A hidden chamber was discovered in Great Pyramid of Giza by a team of scientist. [Courtesy of Pete Linforth]
People have been drawn to pyramids and its mystical histories as long as they stood in Egypt. For centuries, people tried to unearth the truth behind it. From many scientists and historians' centuries-long efforts, we were able to put the majority of the puzzles together.
However, the mystery of pyramids deepened as a team of scientists from France and Japan discovered a hidden chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid was the tomb of King Khufu, a 4th Dynasty pharaoh who reigned from 2509 to 2483 B.C. It is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids located at Giza.
The scientists were using muography or cosmic-ray imaging, a technique that can sense the density changes inside rock structures by recording the behavior of subatomic particles called muons.
The team has been studying the pyramid for two years together. According to the report, the team found the 30-meter void above the Grand Gallery of the pyramid and could not determine the specific purpose of the chamber.
This discovery was a true "breakthrough" for archeology study. It was only possible because the particle physicists and archaeologists collaborated for this study.
Mehdi Tayoubi, a co-founder of the ScanPyramids project and president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, told Time Magazine that discovered chamber "could be a composed of one or several structures... maybe it could be another Grand Gallery. It could be a chamber, it could be a lot of things. It was hidden, I think, since the construction of the pyramid."
Tayoubi said the team will study further to form hypotheses of the chamber.
Kwak, Min Jung = abiel@ajunews.com
