While a major, new sphinx on the scale of the Great Sphinx of Giza has not been discovered, archaeologists in Egypt do regularly make “breaking news” finds of smaller, ancient sphinx statues. In 2018, for instance, Egyptian archaeologists unearthed a well-preserved sphinx statue near the Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan. The statue was discovered during a project to reduce groundwater in the area, a common archaeological challenge in Egypt.

The sphinx statue, carved from sandstone, was found beneath the ground and is believed to date back to the Ptolemaic era, around the 4th century BCE. The discovery was significant because it provided new insights into the temple complex and the religious practices of the time. While not a monumental, new sphinx, these smaller finds are crucial for piecing together the layout and history of ancient sites.

In fact, the famous Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor, which connects the Karnak and Luxor temples, is a prime example of an ongoing archaeological project. This three-kilometer-long avenue is lined with hundreds of ancient statues of ram-headed sphinxes, many of which have been painstakingly excavated and restored. This real, large-scale project shows that the most incredible discoveries in Egypt are often not a single “breaking news” item, but the meticulous, ongoing work of dedicated archaeologists.