4.0755 Rs: Kershenbaum's Sphinx Query (2/32)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 26 Nov 90 22:12:41 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0755. Monday, 26 Nov 1990.


(1) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 16:44 CDT (14 lines)
From: <CHURCHDM@VUCTRVAX>
Subject: Peg Kershenbaum's Query

(2) Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 09:02:33 MST (18 lines)
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0722 Qs: ...

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 16:44 CDT
From: <CHURCHDM@VUCTRVAX>
Subject: Peg Kershenbaum's Query

I can offer a tentative answer to one of Peg Kershenbaum's queries:

When I was a student in Paris, the story I heard was that Napoleon's
artillery used the Sphinx for target practice. No mention was made
of any reason other than honing shooting skills. I'm rather skeptical
about the negroid business, if for no other reason than because it
seems to me that the statue's features were probably less negroid
before the bombardment than afterwards.

Dan Church
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------31----
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 90 09:02:33 MST
From: koontz@alpha.bldr.nist.gov (John E. Koontz)
Subject: Re: 4.0722 Qs: Dickinson etexts; Humans v. Computers ... (9/139)

In regard to Peg Kershenbaum's query:

Somewhere I read a brief note debunking various historical myths that
mentioned the one concerning the Sphinx. The version of the myth
reported there was simply that the nose had been shot off in the course
of casual target practice. According to the note, the nose was actually
missing long before Napoloen's time. I think that the defacement was
attributed to Islamic strictures against human representations, and that
maybe a specific author of the damage was mentioned.

I regret that this is no better supported than the student's assertion,
but submit it in hope that it might lead to something better. I suspect
that an encyclopedia (none to hand) might be a good place to start.