THE SPHINX

10] For a recent summary of the evidence bearing on the Holocene climatic history of northern Egypt, see Said (1990).

W.C. Hayes summarized (in his Most Ancient Egypt [Chicago, 1965, K.C. Seele, ed.], 23) much of the classical work carried out on reconstructing the climate of this period in Egypt's history when he wrote: 'Toward the end of the sixth millennium B.C. Egypt and neighboring lands appear to have enjoyed another slight, but effective increase in temperature and precipitation and to have entered upon a prolonged sub-pluvial or relatively moist phase, extending from early Neolithic times until late in the Old Kingdom (ca. 5000-2350 B.C.) .... Since the end of the third millennium B.C. the climate of Egypt has been generally similar to that of the present day. Between 2350 B.C. and A.D. 700 the average temperature seems to have been, if anything, a trifle above and the average rainfall a little below the modern levels, but with at least two 'quite moist' spells, one in late-Ramesside times [ca. 1200-1100 B.C.) and one about 850 B.C."

K.W. Butzer summarized his well-known work an the same topic (Environment and Archaeology: An Ecological Approach to Prehistory [Chicago, 1971], 584):The Nile Valley provides further details and confirmation of several moist intervals... A period of accelerated wadi activity that began 9200 B.C. terrninated by 6000 B.C. Shell proliferations suggest rather more vegetation in the wadis. A little later, ca. 5000 B.C., a red paleosol suggests a mat of vegetation and more frequent gentle rains. Finally, after a second dry interlude, accelerated wadi activity and extensive sheet washing-in the wake of sporadic but heavy and protracted rains-are indicated ca. 4000- 3000 B.C. Historical and archaeological documents suggest that the desert wadi vegetation of northern and eastern Egypt was more abundant as late as 2350 B.C., when the prevailing aridity was established.'

[11] See the work of Aigner (1983b) and Lehner (1980).

[12] See, for instance, Z. A. Hawass, The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt (Pittsburgh, 1990).

[13] See also I. E. S. Edwards, The Pyramids of Egypt (New York, 1985); L. Grinsell, Egyptian Pyramids (Gloucester, 1947); and Hawass (1990).

[14] Gauri and his colleagues (see, for instance, Punuru et al, 1990, 230) consistently refer to these in such terms as "Pharaonic veneer stones" that have experienced "5,000 years of exposure to local conditions," that is, they were applied during Old Kingdom times. Recently Egyptian Egyptologist Zahi Hawass (Abstracts for The First International Symposium on the Great Sphinx-Towards Global Treatment of the Sphinx, Cairo 29 February-3 March Redating the Sphinx [Egyptian Antiquities Organization, Cairo, Redating the Sphinx], 14) stated: "It seems that the Sphinx underwent restoration during the Old Kingdom because the analysis of samples found on the right rear leg proved to be of Old Kingdom date." [back]