Leolith

In addition to optics and theme parks, I've always had an affinity for ancient civilizations, especially the Egyptians. It's a life goal of mine to visit the pyramids at Giza, so I was intrigued by this article from the UK's Daily Mail about the Great Sphinx. A new historical study suggests that the famous pharaoh's head on a lion's body may not be the original design.
Some Egyptologists are arguing that the original statue was that of a giant lion and was only later adapted and carved down to the human head it is now. Earlier ruins that the pyramids may have been built over and water erosion to the stones surrounding the sphinx suggest that the original lion monument could be 2000 years older than previously though, dating from between the 6th and 5th millennium BCE, which would be a millennium or so before the accepted beginning date of the Egyptian civilization.
I think that it's very plausible. Not only comparing the size of the current head to the body, but also the penchant for us humans to build and improve upon older designs makes a story like this quite possible.