(JTA) — Archaeologists in northern Israel discovered an Egyptian sphinx thought to date back at least three millennia.
The sphinx was unearthed Tuesday, according to the French news agency AFP, and bears a dedication to the Egyptian ruler Mycerinus, who ruled circa 2500 BCE and built one of the three Pyramids at Giza. Researchers estimate that the sphinx arrived at its location in the town of Tel Hazor in around 1500 BCE as a gift from a later ruler.
“It’s possible the statue was sent by the Egyptian ruler to the king of Hazor, the most important ruler in this region,”Amnon Ben-Tor, the Hebrew University professor managing the dig, told AFP.
Archaeologists have found the forearms and paws of the sphinx and hope to find more pieces in the coming days.
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