Last year, archaeologists in southern Egypt discovered a miniature sphinx statue featuring a face with a smiling expression. Although it was found in Egypt, the artifact is thought to be Roman.

The Sphinx, which embodies the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh, is believed to be the head of Khafre and his guardian spirit for his entire burial complex. Carved from the natural ...

the Sphinx’s home. Through their efforts, they unleashed a torrent of fast-flowing water, an analog to the wind that etched the desert’s face, to observe how it might carve similar structures.