Despite the blanket of white snow in the Winthrop House courtyard, a group of House residents brought a taste of Egypt to Cambridge this weekend.

The group, led by Michael T. Giampaolo '00, spent all of Saturday afternoon constructing a replica of the Egyptian Sphinx--standing five feet tall and eight feet long. The sculpture is flanked on the left by a miniature pyramid and by an obelisk on the right.

Giampaolo said the process of building the sculptures--which included six or seven people--began at 1:30 p.m. as he and several friends began using recycling bins to pile snow into a mound that would serve as the foundation for the Sphinx.

The idea to build a Sphinx, according to Giampaolo, came from a desire to "make something grand" from Friday's eight inch snowfall--but avoid the traditional snowman.

As the figure took on a more recognizable form, Giampaolo said fellow Winthrop residents noticed the project and joined the dedicated team.

"What made it so fun was everyone helped," Giampaolo said, referring in particular to friends Daniel J. Cousin '00, Peter D. Platt '00, Melissa A. Morris '01, Jonathon C. Wintrode '00, Thomas J. Withrow '00 and Maureen B. Shannon '02 who helped in the construction.

"It was a good collective effort," Giampaolo said.

According to Cousin, this year's project is part of a longer history that he and Giampaolo share in building snow structures together. As first-years, Cousin said the two non-native New Englanders were "fascinated by snow" but unprepared to build with it, failing to use gloves when they built their first structures in the Yard.

But he said the Sphinx represents their finest effort to date--something he said is due in part to their use of the recycling bins, which allowed them to pack the snow more tightly.

Although all crew members helped move the mass quantities of snow necessary for the structures, Cousin said each participant focused on a particular part of the project.

According to Cousin, he, Giampaolo and Platt built the obelisk, Giampaolo and Platt made the pyramid, Platt focused on the Sphinx's nails, Morris constructed its face and Withrow completed its tail.

And the group's efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Katherine Rose '02 said the addition to the House courtyard was impressive--and certainly "much better than a typical snowman."

But Winthrop House Master Paul D. Hanson was more lavish in his approval.

The Sphinx is "a tribute to the genius of Winthrop students," he said.