Archaeologists have unearthed a sphinx-like statue in an ancient temple in southern Egypt, according to a BBC report. Remains of a shrine were also found at the site near the Hathor Temple, the outlet further said quoting Egypt's antiquities ministry. This comes days after a 30-feet-long hidden corridor was found close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza. The discovery within the pyramid was made under the Scan Pyramids project using a non-invasive technology, including infrared thermography, 3D simulations and cosmic-ray imaging to peer inside the structure.
The sphinx, when unearthed, had "smiley face and two dimples" and is thought to represent Roman Emperor Claudius.
The emperor, archaeologists say, extended Roman rule into North Africa between 41 and 54 AD.
It is much smaller than the famous sphinx in the pyramids of Giza, which is 66-feet-high, the BBC report further said.
The archaeologists will now study the markings on the stone slab to find more information about the statue's identity.
A limestone shrine uncovered nearby has a Roman-era stone slab with demotic and hieroglyphic inscriptions, said the BBC. It includes a two-layer platform and a mud-brick basin from the Byzantine era.
In January, a Pharaonic tomb near the capital Cairo was discovered containing what may be the oldest and "most complete" mummy yet to be discovered in the country, as per a Reuters report.
The 4,300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.
