4500-year-old Tomb? Scientists Discover Mysterious Structure Near Giza Pyramids

The ancient past holds many mysteries and secrets, some of which are still indiscernible by us. Archeologists often unravel objects and structures from an era bygone and these remain a mystery for humanity. A similar unidentified structure has been recently unravelled in Egypt. Archaeologists in Egypt have used remote sensing techniques to uncover a mysterious L-shaped structure beneath the western cemetery of Giza. This cemetery, which houses the burials of royal family members and high-ranking officials, features many tombs with above-ground rectangular stone or mud-brick structures called mastabas. Motoyuki Sato, head of the research team, told Live Science that these structures are not natural.

In a central area of the cemetery where no aboveground structures have been found, the team employed electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). ERT involves sending electrical currents into the ground and measuring the resistance to identify buried remains, while GPR sends radar waves into the ground and maps the subsurface structures based on the returned signals. The team discovered an anomaly approximately 6.5 feet below the surface. This anomaly appears to be an L-shaped structure measuring at least 33 feet in length. The findings were detailed in a paper published on May 5 in the journal Archaeological Prospection.

Investigation revealed that it could be a tomb, which was constructed about 4500 years ago. Situated on the western side of the Nile River, this place has been preserved for a long time.

The location where this subterranean structure was uncovered is the burial ground of the pyramid builders of Giza. This cemetery also contains the tombs of King Khufu, the builder of the pyramid, along with his family and officials. Hence, archaeologists speculate that this structure discovered beneath the sand might be a significant tomb.

Researchers suggest that it could have been intentionally constructed, possibly to allow for the sealing of the entrance to the chamber located approximately 30 feet below.