The questions discussed in this paper are "when was the Great Sphinx built?" and .
also, "what kinds of kooky things have you heard about the Sphinx?".
The biggest controversy surrounded the Sphinx is not the question why was it built, but instead the question when was it built. There are two different theories that answer this question and they both seem to be logical answers. The first is that it was built around the same time as the construction of the Pyramid of Khafre, around (1425 - 1417 BC) (http://interoz.com/egypt/sphinx.htm, 2001). This is the theory that most archaeologists adhere to because they believe the Sphinx represents the Sun god, the king as the god Horus, or a king in the leonine form of a god (Archaeology, September 1994). However a new, more intriguing theory is beginning to gain support among Egyptologists. The new theory states that the Sphinx is much older than what was previously thought. Perhaps being built up to 12,000 years ago. The evidence that this theory is based on is that the pattern of erosion is due mainly to a very large amount of water. This indicates that the Sphinx was carved at the end of the last Ice Age, when heavy rains last fell on the eastern Sahara (http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana /hancock.htm, 2001). .
The second question being asked was "what kinds of kooky things have you heard about the Sphinx?" The "kookiest" thing that I could find involved the late American psychic, Edgar Cayce. Cayce, in more words or less, stated that he believed that the survivors of the lost civilization of Atlantis had built the Sphinx as early as 10,500 BC.
He also believed that the survivors had concealed beneath it a "Hall of Records" containing all the wisdom of their lost civilization and the true history of the human race (http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/hancock.htm, 2001). .
All three of the sources that I acquired information from seem to be very credible.
