The OLDEST Sphinx Statuette Discovered at Giza: But How Old Is It? | Ancient Architects

I’ve recently made two videos on the Kromer Dump (linked below), an obscure but important feature of the Giza Plateau – a crescent-shaped, ancient trash heap located to the south of the Giza Pyramids. It was first excavated in the 1970s by Karl Kromer, and then again to a lesser extent in 2018, by the Ancient Egypt Research Associates, or AERA. Experts agree the dump was created in the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom – that certainly seems to be the case – and whilst it does contain a variety of finds from the reigns of Khufu and Khafre, the 1970s lead archaeologist Karl Kromer believed the dump also contained earlier finds from dynasties 1 to 3. Clay sealing expert Maira Torcia Rigillo would go on to analyse some of the finds and also agreed. There was also evidence for possible pre-dynastic activity, as seen in the decoration on some of the pot sherds. Kromer’s 1978 excavation report is often quoted and last week I finally found a copy, a fantastic, detailed and well-illustrated 170-page public