars and the Uraeus on the Sphinx’s head were made from. Four points in front of the four eastern sockets and two further positions in the North and South corners of the eastern edge were selected as possible viewing positions within the temple. The horizontal distance from each point to the forehead of the Sphinx was measured from a scaled plan of the site. The apparent height of the Uraeus was measured as 20.22metres above the Sphinx terrace (II) and a further 2.5metres above the Sphinx Temple’s courtyard floor. The estimated height of a man’s eyes above the ground was subtracted from this height to get an apparent Uraeus height of 21.22m. The angle of altitude of the Uraeus from each of the six proposed viewing positions was calculated and the bearing from each point to the Uraeus measured from plans of the Sphinx and its temple. The position of stars as they set was determined to see if any of them matched the altitude and bearing of the uraeus from each of the six proposed viewing positions.
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Alignments from the positions of the missing statues in the Sphinx temple and the Sphinx's stone snake head and 6 bright stars identified as important Star Gods of Ancient Egypt
The six proposed viewing positions at the four statues and in the corners at positions that allowed a sight line to the Uraeus, avoiding the central North and South Statues, allowed bright stars to be seen coinciding with the head of the snake of the Uraeus and setting into the sphinx’s head.
1. Castor, Gemini identified as Tefnut/Shu
2. Regulus, Leo identified with Sekhmet and possibly the Sphinx itself
3. Alpha Sagittae, Sagitta with an arrow or possibly the forked tongue of the cobra
4. Spica, Virgo identified with Hathor
5. Altair, Aquila identified with Horus
6. Procyon, Canis Minor identified with Anubis.
It may be that the missing statues were those of the deities identified by the stellar alignments, namely Sekhmet, Wadjet, Hathor, Anubis and Horus or perhaps statues of the Pharaoh to empower him with the alignments of the stars, the uraeus and the statues carved in his image throughout the year.
It seems that the brightest or most prominent stars in six important constellations are the ones that align with the head of the Uraeus from the statues and corners along the eastern edge of the courtyard.
For more information on the precise alignments see
[www.decodingthepictishstones.com] Paper 9 (parts V and Vb pg60-73) which also proposes the significance of the Sphinx and its relationship with Orion and identification as the physical half of the god Aker.
[www.imgbb.co]
The Sphinx temple is unlike the other Valley temples of the Giza complex in certain important aspects. The Khufu Valley Temple, the Khafre Valley Temple and the Menkaure Valley Temple were all connected to their respective pyramids via three causeways whilst the Sphinx Temple has no causeway and sits right beside the Khafre Valley Temple and directly in front of and very close to the Sphinx. The Sphinx temple, in common with the valley temples has a large open air courtyard which allowed the stars and the pyramids to be seen clearly from the courtyard , however the Sphinx temple lies almost directly in front of the Great Sphinx and being so close to it, the view framed by the colonnades of the open courtyard is dominated by the Pharaonic head of the Sphinx that looms some 22 metres above the courtyard level with the paws of the leonine body less than 10 metres from the outside West wall of the temple. Whilst the peak of Khafre can be seen in the distance down the southern side of the Sphinx, the proximity of the temple to the Sphinx opens the possibility that like the alignments between the Valley Temples and the pyramid peaks, important alignments were made from the Sphinx temple and the Sphinx. Unlike the pyramids, that have a narrow peak for alignments with the Sun and stars, the sphinx has a broad head but it was originally adorned with a Uraeus or cobra that, before it was chiselled off in antiquity, would have sat proud of the stone carved head and allowed precise alignments to be made between the setting stars and the head of the cobra from within the courtyard of the Sphinx Temple.
[www.imgbb.co]
Image of Sphinx's Snake head now in the British Museum in London
The question is where within the temple might alignments have been made from, as the sphinx is so close to the temple that the range of angles of alignment possible within the court yard vary by around thirty degrees. The first thought is that the viewing positions are most likely to have been from the eastern side of the courtyard which is furthest from the sphinx and maximises the visibility of the sphinx head to the West. The next question is where would somebody position themselves along the length of the eastern side of the courtyard. There are four pillars demarcating the courtyard on the eastern edge of the courtyard, matched by four pillars along the western side of the courtyard. In addition, four L-shaped pillars defined the corners of the rectangular courtyard whilst two further pillars, positioned centrally on the northern and southern edges of the courtyard completed the courtyard opening. Today there are in front of each of the ten rectangular pillars, rectangular sockets that are believed to have once held statues. The identification of the Egyptian deities or Pharaoh that were carved as these statues that once stood in the sockets in front of each pillar is not known but these statues may have marked the discreet positions where alignments between the stars and the Uraeus on the Sphinx’s head were made from. Four points in front of the four eastern sockets and two further positions in the North and South corners of the eastern edge were selected as possible viewing positions within the temple. The horizontal distance from each point to the forehead of the Sphinx was measured from a scaled plan of the site. The apparent height of the Uraeus was measured as 20.22metres above the Sphinx terrace (II) and a further 2.5metres above the Sphinx Temple’s courtyard floor. The estimated height of a man’s eyes above the ground was subtracted from this height to get an apparent Uraeus height of 21.22m. The angle of altitude of the Uraeus from each of the six proposed viewing positions was calculated and the bearing from each point to the Uraeus measured from plans of the Sphinx and its temple. The position of stars as they set was determined to see if any of them matched the altitude and bearing of the uraeus from each of the six proposed viewing positions.
[imgbb.co]
Alignments from the positions of the missing statues in the Sphinx temple and the Sphinx's stone snake head and 6 bright stars identified as important Star Gods of Ancient Egypt
The six proposed viewing positions at the four statues and in the corners at positions that allowed a sight line to the Uraeus, avoiding the central North and South Statues, allowed bright stars to be seen coinciding with the head of the snake of the Uraeus and setting into the sphinx’s head.
1. Castor, Gemini identified as Tefnut/Shu
2. Regulus, Leo identified with Sekhmet and possibly the Sphinx itself
3. Alpha Sagittae, Sagitta with an arrow or possibly the forked tongue of the cobra
4. Spica, Virgo identified with Hathor
5. Altair, Aquila identified with Horus
6. Procyon, Canis Minor identified with Anubis.
It may be that the missing statues were those of the deities identified by the stellar alignments, namely Sekhmet, Wadjet, Hathor, Anubis and Horus or perhaps statues of the Pharaoh to empower him with the alignments of the stars, the uraeus and the statues carved in his image throughout the year.
It seems that the brightest or most prominent stars in six important constellations are the ones that align with the head of the Uraeus from the statues and corners along the eastern edge of the courtyard.
For more information on the precise alignments see
[www.decodingthepictishstones.com] Paper 9 (parts V and Vb pg60-73) which also proposes the significance of the Sphinx and its relationship with Orion and identification as the physical half of the god Aker.