Pollution Speeds Statue's Collapse

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The ancient riddle of the Sphinx asks, "What walks on four legs in the morning, two during the day, and three in the evening?" We could also pose a less elegant but far more urgent modern version of this conundrum by asking, "What constructs a miraculous monument in the morning, unearths it during the day, and pollutes the environment until the monument's head falls off a few minutes later?"

According to a Japanese researcher, at its present rate of erosion, the Sphinx's head is doomed to collapse from the statue in the next 200 years. Chikaosa Tanimoto, a professor at Kyoto University, released his findings after conducting some forty research trips to Egypt's Giza plateau. He announced that two-tenths of an inch of stone is being worn off the surface of the Sphinx's chest annually. This will inevitably wear away the neck until the head can no longer be supported.

The Sphinx has been continually battered by its surroundings ever since 1926, when its was exhumed from the layer of sand that preserved it for hundreds of years. Natural erosion from wind and rain has been joined by increasing pollutants from neighboring centers of civilization. The burgeoning city of Cairo, home to 14 million people and huge amounts of pollution, sits only a few miles from the Sphinx and the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. These pyramids have already experienced severe crumbling.

Despite the scientific evidence, many Egyptians are quick to dismiss Tanimoto's claims of impending doom.

"These claims made by the Japanese are nonsense," said Zahi Hawas, the Giza plateau's chief antiquities inspector, who believes the Sphinx will remain intact for eras to come. Hawas is suspicious of Tanimoto's credentials and suspects that he may be making exaggerated claims for the purpose of gaining personal notoriety. Hawas does admit that the Sphinx has structural problems, but remains confident in its restoration operations, which have been ongoing for over ten years.

"The Sphinx is the oldest patient in the world and has needed treatment for ages," Hawas said. "He needs a doctor with experience and we are giving him that."

Some have suggested that Egypt is simply reluctant to publicize the truth about the poor condition of its ancient monuments, which not only symbolize the nation's history but also form the basis of a huge tourism industry. Admitting that the Sphinx is falling apart could be bad for business.

The Sphinx has also been in the news recently regarding an event expected to take place much sooner than its theoretical decapitation: a shaft door discovered beneath the Sphinx's front paws is scheduled to be opened in September. Preliminary work has already begun on the project, which is to coincide with the opening of a secret air shaft under the Queen's Chamber of the Great Pyramid. These plans have stirred great anticipation in the archaeological world and beyond, and there are multimillion-dollar deals in the works to broadcast the unveilings live on television.

ParaScope will be covering further Sphinx news as it develops.

(c) Copyright 1996 ParaScope, Inc.