The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind

by Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval

Using astronomical data, they claim the creation of the Sphinx & Pyramids dates back to 10,500 BCE. Working from a premise that the Giza complex encodes a message, they begin with recently discovered geological evidence indicating deep erosion patterns on the Sphinx' flanks were caused by 1000 years of heavy rain. Such conditions last existed at the end of the ice age, 10-9000 BCE, meaning the Sphinx may be over 12,000 years old, not the generally accepted 4500. Using computer simulations, they suggest the pyramids, representing the three stars of Orion's Belt, along with associated causeways & alignments, constitute a stone record of the celestial array at the 10,500 BCE vernal equinox. This moment represents Zep Tepi, the "1st Time," often referred to in hieroglyphic records. They claim initiation rituals of Egyptian pharaohs replicate on Earth the sun's journey thru the stars in this remote era. They suggest a lost civilization's "Hall of Records" may be located by treating the Giza Plateau as a template of these ancient skies. Professional archeologists dismiss this theory as there's no other evidence for such an ancient civilization's existence. Illustrated with photos.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Science, Ancient History, Religion

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Graham Hancock is a British writer and journalist. His books include Lords of Poverty, The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis (released in the US as Message of the Sphinx), The Mars Mystery, Heaven's Mirror (with wife Santha Faiia), Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization, Talisman: Sacred Cities, Secret Faith (with co-author Robert Bauval), Supernatural: Meeting with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind and Magicians of the Gods. He also wrote and presented the Channel 4 documentaries Underworld: Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age and Quest for the Lost Civilisation. His first novel, Entangled, was published in 2010.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note: I borrowed this from the library and read it in April 2007. It is not counted as "read" because I want my own copy. anyway, this review was written in 2007.

Asking rather more questions than it answers, The Message of the Sphinx purports to use geology to prove that the Sphinx is much older than normally suspected. Also, astronomy is used to show once again that the layout of the Giza plateau represents the sky overhead at the summer solstice in 10,500 BC, which the author theorizes is when the First Time began. Having recently read The Kybalion, which is a hermetic work supposedly handed down from the Sages discussed in this book, it actually all does sort of fit together - as above so below, as below so above is a mainstay of their system of belief and as such the layout of the Giza plateau and other pyramids in the general area fit the pattern. While I pride myself in not being a credulous person, I found the theories and suppositions put forth by the author to have a strong ring of truth to them - it does make me want to conduct further research and I can feel the frustration in the author that further studies have been so heavily curtailed.

A must-read for anyone interested in Egyptology, ancient civilizations and alternative theories of history.

[Liese Betts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not expecting to enjoy this but found myself rivetted. There seems to be a large amount of compelling scientific evidence which debunks the myth that Kafre built the Sphinx in 2500BC not least of which is the extensive weathering to the body of the sphinx caused by rainfall. As an ex-geologist, this alone was enough to convince me that modern Egyptologists have got it wrong.

The in depth descriptions of the religious beliefs and possible beliefs of the ancient egyptians was well written. However, I found the descriptions of the positions of stars in relations to 'horizons' be to somewhat arduous. Not good for reading in bed!

Some very well known people came out of the book in a rather tarnished light. Not least amongst those were Zahi Hawass and Mark Lerner. While this books is now 17 years old, one does wonder just how they reacted to the evidence it presented. I found myself interested enough that I will be spending some time researching the monuments at Giza and the current thoughts of the Egyptologists.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining book, although I don't think it's for the intent that the authors meant. I found it amusing simply due to the lack of a founded argument. There are distinct reasons the erosion on the Sphinx is there, and it isn't water. The inclusion of astrology in the authors' argument was absolutely unexpected not to mention ridiculous. There may have been restoration efforts on it, but we honestly have any documented evidence to prove that. Also, the implications of aliens was just downright laughable.
If you are looking for a good discourse on the Sphinx based on archaeological evidence, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking at reading a book on pseudoscience for giggles, you will enjoy it.

[maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another interesting analysis of the Great Pyramid, Giza and Sphinx and past influences. Zahi Hawas not shown in good light. Questionable theories.

[Jerome Willner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth book I have read on this topic “area”. I realise I am starting to build a personal mental “library” of references, terms, and facts about the “Enigmas of Egypt”. Perhaps this is something shared by those who feel the need to learn more about this topic with each book they read.
@@ - the earth’s precession motion and alignment of the stars as both an epoch time marker and blueprint for the Giza complex layout; and how concrete observable phenomenon relate to the scriptures and hieroglyphs are firm assertions that run through this work. It is intriguing to hear yet another interpretation of how the religion, folklore, and customs transmitted through observable artefacts and structures seem to entwine “encoded” hard facts with ritual. Overall, some confusion is left insufficiently resolved in my opinion as to where the balance lies because on the one hand there is reference to observations of rituals encoded with significant hard facts, but there seems insufficient discussion of the myths, and the real meaning they may have been trying to convey. The line between myth as vehicle for hard fact, and myth as vehicle for interpretive message seems fuzzy.

Reading about “Enigmas of Egypt”; the Sphinx and the Pyramids; is like immersing yourself in the “mind capsules” of the authors. They are your personal guide through an interpretive labyrinth of scriptures, hieroglyphs, folklore, myths, facts, and observations.
@@ - The reader is invited to share in the authors frustration at what appears to be a “control” shroud, frustrating attempts to make objective and transparent study of the “Enigmas of Egypt” Some may raise an eyebrow to learn that the only artefacts ever to be recovered from Great Pyramid were “lost” for several years. On “rediscovery”; of the three artefacts recovered from the freshly opened passageway from the Northern shaft of the Queen’s chamber, the one that still remains lost to this day “a length of wood”; is the only one that would have been carbon-dateable.

Works of this genre seem to incorporate many pages of complex background facts that can become somewhat dry. It takes an author of some skill to relate topics under scrutiny in a way that is consistently accessible, yet rigorous. The more you read, the more you become aware of particular idiosyncrasies of style. This relates to how a particular line of reasoning is developed; the thoroughness and degree of insight employed in illuminating the particular topic under scrutiny.
@@ - Having just read Graham Hancock’s “Fingerprints of the Gods”; I initially found this work a little dry without the formers infusion of passion. I eventually settled into the seemingly more “academic” approach of this work; with painstaking efforts to explain matters of alignment of stars and ground based structures. The authors do a terrific job in their use of diagrams and photographs to illustrate a range of observations. My only criticism in this area, is of a tendency to over-use words like obvious and of course. Whenever they occurred, they seemed at odds with the book’s style of delivery that is largely, both informed and balanced.

As a newcomer; I am beginning to appreciate the unfolding body of knowledge and dare I say it; wisdom, surrounding the “Enigmas of Egypt”. Perhaps this is part of their allure.
@@ - Without doubt, there are complexities to be studied and mastered if one is to gain “adept” knowledge of “Egyptian Enigmas”. This work is rich in material I had come across before, but is handled here in a way that deepens my understanding of the salient topics. I was also introduced to a plethora of new topics and observational points of reference; I had not yet come across.

Though not yet sufficiently knowledgeable to recommend this work within a chronological list of suggested reads, I thoroughly recommend this book to any reader already initiated into this fascinating realm. Excellent !

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My visit to Michael in the fall of 1997 had him recommending and me reading some alternative theories of ancient history, two of the books being by Graham Hancock. One, 'Fingerprints of the Gods', was about the evidence for an inhabited continent under the Antarctic ice cap in remote antiquity. The second, 'The Message of the Sphinx', was about the evidences suggesting a pre-Egyptian civilization. These evidences were primarily astronomical and geological.

Should anyone who reads this know about the status of current professional opinion about the weathering of the flanks of the Sphinx, I should appreciate an explanatory update.

[Jerry Mrizek · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that's dangerous. It really is a good story and therefore easy to get caught up in. If you take a step back and really look at the evidence, you see how it's not flimsy, it's nonexistent.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, about twelve years ago I became really 'weird', and started getting into all this kinda stuff and this was one of the books I read about the Giza Plateau and the three Pyramids that stand on it, along with the Sphinx. Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval create a hypothesis which claims that the standard interpretation of what the Pyramids were created for is a load of nonsense, that its wrong. They argue that the Great Pyramid and the two others were actually 'mirroring' the belt of Orion, or Osiris as it was then called. That these three Pyramids did not contain any bodies or mummified remains of any dead Pharaohs at all, and the authors also argue that the Sphinx is actually older than when the standard histories explain when it was built. Graham Hancocks line of enquiry and reasoning, by using astronomy software and putting the date back to 10,500 BC, suggests that there was, at this time, twelve thousand years ago, another greater civilisation that was wiped out, hence why we get tales of Atlantis and also could well be correlated with Noah's great flood, told about in the Old Testament. That this civilisation perished when the last Ice Age came to an end and changed the look of our current Earth drastically due to the rising sea levels from the melting glaciers, causing a great pre-historical civilisation to become sundered and lost and that the remnants of its age ended up in Egypt and other locations in the world, bringing with them the skills and knowledge to build such impressive, unequalled structures such as the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx.

I am no expert on these matters, but I have read a little around it and this book is well referenced and 'argued', but dismissed by most Egyptologists and academia. Its a good read, but for a lay person with no interest in new age theories, conspiracy theories, astroarchaeology and even engineering, then its quite heavy going.

[Jasmyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book on Egypt that I have read by Robert Bauval. I would recommend reading the first, The Orion Mystery, before starting this as it occassionally references back to topics written there, and I found it very helpful to have the background on the pyramids discussed in The Orion Mystry.

The Message of the Sphinx moves away from the Great Pyramids a bit and centers on the meaning, purpose and age of the Great Sphinx. Newer theories (1996) suggest that the Sphinx is much older than originally thought and also suggest a new purpose for the anciet monument. These discoveries are based in science and lead to a very compelling argument for the writers' theories.

If you are interested in Egyptology, this book should be on your must read book. Even if we choose not to believe the authors' theories, it shows a new picture of the ancients that helps piece together how and when they lived, specifically their religion and funeral rites. The writing gets a littel overly scientific for easy reading so I've been picking it up on and off all year.

4/5

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somewhat akin to Chariot of the Gods.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, though probably not such a rating for a casual reader. That rating is assuming an interest in ancient history, astronomy, great monuments, or Egypt itself. For one interested in these topics, this book has it all! The authors persuasively argue the importance of the connection between the stars and the Egyptian worldview, where the connection between the two is the Giza necropolis.

There is a lot about the Great Pyramid, probably more, overall, than about the Sphinx, so if you were looking for a book specifically about the Sphinx, this may prove to be a disappointment. The Spinx's place in the necropolis and in the placement of the duality of sky and earth is clearly delineated, but more time is spent on the pyramids.

Examining Egyptian history without acknowledging the deep reverence for and knowledge of the skies will be sadly incomplete, the authors propose (and I accept). Not only is the mathematical precision and astronomical alignment of the structures in Giza somewhat well known and impressive in its own right, but delving deeper into the details of the structure reveals a level of insight into the stars and the Egyptian deep past that cannot be ignored. Too many pieces come together to reveal Egyptian values. Nothing in the buildings is done without astrological intentionality. Their alignment with constellations annually and cyclically throughout the earth's travels through space is evident, even more so the more factors one considers. Essentially, everything is rooted in a duality of thought, connecting skies and earth--and earthly events. The goal of sending a Horus-king to his heavenly kingdom is of primary importance to the Egyptians, and the monuments contain all the clues regarding how that is to be done.

At the end of the day, all the clues reveal four main ideas:
1) The ancient Egyptians are probably more ancient than we realize, with much more background, culture, and knowledge than has been assumed.
2) The Egyptians look back to a "Golden Age" portrayed in the stars about 12,000 years ago, where something was set in motion. Lesser events in Egyptian history stem from this golden age, and branches off of this main event.
3) While the authors hint at the fact that the Egyptian monuments may be "devices" that "trigger" or "control" history (in conjunction with the stars), what if, instead, the ancient Egyptians (or the "Followers of Horus") knew the realities of how history would play out, saw those realities in the skies, and attempted to point others toward those realities with clues through their monuments? What if all of their religious and political practices were intended, in the beginning, to direct people toward a deep reality unfolding around them?
4) When examining a culture’s legends and mythology, it is OK not to accept the events as historical (though they do not necessarily need to be entirely rejected as historical, either, in my opinion), but they do need to be acknowledged as a way a culture thinks about reality, a clue to their worldview.

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind) is written by cooperation of Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock and it is about some different or alternative history of Egypt. So, if you don't like this alternative explanations of the new and intriguing evidence or 'evidence'. Now, I read the book Magicians of the Gods by Graham Hancock and found it intriguing and that's why I picked this book.

For the difference of Magicians of the Gods in this book, Bauval speaks only about the history of Egypt. Keeper of Genesis confirms claims already written by Hancock about the age of sphinx (10500 b.c.) according to astronomical and geological evidence. The Great pyramid is according to his opinion dated in 2500 b.c. as mainstream egyptologists claim (although some alternatives claim that it was impossible to build such structure in that particular age or in Bauval's words "... ‘almost impossible’, since the mathematical value pi (3.14) is not supposed to have been calculated by any civilization until the Greeks stumbled upon it in the third century bc, is the fact the designed height of the Great Pyramid—481.3949 feet—bears the same relationship to its base perimeter (3023.16 feet) as does the circumference of any circle to its radius. This relationship is 2pi (i.e. 481.3949 feet x 2 x 3.14 = 3023.16 feet)."
"Equally ‘impossible’—at any rate for a people like the ancient Egyptians who are supposed to have known nothing about the true shape and size of our planet—is the relationship, in a scale of 1:43,200, that exists between the dimensions of the Pyramid and the dimensions of the earth.

Setting aside for the moment the question of whether we are dealing with coincidence here, it is a simple fact, verifiable on any pocket calculator, that if you take the monument’s original height (481.3949 feet) and multiply it by 43,200 you get a quotient of 3938.685 miles. This is an underestimate by just 11 miles of the true figure for the polar radius of the earth (3949 miles) worked out by the best modern methods.

Likewise, if you take the monument’s perimeter at the base (3023.16 feet) and multiply this figure by 43,200 then you get 24,734.94 miles—a result that is within 170 miles of the true equatorial circumference of the earth (24,902 miles)."

For the alternative chronology of the duration of Egypt civilization he gives this:

‘The Akhu, Shemsu Hor, 13,420 years; Reigns before the Shemsu Hor, 23,200 years; Total 36,620 years.’[544], Manetho (literally, ‘Truth of Thoth’), who lived in the third century bc and who ‘rose to be high priest in the temple at Heliopolis’.[557] There he wrote his now lost History of Egypt which later commentators tell us was divided up into three volumes dealing, respectively, with ‘the Gods, the Demigods, the Spirits of the Dead and the mortal Kings who ruled Egypt’. The ‘Gods’ it seems, ruled for 13,900 years. After them ‘the Demigods and Spirits of the Dead’—epithets for the ‘Followers of Horus’—ruled for a further 11,025 years. Then began the reign of the mortal kings, which Manetho divided into the thirty-one dynasties still used and accepted by scholars today.

Fragment 3, preserved in the works of George Syncellus, speaks of ‘six dynasties or six gods who ... reigned for 11,985 years’.[560] And in a number of sources Manetho is said to have given the figure of 36,525 years for the entire duration of the civilization of Egypt from the time of the gods down to the end of the last dynasty of mortal kings.[561]

A rather different total of around 23,000 years has been handed down to us by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus who visited Egypt in the first century bc and spoke there with priests and chroniclers. According to the stories he was told: ‘At first Gods and Heroes ruled Egypt for a little less than 18,000 years ... Mortals have been kings of their country, they say, for a little less than 5000 years.’

Bauval concludes by saying:
"When we say that the Sphinx, the three Great Pyramids, the causeways and other associated monuments of the Giza necropolis form a huge astronomical diagram we are simply reporting a fact. When we say that this diagram depicts the skies above Giza in 10,500 bc we are reporting a fact. When we say that the Sphinx bears erosion marks which indicate that it was carved before the Sahara became a desert we are reporting a fact. When we say that the ancient Egyptians attributed their civilization to ‘the gods’ and to the ‘Followers of Horus’ we are reporting facts. When we say that these divine and human civilizers were remembered as having come to the Nile Valley in Zep Tepi—the ‘First Time’—we are reporting a fact. When we say that the ancient Egyptian records tell us this ‘First Time’ was an epoch in the remote past, thousands of years before the era of the Pharaohs, we are reporting a fact.

...access to the site, and knowledge about it, has been monopolized by members of the archaeological and Egyptological professions who have agreed amongst themselves as to the origin, and age, and function of the monuments. New evidence which does not support this scholarly consensus, and which might actively undermine it, has again and again been overlooked, or sidelined, and sometimes even deliberately concealed from the public. This, we assume, is why everything to do with the shafts of the Great Pyramid—their stellar alignments, the iron plate, the relics, and the discovery of the ‘door’—has met with such peculiar and inappropriate responses from Egyptologists and archaeologists."

So this is my assessment of the book So Keeper of Genesis: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind) by Robert Bauval, according to my 8 criteria:
1. Related to practice - 2 stars
2. It prevails important - 3 stars
3. I agree with the read - 4 stars
4. not difficult to read (as for non English native) - 4 stars
5. Too long (more than 500 pages) - short and concise (150-200 pages) - 3 stars
6. Boring - every sentence is interesting - 4 stars
7. Learning opportunity - 4 stars
8. Dry and uninspired style of writing - Smooth style with humouristic and fun parts - 4 stars

Total 3,5 stars

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

These archaeological explorers go to every end of the world to examine ancient civilizations and dispel the dogma associated with ancient cultures such as Egypt, the Mayan civilization, Easter Island, Stonehenge, Atlantis. They have some amazing theories that examine archaeo-astronomical alignments, consciousness-altering drugs of Shamanistic origin, and mysteries of ancient knowledge. You will be absolutely surprised at the findings and it will totally open your world-view to a whole new array of possibilities. Both authors do their homework to a high degree of professionalism and offer more than adequate facts and sources to back up their claims. The best part about their work is that they are so adept at coming up with amazing theories that ring of truths untold and really are quite effective at jolting the reader's imagination.

[Omer84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. A bit overloaded with archeo-astronomy details, which can be a overwhelming at times, but still very good read. Anybody who is into non-mainstream hypothesis should give it a go, and not mentioning anyone into Ancient Egypt as well. You can find a lot details in this work. Book goes recommended.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at what might be the true history of the pyramids - this book gives evidence that they are a lot older than archeologists have generally thought. A bit like an archeological espionage account!

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Sphinx is the soul of Egypt."

Wow. I'm not sure what I intended this book to be, but this was not it. I thought it would be something interesting about a hidden chamber or something, I don't know, but that's not what it is at all. It's an interesting read, but only taken with a grain of salt.

[Mark Tallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the content in the book is beyond my full comprehension but I love the topic that it covers and for the most part it is written in layman terms. Excellent book. Excellent research.

[Mr S Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting things on the Pyramids, worth while read

[Gian Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

History is finally waking up to the truth and forced to recognize the outstanding, invaluable, work of incredible, dedicated people like Robert Duval and Graham Hancock.

[Zdenek Sykora · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind" by Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval is a compelling and thought-provoking book that takes readers on an extraordinary journey into the heart of ancient Egypt. Hancock and Bauval combine their expertise in archaeology and astronomy to present a fascinating thesis about the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza, suggesting that these ancient monuments are much older than traditionally believed and hold secrets about the origins of civilization.

The authors meticulously piece together evidence from various disciplines, including geology, mythology, astrology, and ancient texts, to support their theory that the Sphinx and the surrounding pyramids form a precise astronomical map that is aligned with the stars as they were in 10,500 BC. This groundbreaking proposition challenges conventional Egyptology and opens up new avenues of understanding about the sophistication and wisdom of ancient cultures.

"The Message of the Sphinx" is not just an academic exploration; it is a captivating narrative that invites readers to reconsider the narrative of human history. The book is beautifully written, with a narrative that is both engaging and accessible, making complex scientific and historical concepts understandable to a wide audience. Hancock and Bauval's passion for their subject matter shines through on every page, making the reader's journey through ancient landscapes both enlightening and enjoyable.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in ancient civilizations, archaeology, and the mysteries of our past. It offers not only a challenge to established scientific paradigms but also a message of hope and wonder about the capabilities and achievements of our ancestors. "The Message of the Sphinx" is a significant contribution to the field of alternative history, encouraging an open-minded exploration of the past and its implications for understanding our present and future.

[DAJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is probably the most influential work of alternative Egyptology of the past 40 years. Much of it details the personality conflicts between alternative Egyptologists, conventional Egyptologists, and the Egyptian government in the 1990s, which can seem pretty irrelevant today. (For an independent account of these conflicts, see the excellent Giza: The Truth by Ian Lawton and Chris Ogilvie-Herald.) However, Hancock and Bauval's claims are still influential today and thus worth addressing. There are genuine questions about the monuments at Giza. It's not preposterous, for example, to suggest the Sphinx is older than the reign of Khafre, to which it is conventionally dated, and nobody knows what the "air shafts" in the Great Pyramid were made for. However, Hancock and Bauval's arguments are often strained, or even incoherent.

Take what they say about astronomical alignments. In his previous book, The Orion Mystery, Bauval argued that the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau are sized and arranged to reflect the arrangement and relative brightness of the three stars in Orion's belt. There are problems with this hypothesis, but it's coherent and worthy of examination. Here, though, Hancock and Bauval claim to have found a lot of other connections with the stars, and they build sweeping claims upon those connections.

Archaeoastronomy is a difficult business because there are so many stars in the sky and so much variation in their positions, based on the time of day, the year, and the cycle of precession. False positives are easy to find—in fact, hard to avoid stumbling upon. Hancock and Bauval connect the Great Pyramid air shafts to various stars and the Sphinx to the constellation Leo. But the air shafts bend more than once, and the endpoints for two of them were unknown in 1996, making it difficult to tell what stars they might align with. They could point to a host of different stars if one chooses the right time of year or night. And while we know that our constellation Orion was important to the Egyptians, it's not certain that the lion constellation that the Egyptians drew in the sky was the same as our Leo. Hancock and Bauval claim the pyramids represent Orion, the Sphinx Leo, and the Nile the Milky Way—but Leo lies on the opposite side of the Milky Way from Orion. That would seem to suggest the Sphinx is on the wrong side of the Nile! Hancock and Bauval instead say the Sphinx was meant to gaze at the sun rising in Leo on the other side of the river, but given that the Sphinx faces due east, where the sun will be at dawn on the vernal equinox no matter what astrological age one chooses, it's a pretty weak argument.

Moreover, it's not proven that the Egyptians were aware of precession of the equinoxes, and no Egyptian text indicates that precession was important to them. But a connection to the Age of Leo (in which the sun rose in Leo at the spring equinox), around 10,500 BC, is key to Hancock and Bauval's argument, because they believe the Sphinx was originally carved at that time by the hypothetical lost civilization that Hancock argued for in his own previous book, Fingerprints of the Gods. A complex set of preexisting fringe beliefs seems to have led Hancock and Bauval to this date, including a 200-year-old pattern of people trying to date Egyptian monuments by their zodiac connections (which originated before it was known that the dynastic Egyptians didn't have the Babylonian-Greek zodiac that we have) and the prophecies of the psychic Edgar Cayce, whom Hancock and Bauval mention in the book but maintain a discreet distance from.

Yet some of the authors' stellar-alignment arguments seem to imply that the pyramids were designed near the conventional date, circa 2500 BC. Apparently the authors think the Old Kingdom Egyptians built the pyramids to reflect the state of the sky 8,000 years before their own time, in the era of the lost civilization, while performing restoration work on the Sphinx. But why, then, do Hancock and Bauval spend so much space attacking the conventional date for the Great Pyramid and implying that Richard Howard Vyse, who discovered the evidence connecting the pyramid with Khufu, forged that evidence? (Hancock has vacillated on this point in subsequent years, while the evidence connecting the pyramid with Khufu has only increased.) On one of the most basic questions about Giza, the book is simply confusing, if not self-contradictory.

What the authors really need is not stellar alignments but hard evidence that a sophisticated civilization existed at the date they want to point to. They claim to have that evidence in the apparent water erosion on the Sphinx. The fringe historian John Anthony West became convinced that the Sphinx was carved in a period when Egypt had prolonged rainfall, well before the emergence of dynastic Egyptian civilization. He convinced the geologist Robert Schoch to look at the Sphinx in the late 1980s, and Schoch concluded that the Sphinx dated to 7000 to 5000 BC. West, Hancock, and Bauval thought Schoch's date didn't go far enough, and as their arguments about Giza started gaining public traction, they all began to agree on the 10,500 BC timeframe, even though West originally favored an even earlier date. Meanwhile, other studies suggested other explanations for the erosion patterns on the Sphinx, and no other geologists seem to have sided with Schoch. In other words, even the strongest argument for redating the Sphinx doesn't point where West, Hancock, and Bauval want it to point, and there are several counterarguments pointing in the other direction. In short, their fixation on the 10,500 BC date leads them to twist both the geological and astronomical evidence to fit it.

[Rodeweeks · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first two parts are basically background archeology and history of archeology which got me a bit bored. It might be much more interesting to those who know the who's who in archeology and Egyptology. The last two parts I enjoyed much more with Egyptian mythology and astronomy, and how that fit in with the Sphinx and the pyramids. The authors tried to stay clear of outright astrology, but it is clear between the lines and they acknowledge it somewhat in a later chapter. Large parts of the book made me wonder whether neo-pagans, such as Kemeticism, uses books such as these for the reconstruction of their religion or do they focus primarily on the Holy Books and their own interpretation? I always enjoy alternative types of books, and this one (as with any book in which Graham Hancock have a part) goes against, what they call, orthodox Egyptologists.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best Graham Hancock book, unfortunately. Possibly due to writing it with the help of another. No offense to either gentleman. It just wasn't as well written as others I've read.

There is still a ton of great information contained in this book, its style just isn't the same as other Hancock books.

I like to say that Graham Hancock has such a great writing style that he can make even the description of getting into a taxi and going to a location to do some searching for archaeological evidence, a very interesting event. Even the getting into the taxi part. This book didn't live up to that.

Having said all this, it still had a lot of great information and was interesting in many ways.

[Fascinated]

It seems likely that the Goodreads review was provided a long time ago. Since the original publication of this book, many discoveries have demonstrated conclusively that civilizations DID exist in that area of before 11,000 years ago. These include the dig at Gobekli Tepe, identification of the probable site of Atlantis in the Richat Structure (Eye of the Sahara) in Mauritania, etc.
Part of the argument is the authors' discovery that the Great Pyramid has built features which correlate with only recently discovered facts such as the 23,000 year wobble of the earth's axis. This was not recorded by the Sumerians with the most advanced knowledge base preceding the Ancient Egyptian civilization. This and other reveals are impossible to explain otherwise.

[Steven H · Rating 3 out of 5]

DOES THE SPHINX SUGGEST THE ‘LANGUAGE OF THE STARS’?

Authors Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval wrote in the first chapter of this 1986 book, “A gigantic state, with lion body and the head of a man, gazes east from Egypt along the thirtieth parallel… It is the Great Sphinx…. Wearing the elegant … head-dress of an Egyptian Pharaoh, it gazes patiently into the east… and targeting for ever the equinoctial rising point of the sun. How long has it stood there inspecting the horizon? Whose image does it portray? What is its function? In our search for answers to these questions we have found ourselves drawn into strange and unexpected areas of research… We have immersed ourselves in archaic rebirth texts and myths and scriptures and found amongst them the veiled remnants of a remarkable ‘astronomical language’ that can, without too much difficulty, be read and understood today… we believe we are able to identify with certainty who and what the Sphinx really is… Our immediate aim … is to undertake a complete reevaluation of all these titanic monuments… and of their numerous neglected, geodetic and geological and astronomical qualities. Once these factors are taken into account a new Rosetta Stone begins to emerge, expressed in architecture and time, in allegories and symbols, and in specific astronomical directions and coordinates that tell the seeker where to look and what we might hope to find.” (Pg. 2, 5-6)

They summarize, “by any rational and reasonable criteria, the jury is still out of the true attribution and antiquity of this extraordinary monument. The riddle of the Sphinx is still unsolved.” (Pg. 22)

They suggest, “More than any other ancient place… Giza raises, and might possibly answer, all the old, fundamental questions: who we are, where we came from, perhaps even where we are going. For these reasons we can hardly afford to be indifferent to the Great Sphinx and the three great pyramids. For these reasons the quality of research that has been carried out around them---and that has defined and explained them---really does matter.” (Pg. 82)

They note, “Our own research has convinced us, however, that the shaft in which Rudolf Gantenbrink made his remarkable discovery is linked to archaic system of beliefs and rituals that envisaged the monuments of The Giza necropolis as an ‘image of heaven.’” (Pg.128)

They state, “We suspect that the Egyptians this curious and unsettling ‘dislocation’ of the sky served as the stimulus for an esoteric journey which was undertaken on the ground by the Pharaohs themselves following celestial clues.” (Pg. 151)

They explain, “what we need to look for in order to identify Horakhi with certainty is an astronomical conjunction during the summer solstice in the Pyramid Age when both the sun and some other significant celestial body would have been seen to occupy the same specific place on the eastern horizon… computer simulations provide us with the means to search or such a conjunction.” (Pg. 166)

They state, “So the texts seem to invite us to attach leonine characteristics to the ‘men or gods of olden times,’ to the ‘Ancestors,’ and to the Sages. But they also invite something else when… they link the whole concept of ancestral dynasties of gods and spirits with another closely related word, ‘Akhu,’ meaning, variously, the ‘Shining Ones,’ the ‘Star People’ or the ‘Venerables.’ In this way they lead us back to the trail of the ‘Followers of Horus’ and to the notion that for thousands of years---spanning both the prehistoric and the historic periods---the members of a hidden academy may have been at work behind the scenes in Egypt, observing the stars with scientific rigor and manipulating men and events according to a celestial timetable.” (Pg. 207)

They state, “the ‘Followers of Horus’ … this shadowy brotherhood, whose members were said to have carried the ‘knowledge of divine origin’ … may have interrelated on an extremely selective
Basis with the more primitive inhabitants of the Nile Valley… interbreeding with chosen women and recruiting new generations from amongst the brightest and the best of their offspring---but leaving little or no trace of their presence in the archaeological record… we suggest that whoever they really may have been, it was the ‘Followers’---the Sags, the Builder Gods---who provided this nascent civilization with the advanced technical knowledge, engineering, architectural and organizing skills necessary for the completion of the vast celestial ‘temple’ that we know today as the Giza metropolis…” (Pg. 214)

They summarize, The Giza monuments are a legacy for Mankind, preserved almost intact over thousands of years, and, outside the privileged circles of Egyptology and archaeology, there is today a broad-based expectation that they might be about to reveal a remarkable secret… We cannot predict what remarkable discoveries will be made by such research, or even whether any new discoveries will be made. However… we are left with an enhanced sense of tremendous mystery of this amazing site… we feel, too, that the purpose of the ancient master-builders was sublime, and that they did indeed find a way to initiate those who would come after---thousands of years in the future---by making use of the universal language of the stars. They found a way to send a message across the ages in a code so simple and so self-exploratory that it might rightly be described as an anti-cypher. Perhaps the time has come to listen to that clear, compelling signal that beckons to us out of the darkness of prehistory. Perhaps the time has come to seek the buried treasure of our forgotten genesis and destiny.” (Pg. 271-272)

This book will appeal to many who like ‘ancient mysteries’ books.

[Andrew Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graham Hancock’s investigation into the Giza Necropolis is a fascinating tale that delves into history, culture, theology and so much more. I’ve been a fan of Graham for a while now through his online profile, but I’d never had the chance to read one of his books. While the arguments he lays out from cover to cover are more than captivating, they are slightly too technical for me at times. Perhaps I just didn’t have the capacity at the time of reading to understand intricate archeological and geometric reports, or maybe it’s just not for me. Overall, this book is very worth the read, and is only slightly hindered by the more technical sections.

[Juan Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course I got to know about Graham from the Joe Rogan podcast. Watching, or listening to those interviews, and the one of John Anthony West is way richer than reading this book, which is just a small fragment of the vast content of the podcasts. In this book there is some deeper explanation about the configuration of the stars and the night sky at the time when the Sphinx and the pyramids might have been built, but to be honest, the evidence here presented was not as compelling as I expected.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An in-depth look at the Sphinx and the Giza necropolis discussing its age and purpose. There is a lot of technical information around astronomy which can be a bit to wade through, but it really does make you view things from a new perspective, and I don't think that is a bad thing. People are given a narrative from those who 'know best', but what if that is only what they want you to believe? It doesn't hurt to read and explore ideas and nobody should be 'cancelled' for doing so.

[The Scorpion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. When I started to read this book I was amazed at how these ancient people were able to lift a 200 ton block on top of the other. In my opinion I think they had help from other beings. Also I found interesting how they set up the pyramids aligned with our planets. There is other interesting facts and other interesting people involved. That’s all I am going to say about the book. We must read it for yourself.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will save a lot of time

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It may be that DMT makes us able to perceive what the physicist call "dark matter" - the 95 per cent of the universe's mass that is known to exist but that at present remains invisible to our senses and instruments.
Graham Hancock

A man in a padded cell tells of being shipwrecked on a foggy island with toadstool-eating tourists

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Matango, The Fungus of Terror