Subject: Re: SPHINX
Date: Sat, 20 Apr 1996 07:50:02 -0800
From: dolphin@best.com (Lambert Dolphin)
To: Larry Orcutt <Lorcutt@gnn.com>
In 1974, 76, and 78 a team of us from SRI International (then Stanford Research Institute) conducted a whole series of scientific measurements in Egypt, in support of archaeology, initially sponsored by a National Science Foundation Grant. In 1974 we discovered that the limestones everywhere in Egypt are damp and rich in clay. This meant that ground-penetrating radar (GPR) had no practical use in Egypt (despite later efforts by others). Radar signals penetrate only a foot or so.
We also tried resistivity and high frequency seismic sounding at the Valley of the Kings, Saqqara, Giza and Alexandria. They worked fine.
In 1978 we had a project funded by the ARE (Association for Research and Enlightening) in Virginia Beach, VA. (They are related to the Edgar Cayce Foundation). Hugh Lynn Cayce was with us in Egypt that year. (We had other sponsorship and other work going on concurrently).
First we did a thorough, close-spaced resistivity survey around the entire Sphinx and the Sphinx temple in front. This gave us an idea where there were cracks. There was no evidence of real voids as deep as 30 or more feet.
Next we conducted high-frequency seismic soundings at all suspicious areas where there were resistivity anomalies of any importance. All we found were cracks.
Next we drilled 4 inch bore holes on the anomalies and inspected the hole with downhole TV. Nothing was found except small cracks. We paid special attention to the front paws, and under the paws.
No chambers!
Hugh Lynn said at the time that Edgar's readings on illness were more accurate, he thought, than some of his archaeological "readings" but they considered it worthwhile to check out the Sphinx.
I saw the TV program claiming a chamber had been discovered by electronic means but in the absence of published data I am skeptical. The bedrock floor around the Sphinx, and in front, shows no evidence of having been tunnelled or disturbed. In places it is weak and of poorer grade. Yes, there are small cracks. The Sphinx itself, cavities, and surrounds were very thoroughly explored and documented subsequently by Mark Lehner now of U. of Chicago. He does outstanding work.
Deep shaft tombs just up the Chephren Causeway from the Sphinx have standing water in them nowdays. This means the water table is not many feet below the base of the Sphinx. In ancient times a canal from the River Nile apparently came right up to the base of the Giza complex, so if there were a chamber under the Sphinx it would be full of water. (This would have been an even more striking resistivity anomaly for us in 1978).
I do not believe there are any chambers under the Sphinx at this point in time.
The work of Schoch and West on the Sphinx is highly flawed. For one thing they ignored the severe local atmospheric industrial pollution in the last century which has severely damaged the Giza monuments and fast, too. This is well known by the Egyptologists. I won't get in to that story, you probably are up to date on their work and the many thorough refutations from well-qualified people.
sincerely,
Lambert Dolphin
Geophysicist
http://www.best.com/~dolphin/
dolphin@best.com