Mysterious L-shaped structure found hidden beneath Giza royal cemetery near pyramids – and scientists say it’s not natural

ARCHAEOLOGISTS are investigating a large angular space discovered underground in an unexplored area of ​​Egypt’s most famous pyramids.

The Giza pyramid complex is the largest in the world, consisting of several ancient structures, including the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure, and several smaller sites.

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Falling in love At least 4,500 years ago, scientists believe that the pyramids of Giza were built as a tribute to the gods of the time and used mainly for ceremonial purposes.

As an archaeological refuge for experts on ancient Egyptian life, numerous artifacts, tombs, burial chambers, and cemeteries have been excavated in the area over the past two centuries.

But new and surprising discoveries still occur regularly at the site.

A collaborative team of Japanese and Egyptian scientists recently used new imaging technology to search for underground structures in Giza’s Western Cemetery – and were surprised by what they found.

Using a technique called electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), scientists were able to obtain a 3D image of the zone in question and identify an L-shaped “anomaly” measuring at least 33 feet long, according to a paper published on May 5. May in the Diary Archaeological Prospecting.

The structure “appears to have been filled with sand, meaning it was filled in after it was built,” the team wrote in the study.

“This anomaly extends to 3.5–10 m depth and over a horizontal area of ​​10 m by 10 m,” they explained.

Understanding the composition and dimensions of the anomaly is important to predict whether it is man-made or just a natural phenomenon.

“We believe that the continuity of the shallow structure and the large deep structure is important,” the scientists said.

“From the survey results, we cannot determine the material causing the anomaly, but it could be a large underground archaeological structure.”

NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH

The remote sensing work used in this study was carried out between 2021 and 2023 by a joint team of scientists from Higashi Nippon International and Tohoku Universities in Japan, and Egyptfrom the National Institute for Astronomy and Geophysics Research.

Determining the origin or any additional details about the L-shaped structure requires further investigation, said first author Motoyuki Sato of the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at Tohoku University. Living Science.

And more studies in the area are already underway, he said.

As for the question of whether the anomaly is natural or not, Sato had no doubts.

“The shape is too distinct” to be an environmental occurrence, he said.

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NEW HORIZONS IN RESEARCH

Egyptologists were also fascinated by the discovery.

The newly discovered underground passage stands out from other studies because there is no evidence of a permanent above-ground structure.

Typically, most of the underground chambers of the Giza complex were found beneath other ruins Peter Der Manuelian, a professor of Egyptology at Harvard University who was not involved in the study, told Live Science.

“It is an interesting area, which has avoided exploration due to the absence of superstructures,” he said.

He said there are other L-shaped structures in Giza now known to offer chapels, but they are generally above ground.

“I’m still not sure what this anomaly represents, but it certainly deserves further exploration,” he added.