Sphinx

The Sphinx is a monument: a lion’s body with a human head, carved from a rock outcrop. Compared with pyramids it is relatively simple and quick to finish — mainly timber scaffolding, carpenters, and stonemasons.

In the original game, placing the site generates a rock formation to carve. In Akhenaten that rock restriction is not enforced yet (TODO(sphinx-rock)); the monument can be placed on ordinary clear land.

Source summary adapted from Impressions Games Fandom — Sphinx and Pharaoh Heaven monuments chart.

Stats

6×18Footprint

3×6×6Parts

1Monument wt.

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Cost (Normal)

4 500 Db

Cost by difficulty

VE 2 500 · Easy 3 500 · Normal 4 500 · Hard 6 500 · VH 10 000

Materials

Timber (scaffolding); finishing paint & clay (Akhenaten stub)

Guilds

Carpenters · Stonemasons

Labor

Work Camp laborers + guild craftsmen

Fire / damage

Fireproof · damage-proof

Overview

Sphinxes are among the lighter monuments in Pharaoh. They do not consume plain stone or bricks like pyramids or mastabas: the sculpture is carved from the monument’s rock mass. Construction still needs organized labor — Work Camps haul and stage work, carpenters raise wooden scaffolding, and stonemasons sculpt through several art stages.

In Akhenaten the Sphinx is implemented as three linked buildings of 6×6 tiles each (paws / head / rear), placed together for a combined 6×18 footprint. They share construction progress and are demolished together.

Construction

Original-game guidance (Fandom / community charts):

• Footprint: 6×18 tiles.
• Timber: scaffolding via Carpenters’ Guilds (often cited ~5 wood loads; 2–3 guilds recommended).
• Stonemasons: carve the figure across stages (often cited ~17 masons; one guild is a common start).
• Work Camps: supply unskilled labor; keep camps and guilds near the site.

Akhenaten’s temporary phase scheme (stub amounts): early phases need timber and carpenters; mid phases call for stonemasons; late finishing uses paint and clay. Exact original load counts are not yet restored.

Placement

In the original Pharaoh, the Sphinx must sit on a suitable rock mass (help text id 362). Akhenaten currently allows placement on clear land without that check. Orient the 6×18 chain with the building rotation key; camera rotation switches between the two diagonal sprites for each part.

The construction site does not need road access on every tile, but Work Camps, guilds, and storage yards must have road access and a clear path toward the monument.

Missions

• 18 — Rostja — Great Pyramid complex, prince’s pyramid, and the Sphinx (Khafra’s image in living rock). Original monument goal 53; temporary stand-in until the full monument goal is restored.
• Later campaigns (e.g. Itjtawy) may also require a sphinx once those missions are fully wired.

Tips

• Stock timber early — scaffolding stalls the whole carve if carpenters run dry.
• Place Carpenters’ and Stonemasons’ Guilds and Work Camps next to the site; travel time dominates sphinx build speed more than raw stone volume.
• Do not stockpile timber (or paint/clay when finishing) in the Overseer of Commerce, or deliveries will freeze.
• Compared with a true pyramid, the Sphinx is a good parallel project while large stone deliveries feed the main pyramid.

building_sphinx {
  building_size : 6
  init_tiles [6, 18]
  part_b_offset [[0, 6], [-6, 0], [0, -6], [6, 0]]
  part_c_offset [[0, 12], [-12, 0], [0, -12], [12, 0]]
  cost [ 2500, 3500, 4500, 6500, 10000 ]
  meta { help_id: 362, text_id: 178 }
  info_title_id [198, 21]
  flags { is_monument: true }
}