Part of the Sphinx's royal cobra emblem from its headdress and sacred beard have also broken off, the latter of which is now displayed in the British Museum. The Sphinx was actually buried in sand up to its shoulders until the early 1800s, when a Genoese adventurer named Capt.

For the vast majority of its history, the Great Sphinx of Giza was buried in sand up to its neck, with only its head visible to travelers. Because the Sphinx was carved into a low-lying limestone quarry rather than built on the high plateau like the Pyramids, it acted as a natural "sand trap" for desert winds. Historical records show that around 1400 BC, Pharaoh Thutmose IV attempted to excavate it but only managed to uncover the front paws. It wasn't until the 1920s and 1930s that a team led by Selim Hassan finally cleared the massive amount of sand to reveal the full body and tail. This long period of burial actually served as a "natural preservative," protecting the delicate limestone body from wind erosion and vandalism for nearly 4,000 years, which is why the body's details are still somewhat discernible today despite the extreme age of the monument.