Customer Reviews

Mystery of the Sphinx (Documentary) [VHS]

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The Mystery of the Sphinx contains information about the Sphinx, and Egyptian history and archaeology in general, that is nothing less than explosive. John Anthony West and Robert Schoch offer brilliant and convincing evidence that the Sphinx is much older than the pyramids, possible as much as 8,000 years older than previously thought, indicating that our understanding of Egyptian history and religion has barely scratched the surface. Their convincing testimony is made all the more interesting and entertaining by the inclusion of Charlton Heston as the narrator. And this video is not merely a visual montage of Egyptian images overlaid with mystical sounding rhetoric. This is real science and real history - and maverick archaeology at its best.

This is the most important documentary ever done on ancient Egypt, and Egyptologists have done the best they can to ignore it over the past ten years. Geologist Robert Schoch and 'maverick' Egyptologist John Anthony West show that the weathering on the Sphinx is due to rain, not sand, wind, or the flooding of the Nile, as has always been suggested. When did the Sahara desert ever receive such measurable rainfall? Ten thousand years ago, when it was a lush green valley. The consequences of this revelation are devastating and it's almost comical to watch the most famous Egyptologists, Hawass and, Lehner stumble to argue the case against the disclosure on this video because, if it was accepted as true, all they have thought will have been a lie. To th eir credit, the makers of the video gave both sides a fair chance to state their case, as opposed to most traditional documentaries on Egypt, which are simply video travel brochures about the pyramids and the mummies. The fact is, that everything that we have told about the rise and development about Egyptian civilization is wrong, and with that, everything we believe about the rise of civilization is wrong, too. Egyptologists have a different version of events, one often unsupported by other sciences, but, once you watch this video, you will hold everything they say to a higher standard. One would have liked to see a more updated version of this video, to find out what has happened with the secret chamber discovered beneath the Sphinx's paw (the lost hall of records perhaps?), but, as of recently, the Egyptian arheologists have either not been inclined to investigate, or, at least, tell the world of the results.

To put in a pleas for poor Richard Hoagland, who one reviewer has trashed: the face o n Mars has not been inconclusively proved to be a trick of light and shadow. Depending upon who you talk to, the jury is still out on that one, but that is another story and he and others can explain it better. In any event, that part has little to do with the rest of this work..

Schoch and West build an overwhelming case for the great antiquity of the Sphinx, predating the other monuments of Giza. I highly recommend this video, and even moreso Schoch's book "Voices of the Rocks". Another book (orig 1986/87, but out in a Jan 2000 edition) that will be of interest is "Plato, Prehistorian" by Mary Settegast. Schoch mentions it in his book, and I sought out the old edition in a local library.

The only problem with this video is the segment near the end featuring Richard Hoagland. Even that was good for some laughs. In his defense, the "Face on Mars" used to exist, but only as an artifact of the Viking orbiter cameras' resolution. The Pathfinder data wasn't available when this show was produced. OTOH, Hoagland hasn't abandoned his mistaken conclusion in the face of the better data.

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The information presented in this program is based on the seventeen years of research of an Egyptologist and a geologist. It is hosted by the legendary Charlton Heston.

Experts of what is called "The Sphinx Project" (five people make up this "scientific team") re-examine the Great Sphinx of Egypt. They show that what orthodox Egyptologists claim about the Sphinx cannot be true. Experts other than those of the Sphinx project also give brief comments. There are even rebuttals by opposing experts as to what is claimed by the Sphinx project.

Areas covered in this program include archaeology, Egyptology, geology, mathematics, seismology, paleoclimatology, engineering, and even forensics. All scientific concepts are explained with the aid of computer simulation and animation.

To see how all this new information presented fits together, there is a fantastic computer graphic sequence near the end of the program to illustrate the possible life history of the Sphinx.

Here are some of the questions answered about the Sphinx:

(1) Is the Sphinx older than thought?
(2) How were the huge two hundred ton blocks used to build it put in place?
(3) Is there more to the Sphinx than can be seen?
(4) Is the face of the Sphinx really who it is thought?
(5) Is the head of it really the original head?

In this program, there is no mention of UFOs or LGM (little green men). This program presents a serious, scientific investigation.

Finally, to determine what the Sphinx is staring at, I recommend viewing the excellent video "Heaven's Mirror" (1998) hosted by Graham Hancock.

In conclusion, this program answers mysteries about the Sphinx. If you're like me and like mysteries, then you can't miss this program!!

(1993; 50 min; made for TV; full screen)

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