Archaeologists discover Ancient sphinx in Egypt

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt says archaeologists have discovered a statue of a human head and a lion's body in the southern city of Aswan, Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The Antiquities Ministry said on Sunday, September 16 that the sphinx, made of sandstone, was found in the Temple of Kom Ombo during work to protect the site from groundwater.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the statue probably dates back to the Ptolemaic time because two engraved sandstone reliefs of King Ptolemy V were two months ago at the south-eastern side of the temple.

The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt for about 300 years - from about 320BC until the Roman conquest in 30BC.

Egypt hopes such discoveries will spur tourism, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, which was hit hard by political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.

In February, Waziri announced that archaeologists had discovered a 4400-year-old tomb near Cairo that contains rare wall paintings and is believed to have belonged to a high-ranking Egyptian priestess named Hetpet.