Ancient sandstone sphinx discovered in Egypt

The sandstone statue of Sphinx that was discovered in Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan in upper Egypt is seen in this handout picture (Reuters photo)

Egyptian archaeologists draining water from a temple in the southern city of Aswan have uncovered a sandstone sphinx likely dating to the Ptolemaic era, the antiquities ministry said on Sunday.

The sphinx, a mythical being with the head of a human and the body of a lion, was discovered at the Kom Ombo temple, where two engraved sandstone reliefs of King

Ptolemy V had also recently been found, the ministry said in statement.

Ptolemaic rule spanned about three centuries until the Roman conquest in 30 BC.