The Great Sphinx as an Idol of Isis – Helfrich (1582)
Ilustration from Johannes Helfrich’s Kurtzer und warhafftiger Bericht von der Reiss aus Venedig nach Hierusalem (1582)
In 1582 Johannes Helfrich published this image of the Great Sphinx, referring to it as the goddess Isis.
The text on the facing page states: "In ancient times it was called “Imago Isidis”, that is, an image of the goddess Isis. It is said that this image received that name because there once was a daughter of the king Nectanebo in Greece, whom the king of Egypt Osiris took as his consort and named after himself. After her death she was regarded as a goddess, and in her honour this image was erected. The inhabitants worshipped it and held it for a goddess."
Return to The Tunnels and Chambers of the Great Sphinx Part 1 — Origins