Egyptian sphinx fragment unearthed at Israel’s Tel Hazor

PanARMENIAN.Net - While modern Egypt is undergoing a second revolution in that many years, Hebrew University archaeologists have discovered ancient and glorious evidence of Egyptian rule in Tel Hazor, of all places, near the town of Rosh Pina, The Jewish Press reported.

A team of researchers from the Institute of Archaeology, headed by Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman found in Tel Hazor National Park a unique fragment of an Egyptian Sphinx. The Sphinx has between its front legs an hieroglyphic inscription which includes the name of the Egyptian king Mikrinos, who ruled during the ancient Egyptian kingdom and was one of the builders of the famous pyramids of Giza. He ruled the Egyptian kingdom in the third millennium BCE, more than 4,000 years ago.

The Sphinx fragment discovered at Hazor is an unexpected and incredibly important discovery, since it is the only known Sphinx of this king discovered so far in the world, including in Egypt. Moreover, it is only fraction of the majestic monumental sculpture discovered in the entire Levant (the eastern shore of the Mediterranean).

Tel Hazor is the largest and most important biblical archeological site in Israel, and has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Hebrew University began the Hazor excavation in the mid-nineteen-fifties and the late sixties. Excavations at the site were resumed in 1990, as part of an excavations project of the Saltz Foundation in memory of Yigael Yadin, by Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor, who was later joined by Dr. Sharon Zuckerman in 2006. The present excavation area is managed by Shlomit Baker, a doctoral student of the Institute of Archaeology and is sponsored by the Exploration Company in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.