Providence Pictures: Riddles of the Sphinx Archives

Riddles of the Sphinx

For over 4,000 years, the Sphinx has puzzled all who have laid eyes on it. What is this crouching lion, human-headed creature? Who built it and why? To unlock its secrets, two teams of scientists and sculptors immerse themselves in the world of ancient Egypt — a land of pharaohs and pyramids, animal gods and mummies, sun worship and human sacrifice.

Free Screening of Riddles of the Sphinx and Q&A with Mark Lehner

Join Providence Pictures and Brown University's Department of Egyptology for a screening of our film, Riddles of the Sphinx. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Mark Lehner, esteemed Egyptologist and Director of the Giza Mapping Project.

Details after the break.

Continue reading Free Screening of Riddles of the Sphinx and Q&A with Mark Lehner.

Watch Riddles of the Sphinx Online Now!

Riddles of the Sphinx Production Stills

We brought photographer Mark Bussell to Egypt on our shoot for Riddles of the Sphinx. Check out a slide show of his beautiful photos on his site.

Watch the Riddles of the Sphinx Prologue

Check out the prologue for Riddles of the Sphinx and let us know what you think in the comments!

Bonus Scene 4 - Seeing the Sphinx in a New (Laser) Light

Think you know the Sphinx? Not like a team of Egyptian laser scanners do. They're scanning every centimeter of it and collecting billions of data points from its gigantic body. Why? To make the most accurate 3D model of the Sphinx ever seen. See it here in this bonus scene from Providence Pictures' Riddles of the Sphinx. premiering on NOVA/PBS on January 19 at 8pm.

Bonus Scene 3 - Saving the Sphinx

The threat to the Sphinx has never been greater. Modern Cairo and international tourism are hammering the Sphinx's fragile body with a near fatal, one-two punch. Dr. Zahi Hawass and an Egyptian team of geologists, hydrologists, and masons are working hard to save this colossal cat, and Providence Pictures was there to film them. Watch this bonus scene from our show, Riddles of the Sphinx, and be sure to tune in to NOVA/PBS on January 19, at 8pm for the premiere.

Bonus Scene 2 - Tombs of the Pyramid Builders

In 1990 Dr. Zahi Hawass "stumbled upon" one of the greatest discoveries of his career -- the tombs of the workers who built the Great Pyramids, and maybe the Sphinx. Recently, Dr. Hawass discovered more of the workers' tombs. For Riddles of the Sphinx, we filmed Dr. Hawass inside one of the original tombs describing his feelings about the discovery. Watch this bonus scene from our film and be sure to check back through the week as we unveil more clips.

For more info on this exciting discovery check out Dr. Hawass's website.

Bonus Scene 1 - Searching the Secret Shafts

The Great Sphinx has always been an object of fascination spawning countless theories regarding its mysterious origins. One of the most enduring of these ideas is that buried beneath the Sphinx is the Hall of Records from the Lost Civilization of Atlantis. In filming Riddles of the Sphinx, Dr. Zahi Hawass gave us unprecedented access to the shafts in the Sphinx's rump and back. To see what we discovered there, check out this bonus scene from our film and be sure to check back through the week as we unveil more of these clips.

The Great Sphinx Nose Experiment

In producing Riddles of the Sphinx we tackled the mysteries of who carved the Great Sphinx, why, and how? In order to explore the "how", Providence Pictures teamed up with Egyptologist Mark Lehner and Rick Brown, an expert in ancient tools and technologies, at Handshouse Studio in Norwell, Massachusetts. Rick replicated the kinds of tools and carving techniques the ancient Egyptians would have used to carve the colossal monument. Then, from a giant block of limestone, he and his team carved a half-scale model of the Sphinx's missing nose.

To learn more about this experiment check out the Handshouse Studio website and, of course, be sure to tune in to Riddles of the Sphinx on Tuesday, January 19 at 8pm.

Watch a new promo for Riddles of the Sphinx

NOVA has posted a short promo for our latest film, Riddles of the Sphinx, online. Check it out:

Riddles of the Sphinx airs Tuesday, January 19 at 8pm on PBS. Check your local listings.

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