The Great Sphinx of Giza reborn as a lion in the desert

The Sphinx in Egypt might have originally had the face of a lion, it is claimed. And it could be much older than previously thought, investigations led by a British geologist suggest. Egyptologists have long argued the monument outside Cairo, which has the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion, was built soon after the first pyramid - around 4,500 years ago.

But geologist Colin Reader found that rain erosion on the Sphinx's enclosure suggests it was built many years before. A sunken palace on the Giza plateau provides further evidence that there was activity in the area before the building of the pyramids, Mr Reader said.

Its style implies that it is older than the other tombs at the site. Mr Reader said the tomb would have been adapted and embellished by later inhabitants of the area.

Visual effects experts used the research data to recreate the monument (Source: Daily Mail)