Dream Stela
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.
In the museum, experience the Sphinx and Dream Stela in augmented reality with your own mobile device (no download needed), or borrow a free iPad from the front desk on a first-come, first-served basis.
At home, visit the Sphinx and the Dream Stela virtually.
Videos
Augmented Reality and the Dream Stela
The museum developed an app for mobile devices that shows the Dream Stela in its original context in Giza.
Replicating the Dream Stela
Chief Curator Adam Aja explains how he developed a modern technique for creating resin casts of fragile plaster casts for teaching and exhibition.
The Significance of the Dream Stela
The inscription on the Dream Stela between the paws of the Great Sphinx was created as a propaganda tool for a new king.
The Significance of the Sphinx
The Sphinx was a symbol of kingship, and was meant to be seen as guarding the nearby cemetery of Giza.
Fabricating the Giza Dream Stela of Thutmose IV
Museum director Peter Der Manuelian describes how the new cast of the Dream Stela was created.
