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Sphinxes-statues with a lion's body and a man's head-are creatures of myth and legend, but they're also one of the great symbols of Egyptian royalty and power.
獅身人面像，擁有獅子的身體，男性的頭煩，來自古埃及神話傳說，是埃及王權的重要象征。
The most famous of all, of course, being the Great Sphinx at Giza.
而位于吉薩的那一尊龐然大物，是其中最著名的一座。
Here it is now and, compared with the one at Giza, this sphinx is very small.
與吉薩的獅身人面像相比，本節提到的這一尊尺寸極小。
it's about the size of a spaniel-but it is particularly interesting, because it's not just a hybrid of a man and a lion, but a fusion of Egypt and Kush.
它的大小與一只西班牙獵犬相當，但它的特別之處在于，它并不只是獅子與人的混合體，也是埃及與庫施王國結合的產物。
It's made out of sandy grey granite, and it's beautifully preserved.
它用灰色磨砂花崗巖制成，保存得極為完美。
The muscular lion's back, the mane of hair and the powerful outstretched paws are all classically Egyptian-but it's not a typical Egyptian pharaoh's face.
獅子健壯的背部、脖子上的鬃毛以及強健有力的前爪，都具有強烈的埃及雕像的特征。但它的臉帶有明顯的非洲黑人特征，不是典型的埃及法老的臉。
Because this man is unquestionably a black African, and this sphinx is the image of a black pharaoh.
這座獅身人面像刻畫的是一位黑人法老。
Hieroglyphics on the sphinx's chest spell it out: this is a portrait of the great King Taharqo, the fourth pharaoh to rule over the combined kingdoms of Kush and Egypt.
雕像胸前的象形文字寫著：這是偉大的塔哈爾卡王的雕像，他是庫施與埃及聯合王國的第四任法老。
For thousands of years, Egypt had looked on its southern Kushite neighbour essentially as a rich but troublesome colony,
數千年來，埃及一直把南方的庫施看作一個富庶但棘手的屬國。
that could be exploited for its raw materials-there was gold and ivory and, very important, slaves.
庫施資源豐富，可提供黃金、象牙，以及最重要的奴隸。
In this almost colonial relationship, Egypt was very much the master.
在這種幾乎殖民化的關系中，埃及是絕對的領主。
But in 728 BC, the balance of power flipped.
但在公元前七二八年，它們的力暈此消彼長。
