> Which historic statue once had a beard? Located on the Nile River in Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestonestatue of a mythical creature, that has the body of a lion and the head of ahuman. The statue once had a stone beard attached, but eventually fell or wastaken off. Pieces can now be seen at the British Museum in London.This thousand-year-old creation is an impressive (and immense) cornerstone ofAncient Egyptian culture even today. Due to its proximation to Pharaoh Khafre'smortuary temple, archaeologists believe that this massive depiction of arecumbent lion with the head of a king was carved for Khafre. Additionally, somescholars believe there may have been a celestial purpose to the Great Sphinx. Itis possible that the great sculpture was meant to resurrect the soul of thepharaoh (Khafre) by channeling the power of the sun and other gods.Did you know?It is still unclear what the Ancient Egyptians called the Great Sphinx in theirlifetime. The term "sphinx" originates from Greek mythology, some 2,000 yearsafter the statue was created. Want to learn more? Check out this Britannica article[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Sphinx] for a closer look at thisancient masterpiece.