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Egyptian antiquities authorities have announced the discovery of a sealed-off chamber inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is believed to date back to around 4,500 years ago.
According to an article published in the journalNaturethis week, a corridor on the northern side of the Pyramid of Khufu measuring nearly 30 feet long and over 6 feet wide was uncovered using advanced scanning technology.
Former Egyptian antiquities minister Zahi Hawass hailed the discovery as “the most important discovery of the 21st century,“NBC Newsreported.
Experts, however, remain puzzled as to the purpose of the corridor. Christian Grosse, a professor at the Technical University of Munich, hoped it would lead to further revelations.
“There are two large limestones at the end chamber, and now the question is what’s behind these stones and below the chamber,” he said, perNPR.
Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the corridor may have been built to “protect or reduce the pressure on something beneath it,” and that the true purpose would be uncovered “very soon,” NBC News reported.
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In the case of the corridor, scientists used infrared thermography, 3D simulations, and cosmic-ray imaging.
Per NBC News, the technique, known as muon radiography, utilizes high-speed cosmic ray muon particles that bombard the Earth and have greater penetration capabilities than X-rays. This method enables researchers to visualize any unknown structures present in solid objects.
source: people.com
