Archaeologists dig for ‘The Ten Commandments’ buried sphinxes in the California sand dunes

Screengrab of “The Ten Commandments”

GUADALUPE, California — Archaeologists working in the sand dunes along the Central California coast are digging up ancient sphinxes — but these are made of plaster.

The giant imitations of an ancient Egyptian scene were constructed more than 90 years ago for the silent black-and-white classic movie “The Ten Commandments.”

When filming was over in 1923, legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille left them in the sands of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes in Santa Barbara County.

The Los Angeles Times reports that this week, archaeologists excavated a crumbling plaster sphinx from the ruins.

Another was partially exhumed in 2012 but money ran out.

When crews went back this year, they found another.

Parts of both sphinxes will be on display at the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.

The centre raised $120,000 for the most recent dig.