Qatar: Finding a statue of the Sphinx and the remains of a cabin from the Roman era in southern Egypt

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a limestone sphinx statue representing one of the Roman emperors, and the remains of a limestone cabin dating back to the Roman era, during archaeological excavations being conducted by an Egyptian archaeological mission in the area east of the Dendera Temple in Qena Governorate, southern Egypt. A temple for the god Horus was built in the Roman era. The ministry stated, in a statement today, that the remains of the cabin that were discovered are a platform consisting of two levels with a foundation and sloping floors. She added that during the cleaning of the basin, a limestone statue was found in the form of a Sphinx, wearing a headdress known as the Nemes, with a bridge serpent above its forehead, pointing out that the initial examination of the statue’s face indicates that it is likely to be of the Roman Emperor Claudius. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities noted that the mission had begun excavation work in mid-February, as it conducted a radar survey of the Osirian halls of the Dendera Temple, and a magnetic and radar survey in the area east of the wall surrounding the temple in front of the Isis Gate, with the knowledge of a team from the Egyptian National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research.