The Great Sphinx, Pyramids of Gezeeh. 1846 - 1849

David Roberts rendered this aquatint of the Great Sphinx and pyramids of Giza. The Sphinx, with its lion's body and human head, symbolizes the fusion of strength and intelligence, embodying royal power and divine wisdom within the ancient Egyptian worldview. This iconography echoes across millennia. We find similar hybrid creatures in the lamassu of ancient Mesopotamia or the Greek sphinx, each guarding sacred thresholds, embodying power and mystery. It is a prime example of a cultural form carrying deep-seated psychological weight across time and space. The silent gaze of the Sphinx, like the gaze of ancestral masks in other cultures, seems to penetrate the subconscious, stirring a primeval recognition. It provokes a deep, often unsettling sense of connection to the past. Through its enduring presence, the Sphinx shows the non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, as they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in different historical contexts.