This exhibit displays a resin cast of the Great Sphinx of Egypt’s Dream Stela, and is best experienced with a companion augmented reality app (available to borrow from the Front Desk). The original stela—an expertly carved monument—can be found between the paws of the Great Sphinx. The story it tells is a romantic one: the young Prince Thutmose IV falls asleep by the Sphinx, who then appears to Thutmose in a dream, offering him the throne if he will only liberate the Sphinx from all the sand covering his body.
Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East assistant curator Adam Aja developed resin-casting techniques in 2013, and led the reproduction process with Harvard students. While in the gallery, visitors may use an augmented reality app to see how a three-dimensional Sphinx looked during different time periods, as well as translations of the Dream Stela's hieroglyphics.
To experience the Sphinx and Dream Stela in augmented reality using the app, borrow a free iPad from the front desk on a first-come, first-served basis, or download the app from iTunes or Google Play.
