In the 1970s, archaeologists found several items at the Sphinx site that suggest builders of the ancient monument left before it was completed. These included abandoned stone blocks and the remnants of what’s thought to be a worker’s lunch and stone hammers. There were also partially quarried swathes of bedrock, giving the impression that labourers simply downed tools and left before the job was done. Still, the monument they left behind looks pretty impressive to us.

Discover more about Egypt's ancient treasures

World's most amazing unfinished landmarks