Graham Hancock

building tricks and skills of how to well definitely and this again is where you come to a series of mysteries which are perhaps best expressed on the Giza plateau in Egypt with the three great pyramids and the extraordinary megalithic temples that many people don't pay much attention to on the Giza Plateau and the Great Sphinx itself.

This is an area of particular importance in understanding this issue.

This is an area of particular importance in understanding this issue.

This is an area of particular importance in understanding this issue.

And here I must pay tribute to two individuals, actually three individuals in particular. One of them is John Anthony West, passed away in 2018. He was the first person in our era to begin to wonder if the Sphinx was much older than it had been. Actually, he got that idea from a philosopher called Schwaller de Lubix, who'd noticed what he thought was water erosion on the body of the Sphinx.

And here I must pay tribute to two individuals, actually three individuals in particular. One of them is John Anthony West, passed away in 2018. He was the first person in our era to begin to wonder if the Sphinx was much older than it had been. Actually, he got that idea from a philosopher called Schwaller de Lubix, who'd noticed what he thought was water erosion on the body of the Sphinx.

And here I must pay tribute to two individuals, actually three individuals in particular. One of them is John Anthony West, passed away in 2018. He was the first person in our era to begin to wonder if the Sphinx was much older than it had been. Actually, he got that idea from a philosopher called Schwaller de Lubix, who'd noticed what he thought was water erosion on the body of the Sphinx.

John West picked that up, and he was a great amateur Egyptologist himself. He spent most of his life in Egypt, and he was… hugely versed in ancient Egypt. And when he looked at the Sphinx and at the strange scalloped erosion patterns and the vertical fissures, particularly in the trench around the Sphinx, he began to think maybe Schwaller was right. Maybe there was some kind of flooding here.

John West picked that up, and he was a great amateur Egyptologist himself. He spent most of his life in Egypt, and he was… hugely versed in ancient Egypt. And when he looked at the Sphinx and at the strange scalloped erosion patterns and the vertical fissures, particularly in the trench around the Sphinx, he began to think maybe Schwaller was right. Maybe there was some kind of flooding here.

John West picked that up, and he was a great amateur Egyptologist himself. He spent most of his life in Egypt, and he was… hugely versed in ancient Egypt. And when he looked at the Sphinx and at the strange scalloped erosion patterns and the vertical fissures, particularly in the trench around the Sphinx, he began to think maybe Schwaller was right. Maybe there was some kind of flooding here.

And that's when he brought Robert Schock, second person I'd like to recognize, geologist at Boston University. He brought Schock to Giza. And Schock was the first geologist to stick his neck out, risk the ire of Egyptologists, and say, well, it looks to me like the Sphinx was exposed to at least 1,000 years of heavy rainfall.

And that's when he brought Robert Schock, second person I'd like to recognize, geologist at Boston University. He brought Schock to Giza. And Schock was the first geologist to stick his neck out, risk the ire of Egyptologists, and say, well, it looks to me like the Sphinx was exposed to at least 1,000 years of heavy rainfall.

And that's when he brought Robert Schock, second person I'd like to recognize, geologist at Boston University. He brought Schock to Giza. And Schock was the first geologist to stick his neck out, risk the ire of Egyptologists, and say, well, it looks to me like the Sphinx was exposed to at least 1,000 years of heavy rainfall.

And as Shock's calculations have continued, as he's continued to be immersed in this mystery, he's continuously pushed that back. And he's now, again, looking at the date of around 12,000, 12,500 years ago, during the Younger Dryas. for the creation of the Great Sphinx. Of course, this is the period of the wet Sahara, the humid Sahara. The Sahara

And as Shock's calculations have continued, as he's continued to be immersed in this mystery, he's continuously pushed that back. And he's now, again, looking at the date of around 12,000, 12,500 years ago, during the Younger Dryas. for the creation of the Great Sphinx. Of course, this is the period of the wet Sahara, the humid Sahara. The Sahara

And as Shock's calculations have continued, as he's continued to be immersed in this mystery, he's continuously pushed that back. And he's now, again, looking at the date of around 12,000, 12,500 years ago, during the Younger Dryas. for the creation of the Great Sphinx. Of course, this is the period of the wet Sahara, the humid Sahara. The Sahara

was a completely different place during the Ice Age. There were rivers in it. There were lakes in it. It was fertile. It was possibly densely populated. And there was a lot of rain. There's not no rain in Giza today, but there's relatively little rain. The next person, not enough rain to cause that erosion damage on the Sphinx.

was a completely different place during the Ice Age. There were rivers in it. There were lakes in it. It was fertile. It was possibly densely populated. And there was a lot of rain. There's not no rain in Giza today, but there's relatively little rain. The next person, not enough rain to cause that erosion damage on the Sphinx.

was a completely different place during the Ice Age. There were rivers in it. There were lakes in it. It was fertile. It was possibly densely populated. And there was a lot of rain. There's not no rain in Giza today, but there's relatively little rain. The next person, not enough rain to cause that erosion damage on the Sphinx.

The next person who needs to be mentioned in this context is Robert Boval. Robert and I have co-authored a number of books together. Unfortunately, Robert has been very ill for the last seven years. He's got a very bad chest infection. And I think also that Robert became very demoralized by the attacks of Egyptologists on his work. But Robert is the genius.