TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Robot to Uncover Pyramid of Giza's Secrets

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 08-17-10 | Comments

Scientists are preparing to send a robot into a mysterious shaft in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The robot could uncover artifacts, mummies and clues to the pyramid's baffling construction.

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Robot to Uncover Pyramid of Giza's Secrets
Built over 4,500 years ago, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest wonder of the ancient world. Constructed under the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu, the pyramid remains one of the most mysterious and celebrated structures of the ancient world. One debated aspect of the pyramid is its construction. Some scholars say that slaves were used, others argue for paid workers; some say that the huge stones were carried from quarries, while others insist that ramps were used. Some people even theorize that extra-terrestrial aliens helped build the pyramid.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest manmade structure for over 3,000 years (source: Nina Aldin Thune).

In 1872, the Great Pyramid of Giza became even more mysterious when Waynman Dixon, a British engineer, discovered two shafts in one of the pyramid's sections, called the Queen's Chamber. While similar passageways had been discovered in the King's Chamber, the exits of those shafts had been found on the exterior of the pyramid, and scholars assumed they were egresses for the soul. The Queen's Chamber shafts, on the other hand, had no apparent exits. Their purpose and contents were unclear.

Over a century later, in 1992, scientists set out to explore the shafts using a small robot. The mystery deepened when the robot encountered a limestone door with two copper handles. No doors had been found in the King's Chamber shafts, so the function of this door was unknown to scholars. It was not until 2002 that another robot was sent into the shaft to drill through this first door. The robot's camera revealed a remarkable discovery: another door. Unlike the first door, the second door has many cracks and, according to Zahi Hawas, a well-known Egyptologist, it seems to be screening or covering something. In a blog post, Hawas proclaimed, "The mystery of the doors is one of the most exciting puzzles in Egyptology today."

Next: Puzzle Close to Being Solved? >>