Who built the sphinx? Essay
By: Dalton Ure
Over the years Egyptologists have been stumped by the question of who built the sphinx, utterly unable to offer any concise answers to the question that has perplexed so many before them. There seems to now be a greater amount of evidence supporting the idea of Khafre as the builder. This theory greatly transcends the possibility of it being built by other pharos such as Djedefre, his brother, or Khufu, his father whom the sphinx actually resembles most. This essay will not only provide insight on who built the sphinx, but also offer substantial evidence to support that theory.
One point of evidence supporting the theory that the sphinx was built by Khafre is the many layers in the limestone were mined out in a “U” shape around the sphinx; this matches the Khafre Valley Temple which lies in front of the sphinx. This architectural similarity would suggest that the temple and the sphinx where both built by Khafre. Thomas Aigner, a geologist from the University of Tubingen, reinforced this hypothesis with his study of the geological layers in the Sphinx and each of the 173 core blocks in the Sphinx Temple.
Another point of evidence tying the building of the sphinx to Khafre is date which the limestone was quarried. The age of the limestone used to build the sphinx is approximately at the same timeline when Khafre was pharaoh around the 4th dynasty, again suggesting that neither Khufu or Djedefre built the sphinx.

The main argument against the notion that Khafre built the sphinx was because the face of the sphinx resembles his father Khufu. However, this could simply be because Khafre built the sphinx to resemble his father to honour him as respected ruler and father. The temple of Khafre being situated in front of the sphinx could have also been Khafre’s way of associating himself to his father proclaiming that he was the favored son.
Another pharaoh who some believed to have built the sphinx was Djedefre, but he ruled for a relatively