Sphinx of Taharqo

Sphinxes are associated with the sun god and are a symbol of the immense power of the Egyptian king, ideas assimilated by the Kings of Kush in the 8th century BC. The human head of this sphinx is adorned with two uraei, the symbols of kingship.
The face is that of Taharqo, whose name appears in the cartouche on the chest. Taharqo was one of the kings of Kush who conquered and then ruled Egypt as the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (about 747-656 BC).
Although the basic form of this sphinx is Egyptian, several features set it apart. Most striking are the facial features of the king which leave no doubt that he is an African. The Kushite kings were proud of their ancestry and chose to be buried in Kush near their religious centre at Jebel Barkal even though several of them spent most of their reigns residing in Egypt.
This statue was found in Temple T at Kawa, in Upper Nubia (Sudan) by the Oxford Excavation Committee