I've heard a bunch of myths and stories regarding this, but I was curious as to what is generally accepted to have happened.
Also a side question, is there a reason it's head is so small in proportion to its body? I've read two different perspectives, one that it was always like that, while another view is that it was carved from a larger head that was originally there. Is there any definite answer to this?
Thank you!
The idea that Napoleon's troops shot the nose off as target practice or, as is more recently put forth, because they wanted to hide the fact that the head had a distinctively sub-Saharan African physiognomy rests on no evidence and has been debunked numerous times. Drawings from 1737 shows that the nose was already missing by that point.
There is no completely solid explanation that we know to be true. One that's attested in somewhat contemporary historical writings is that the nose was removed in 1378 by/on the orders of Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr due to less-orthodox peasants bringing it offerings for a better harvest. Another is that it took place during the Turkish conquest of Egypt, after 1517.