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Archaeologists dig for ‘The Ten Commandments’ buried sphinxes

A 1923 file photo provided by the Guadalupe Dunes Center shows the set for 'The Ten Commandments.'. Courtesy Guadalupe Dunes Center, via The Associated Press

GUADALUPE, Calif. – 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.

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