The Tanite sphinxes, also known as the Hyksos sphinxes, are a group of seven sphinx statues discovered at Tanis in the Nile Delta, Egypt. Although they were once thought to represent Hyksos rulers, foreign kings who governed parts of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, they are now attributed to the 12th dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat III. The sphinxes are notable for their unique features, such as high cheekbones and a lion's mane and ears instead of the traditional nemes headcloth. Early scholars sought to identify facial features of the Hyksos with the characteristics of these statues.