A geomorphological study of the Giza necropolis, with implications for thedevelopment of the site

There are a number of features of weathering and erosion within the enclosu re surrounding the Great Sphinx of Giza that suggest the action of flowing water. That this erosion is not uniformly distributed is consistent not wit h erosion by rainfall per se but by rainfall run-off--an erosive agent that is known to have been experienced at Giza until the late Fifth Dynasty. Wh en the spatial relationship of various features within the Giza necropolis is considered, the extant erosion indicates that the Sphinx may pre-date th e reign of Khufu, the builder of the first Giza pyramid. The existence of p re-Fourth Dynasty development at Giza can be inferred from this--support fo r which is provided by a number of archaeological finds excavated from the site.