Scientists first analyzed the pyramid using cosmic rays
Cosmic rays were first used to study the pyramids. About what secrets were revealed to the authors of the project and why the "satellite pyramids" were built in Ancient Egypt.
Scientists from the University of Cairo and the Paris Institute for Innovation, with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, have scanned the pyramid for the first time using cosmic rays, Discovery reports. The object of study was the Broken Pyramid - the Egyptian pyramid in Dakhshur, the construction of which is attributed to Pharaoh Snefer (XXVI century BC). Sneferu (whose name translates as “He who improves me”) is the founder of the IV dynasty of “pharaohs - the builders of the pyramids”, who reigned, according to the Turin royal papyrus, for 24 years.
Cosmic ray technology is necessary in order to discover secret structures and rooms in the pyramids. The technology works like an X-ray scan, but uses muon cosmic rays instead of X-rays.
These rays can penetrate stone, mud bricks and large blocks from which the pyramids were built.
Muon telescopes to study the pyramids were built by 800 specialists in the field of astrophysics, nuclear physics and elementary particle physics. The research itself was carried out as part of the ScanPyramids project.
Having scanned the Broken Pyramid (the work took about four months), scientists found out that there were no remains of Pharaoh Sneferu inside it (although it was previously assumed that the Pharaoh rests in it). Also, thanks to the technology of cosmic rays, it was possible to find out: there are no hidden rooms and premises in the pyramid.
“The use of cosmic ray technology is a big breakthrough,” commented one of the researchers, Mehdi Tayubi, a professor at Cairo University. “We realized that using this method we would be able to reveal many secrets of the pyramids, for example, we will soon find an answer to the question of how exactly they were built. And the main result of our work, I believe, is what we found: there are no remains of the one in whose honor it was built in the Broken Pyramid.
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This poses a new riddle: where is Sneferu resting?"
The pyramid is called Broken, Cut or Diamond-shaped because of its irregular shape. It differs from other pyramids of the Old Kingdom in that it has an entrance not only on the north side (which was the norm), but also a second entrance, which is open higher on the west side. It is interesting that next to the Broken Pyramid there is a satellite pyramid for Ka - the soul of the pharaoh.
Sneferu's name was written in red in two places in the Broken Pyramid. His name was found on a stele that stood inside the fence of the satellite pyramid.
Scientists report that in the near future, three other pyramids will be scanned by the same method: the Pink Pyramid (the name is associated with the color of the stone blocks that become pink in the rays of the setting sun), the Cheops pyramid and the Khafre pyramid.
The ScanPyramids project was launched in early 2016 and, according to the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, thanks to this project
2016 will be "special in the history of the disclosure of the secrets of the pyramids."
Cosmic ray technology has previously been used to scan pyramids in Mexico and Belize.
Ekaterina Shutova