Archaeologists have made an interesting discovery at Hazor, one of the most important Canaanite cities conquered by Joshua (Joshua 11:1-13). According to the book of Joshua, “Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10). This description of Hazor indicates the important role Hazor played in Canaan in the thirteenth century B.C.

A group of archeologists from the Hebrew University has discovered the base of a Sphinx which belonged to one of the ancient pharaohs of Egypt. According to an article that appears in Phys.Org, this pharaoh ruled Egypt more than 4,000 years ago.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

Working with a team from the Institute of Archaeology, they discovered part of a Sphinx brought over from Egypt, with a hieroglyphic inscription between its front legs. The inscription bears the name of the Egyptian king Mycerinus, who ruled in the third millennium BCE, more than 4,000 years ago. The king was one of the builders of the famous Giza pyramids.

As the only known Sphinx of this king discovered anywhere in the world—including in Egypt—the find at Hazor is an unexpected and important discovery. Moreover, it is only piece of a royal Sphinx sculpture discovered in the entire Levant area (the eastern part of the Mediterranean).

Along with the king’s name, the hieroglyphic inscription includes the descriptor “Beloved by the divine manifestation… that gave him eternal life.”

The excavation at the site of ancient Hazor is being conducted by Professor Amnon Ben-Tor, the Yigael Yadin Professor in the Archaeology of Eretz Israel at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology, and by Dr. Sharon Zuckerman, a lecturer at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

The article includes a picture of the base of the Sphinx.  You can read the article in its entirety by visiting Phys.Org here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary