Thought I’d link to this for anyone interested. It’s pretty long (55 mins), but it’s the documentary from CuriosityStream (this one you have to sign up for, but it’s a cool site). Basically, the first link is the full video and they are using new methods to look into the Great Pyramid at Giza and how they are going about doing the search. I found it really fascinating.
This is odd.
First of all, this was shown recently as an episode of the PBS show Secrets of the Dead “Scanning the Pyramids”.
Secondly, it’s not X-rays!!! They are using muon capture on the inside and thermal methods on the outside.
I have some questions about what’s going on here …
It’s not actually X-Rays, no. They are using muon detection technology. I think it was pretty cool.
There was an AMA from the team who did this on Reddit recently. They would commit to nothing other than that there is a void in the pyramid.
If you just watching the last 1/4 of the video they go over the results (so far), and what they found. Basically, it’s two voids, but one of them is pretty damned big if they are right…at least the size of the grand gallery, maybe bigger. The other one might be part of a corridor or possibly part of the inner ramp that has been speculated about. They aren’t sure and this technology isn’t as precise or detailed as, say, GPR or something along those lines.
ETA: FWIW and anyone who is a big fan of Zahi Hawass, he isn’t buying any of this and is highly skeptical, though I think part of it is he doesn’t understand the technology at all and thinks it’s black magic or total horseshit.
I see no reason, at this point, to get too excited. The relief chambers explanation covers the facts, sparse as they are, as we know them at present.
Well, I didn’t say you or anyone needed to get excited, just that it was cool. I don’t expect it to be anything substantial, though another grand gallery (‘relief chamber’) would be pretty exciting itself, since there haven’t been any new discoveries in the pyramid for quite a while now. The bit about the ramp would also be very exciting if they found more evidence for it.
As an entitled Occidental, I am predisposed to dislike Hawass and dismiss everything he says. I expect if I were a modern day Egyptian, I would hold him in considerably higher esteem. We will set aside whether the modern day Egyptians have any claim on Ancient Egypt, other than occupying some of the same geographic area.
How the hell is Zawi Hawass still allowed to talk about Egyptology? He’s a damn idiot and an asshole.
See my post above. He is widely perceived, not incorrectly, as defending the Egyptian heritage from looting Euro D-Bags.
Well, I don’t pretend to know why, other than what Scumpup says, which is if nothing else he’s an ardent defender of Egyptian antiquities. The fact, though, is that he IS still allowed to talk about this stuff and is, seemingly (at least my impression from the video) heavily in the decision making loop as well. He didn’t seem very impressed with the technology or the findings, so you can read into that what you will.