Measuring at least 30 meters in length, the sensational uncovering of a cavity within the 4,500-year-old Cheops Pyramid in Giza, Egypt poses an ancient riddle for researchers.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ScanPyramids Mission/M. Nelson
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"We don't know what the cavity means," said Mehdi Tayoubi of the international team investigating the phenomenon. "So we don't want to call it a chamber." Nonetheless, the space is striking in its size.
In an article published on Thursday by the periodical "Nature," the researchers describe the discovery as a breakthrough in understanding the internal structure of the largest of the pyramids at Giza in Egypt.
Three teams of various institutes and universities from France and Japan have been studying the millennia-old Giza pyramid for two years by employing muon particles, a byproduct of the interaction of cosmic rays with matter. The particles function like x-rays but can penetrate stone hundreds of meters thick.
"This is definitely the discovery of the century," archaeologist and Egyptologist, Yukinori Kawae, told National Geographic magazine.
The Giza pyramids, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world, have captivated visitors since they were built as royal burial chambers some 4,500 years ago. Experts are still divided over how they were constructed, so even relatively minor discoveries generate great interest.
Tayoubi said the team plans to work with others to come up with hypotheses about the area. "The good news is that the void is there, and it's very big," he said.
rf (dpa, AP)
The pyramids: mysterious graves of the ancient Egyptians
As research teams reveal another secret contained within the great Cheops Pyramid in Giza that was built by the ancient Egyptians, we explore why research on these architectural miracles has a long way to go.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ScanPyramids Mission/M. Nelson
A newly-discovered grave chamber or just empty space?
In 2015, French researchers detected a possible void above a descending corridor. But after several instances in recent years of supposedly newly-discovered pyramid chambers that remained unproven, the researchers sought to back the clue up with quantifiable proof. Now it's official: there is indeed a gap within the structure. But is it a chamber?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ScanPyramids Mission
Measuring a mystery
In May 2016, scientists set up a device in front of the Cheops Pyramid that can register muon particles, a byproduct of cosmic radiation. Measurements revealed a void at least 30 meters in length (99 feet) within the largest pyramid at Giza.
The French and Japanese scientists installed detectors in the Cheops Pyramid's interior passageways as well. Muon particles function like x-rays in a human body but can penetrate hundreds of meters of rock. A small portion are deflected — and the differing quantities of particles passing through the stone allow researchers to draw conclusions about wall thickness.
Located on the west bank of the Nile at the edge of the Egyptian desert about 20 kilometers (13 miles) from Cairo's city center, these pyramids are the last surviving ancient wonders of the world — and the largest made by man. They are among the best known and oldest structures of humanity, dating back over 4,500 years.
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Wonders of antiquity
This photo of the sphinx in front of the Cheops Pyramid was made in 1963 before it had been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That happened in 1979, when the Cheops Pyramid and many others were inducted as part of the complex titled "Memphis and its City of the Dead — the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur."
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A desert mystery, now an object of research at the edge of the city
Back in 1335, a monk from Lower Saxony named Otto von Nienhusen visited the pyramids of Giza and was able to view the interior of the Cheops Pyramid. In the late 18th century, British and German archaeologists began exploring it. Now there's fresh hope that new scientific methods can reveal tunnels and perhaps even grave chambers.
