NewsA new L-shaped structure discovered near Giza Pyramids sparks intrigue

A new L‑shaped structure discovered near Giza Pyramids sparks intrigue

Remarkable discovery in Egypt. It's near the pyramids in Giza.
Remarkable discovery in Egypt. It's near the pyramids in Giza.
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Jakub Artych

14 May 2024 16:54

Archaeologists have made another discovery that has stirred the world of science. They have identified an ancient Egyptian structure in the shape of an L. This is located underground, just near the monumental pyramids in Giza. What could it have been used for, and what is inside it?

Scientists working in Giza, Egypt, have identified a structure under the sand that may be a previously unknown L-shaped structure. The discovery was made using ground-penetrating technology at the ancient Egyptian cemetery next to the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

"It could be a part of artificial objects, because the L-shape cannot be created in natural geological structures," says Motoyuki Sato from Tohoku University in Japan, a member of the joint Japanese-Egyptian research team that made the discovery.

The team identified an anomaly in the seemingly empty "empty area" of the Western Cemetery in Giza, where royal family members and high-ranking officials were buried in tombs.

It is worth noting that no significant discoveries had been made previously on this ample space, measuring about 80 meters by 110 meters.

"There are no significant remains above ground in this area, but is there really nothing below the ground? No underground investigations have previously been carried out," writes the team in the journal Archaeological Prospection.

22 years of innovative research in Egypt

The team conducted a geophysical survey from 2021 to 2023. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) were used to look under the sand.

"We conclude from these results that the structure causing the anomalies could be vertical walls of limestone or shafts leading to a tomb structuren," reports the research group.

The anomaly detected under the ground's surface may be filled with sand. It appears connected to another structure below, about 10 meters deep and roughly 10 by 10 meters in size. What was it used for? Further research, which is likely a matter of time, will have to clarify.

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