The Great Sphinx of Giza has captivated historians, archaeologists, and travelers for centuries, but its origins remain shrouded in mystery.
Stretching 240 feet long and towering 66 feet high, this colossal limestone monument sits beside the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre, sparking endless debate over when and by whom it was built.
While mainstream Egyptology attributes its construction to Pharaoh Khafre during the Old Kingdom around 2500 BCE, some experts now suggest the Sphinx could be far older than previously imagined.
A Geologist’s Surprising Discovery
Dr Robert Schoch, a Yale-trained geologist, recently told the Daily Mail that the Sphinx might date back as far as 10,000 BCE.
His conclusion is based on the erosion patterns on the Sphinx and its surrounding enclosure, which he believes are inconsistent with the dry climate of the Sahara over the past 5,000 years.
According to Schoch, the Sphinx shows evidence of heavy rainfall erosion.
“The Sphinx enclosure shows a rolling, undulating profile with deep vertical fissures at its base,” he explained.
“Such erosion can only result from water coming from above, precipitation and flash floods flowing down from the plateau into the enclosure.”
From Skeptic to Believer
Interestingly, Schoch did not always support this theory.
In 1990, he joined independent Egyptologist John Anthony West on a site visit, intending to debunk West’s claims that the Sphinx predated the Old Kingdom.
Within minutes, Schoch realized the evidence pointed to a much earlier origin.
“This ancient structure was clearly affected by water erosion, not just wind or Nile flooding,” he recalled.
“Within 90 seconds, I was convinced otherwise.”
Clues from Ancient Texts and Civilization
Schoch suggests the Sphinx may have been constructed by a long-lost civilization wiped out by cataclysmic events around 9700 BCE.
This aligns with references to a primordial era in ancient Egyptian texts, known as Zep Tepi or the “First Time,” and records in the Turin King List describing mythical pre-dynastic rulers.
He believes that the civilization under Khafre’s reign actually repaired the Sphinx rather than building it.
Evidence includes the disproportionate size of the head compared to the body and visible repair blocks from multiple periods, including the Old Kingdom, New Kingdom, and even the Greco-Roman era.
Erosion Evidence and the Sahara’s Ancient Climate
Schoch’s theory is supported by the characteristics of the Sphinx enclosure itself, a quarry-like depression in Mokattam Formation limestone with rounded contours and vertical cracks—hallmarks of precipitation rather than horizontal abrasion.
He also references the African Humid Period, when the Sahara was a lush grassland nourished by monsoons, suggesting that these wetter conditions could explain the Sphinx’s weathering.
“The flooding Nile would give a different type of erosional profile than what we see here,” Schoch noted, pointing to the mismatch between the monument’s erosion and the region’s historical aridity.
Controversy and Ongoing Debate
Mainstream Egyptologists, including Dr Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner, continue to date the Sphinx to Khafre’s reign, attributing its erosion to natural processes like salt exfoliation.
Schoch’s theory, however, challenges conventional timelines, proposing that an advanced civilization may have existed thousands of years before Egypt’s known pharaohs.
While controversial, his perspective has reignited interest in the Sphinx and underscores just how much remains unknown about one of the world’s most iconic monuments.
If Schoch is correct, our understanding of early human history—and the civilizations that came before the pharaohs—may need to be completely reconsidered.