Ain Shams University Team Discovers Smiling Sphinx in Dendera Temple

An archaeological mission from Ain Shams University has discovered a statue of a smiling sphinx in Qena’s Dendera temple, dating back to the Roman era.

After preliminary examinations of the sphinx’s facial features, the team concluded that the statue was most likely meant to resemble the Roman emperor Claudius. The team also found an ancient Roman royal painting underneath the sphinx with hieroglyphic and demotic writing, alongside a number of other artefacts including a Byzantine water-storage basin.