# Body of Sphinx created by wind erosion **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420 "2023-11-01T14:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420/1 "2023-11-01T14:00:18Z")
I remember this theory in my my high school history classes. It seems obvious the Egyptians carved an existing rock formation. I’ve seen documentaries where stone masons demonstrated how easily limestone can be worked with basic Bronze Age tools. The Sphinx head required skillfull sculpting. Erosion can create shapes that resemble animals. The US has natural rock formations that were named by early Indians and settlers. Apparently NYU felt the need to conduct a study to confirm this theory. I wonder how big a Grant did they get for the study? > **[Did Nature Have a Hand in the Formation of the Great Sphinx?](https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2023/october/did-nature-have-a-hand-in-the-formation-of-the-great-sphinx--.html)** > > Researchers turn to erosion in exploring the role natural elements had in building an architectural wonder. > **[Did nature have a hand in the formation of the Great Sphinx?](https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nature-formation-great-sphinx.html)** > > Historians and archaeologists have, over centuries, explored the mysteries behind the Great Sphinx of Giza: What did it originally look like? What was it designed to represent? What was its original name? But less attention has been paid to a... ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420/2 "2023-11-01T14:15:19Z")
My favorite are the boulders balanced on a eroded stone column. Nature does incredible sculpture without any help from people. > **[List of rock formations in the United States](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rock_formations_in_the_United_States)** > > The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, organized by state. > Rat Rock (Morningside Heights) [![](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/balanced-boulders-in-joshua-tree-national-park-bryan-mullennix.jpg) ](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/balanced-boulders-in-joshua-tree-national-park-bryan-mullennix.jpg) [![](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2014/04/15/17659721_medium.jpg) ](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2014/04/15/17659721_medium.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420/3 "2023-11-01T14:34:09Z")
Winds produced this ‘commode’ sculpture at my home back in 2008. [![](https://i.postimg.cc/Dy32Wk23/IMG-3361.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/Dy32Wk23/IMG-3361.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420/4 "2023-11-01T14:36:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Erosion can create shapes that resemble animals. The US has natural rock formations that were named by early Indians and settlers. > > Apparently NYU felt the need to conduct a study to confirm this theory. I wonder how big a Grant did they get for the study? I’ve seen and read a lot about the Sphinx. It seems to have been very clear that the statue was carved from a yardang that was once much larger, and that the body is largely excavated from the ground and stone around it and not at all formed by erosion and further enhanced by the addition of carved rock. Now I need to seek a grant to prove that clouds can be shaped by the wind to look like bunny rabbits. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-of-sphinx-created-by-wind-erosion/992420/5 "2023-11-01T14:57:40Z")
I’m often surprised by Grant applications. Professors are always looking for ways to bring funding and infrastructure into their department. I found this article with examples of yardang. > **[What Are the Characteristics of Erosional Landforms?](https://www.thoughtco.com/erosional-landforms-4122800)** > > View this gallery of erosional landforms, and learn more about what forms an erosional landform as well as their characteristics.