The pyramids were mainly used as tombs for their passed Pharaohs. A Sphinx is a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head of a person. In Ancient Egypt a lot of times the head was that of a Pharaoh or a god. The Egyptians built sphinx statues to guard important areas such as tombs and temples. Mummifying was a way to "preserve" an important person's body, in case they came back to earth in the afterlife.