Egyptologist proposes that there were two sphinxes at Giza

Egypt Daily Star (Ahmed Maged)

Egyptologist Bassam El Shammaa believes that the famed half-lion, half-man statue was an Egyptian deity that was erected next to another sphinx, which has since vanished without a trace. This contradicts what many have believed for centuries — that a single colossal statue functioned as a guard to the Pyramids. . . .

El Shammaa remarked: “My own interpretation is that the miracle structures were dedicated to the lion deities that also ensured their protection. The demolished temple in front of the Sphinx’s paws and the Valley Temple that stands next to the site of what we assume to be the second sphinx are proof that those two statues were deities.

Some of the ideas on which Bassam El Shammaa bases these suggestions are clearly outlined on the above page.