Did Egyptians really build the Sphinx?
After seizing the reins of power in France and storming through Italy, Napoleon set his sights on a new continent: Africa. French troops invaded the shores at Alexandria and headed into Cairo in the summer of 1798. But intense heat and unwelcoming locals didn’t make for a pleasant stay. Soldiers were restless to return home and complained of incessant boredom. To pass the time, some scaled the nearby pyramids at Giza. From that vantage point, they would’ve had a bird’s-eye view of the head of the Great Sphinx, which at that time was buried to its neck in sand. Those same listless French soldiers have shouldered the blame for the Sphinx’s missing nose. Some inventive historians imagined the men treating the pale limestone face as an oversized target for artillery practice. But sketches by artist and architect Frederick Lewis Norde
