Researchers unearth a hidden corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza
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In the Cheops pyramid of Giza, a previously unidentified chamber has been found by an international research team. Measurements from as early as 2016 had given cause to believe there might be a hidden hollow space close to the chevron blocks over the entryway.
Researchers from the Technical Universität of Munich (TUM) significantly contributed to verifying this theory using ultrasonography and endoscopy. This discovery is especially significant because the Egyptian pyramid is one of the most thoroughly studied buildings in the entire world, as mentioned in the press release.
The researchers, a part of the worldwide research team called ScanPyramids, have established the reality of an empty chamber that was previously only hypothesized based on measurement data. The original entrance to the pyramid, which is not open to the public, is located above the hollow area.
They employ several non-destructive testing techniques that allow them to see within the stone blocks and the spaces behind them.
"The pyramids are a World Heritage Site. This means we have to be especially careful when conducting our investigations so that we don't damage anything. We're working on the Cheops pyramid with radar and ultrasound measuring devices that can be used on a non-destructive basis, and in part even contact-free," says Prof. Christian Grosse, TUM Chair of Non-Destructive Testing.
Scientists used endoscopy
The preliminary measurement tools provide a good initial assessment of the problem. The researchers subsequently employed endoscopy to validate their initial theory. The crew managed to insert a tube inside the chamber by locating a gap in the chevron's solid stone masonry between the stones. The endoscopic camera lens was then guided by this tube. The camera verified that the hollow area existed.
"Discovering a hollow space in a pyramid is already something special. But the fact that this chamber is large enough to accommodate several people makes the discovery even more important," says Prof. Grosse.
The chamber is bigger than previously thought by academics. Initial estimations indicate that the length of the chamber is significantly longer than the original measured data, which indicated the presence of a corridor at least five meters long. No traces of human activity, including footprints, are visible inside the room. Therefore, the research team thinks this room hasn't been visited in about 4,500 years.
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