Hazor Sphinx Inscription Photos

Because I can find no networked version of this press release I am taking the liberty of posting it in its entirety here:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jerusalem, July 9, 2013 — At a site in Tel Hazor National Park, north of the Sea of Galilee, archeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have unearthed part of a unique Sphinx belonging to one of the ancient pyramid-building pharaohs.

Download Photo 1

Two views of a Sphinx statue fragment found by Hebrew University of Jerusalem archaeologists at the Tel Hazor excavations north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. An inscription ties the Sphinx to Mycerinus, an Egyptian king and pyramid  builder, circa 2500 BCE. This is the only known statue bearing this pharaoh's name. (Photo courtesy archaeologists Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman)

Download Photo 2

The Hazor Excavations are headed by Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor, the Yigael Yadin Professor in the Archaeology of Eretz Israel at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman, a lecturer at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

Download Photo

Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman of the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, who are leading the Hazor Excavations (Photo courtesy archaeologists Prof. Amnon Ben-Tor and Dr. Sharon Zuckerman)

Reporters can reach the archaeologists for comment at 054-5928111 (Dr. Zuckerman) or 054-4643180 (Prof. Ben-Tor). Please note that Israel time is currently UTC/GMT +3 hours (7 hours ahead of New York). For international calls to Israel, replace the first 0 with +972-.

As the only known Sphinx of the king Mycerinus discovered anywhere in the world — including in Egypt — the find at Hazor is an unexpected and important discovery. Moreover, it is only piece of a royal Sphinx sculpture discovered in the entire Levant area (the eastern part of the Mediterranean).

Along with the king’s name, the hieroglyphic inscription includes the descriptor “Beloved by the divine manifestation… that gave him eternal life.” According to Prof. Ben-Tor and Dr. Zuckerman, this text indicates that the Sphinx probably originated in the ancient city of Heliopolis (the city of 'On' in the Bible), north of modern Cairo.

or more information: 

Dov Smith

Hebrew University Foreign Press Liaison

02-5882844 / 054-8820860 (+972-54-8820860)

dovs@savion.huji.ac.il

new.huji.ac.il