It seems that we already know everything about the Egyptian pyramids and tombs. But science does not stand still, and thanks to modern technical capabilities, new amazing discoveries are being made, which, in turn, lead to the emergence of more and more new questions.
We also wanted to touch the great mysteries of the history of the Old Kingdom.
1. Secret rooms of the Cheops pyramid
In 1993, a door was found in the southern ventilation shaft of the Cheops pyramid with the help of a remotely controlled robot "Upuaut II". Further research showed the presence of a small room, ending with another door.
It was only in 2010 that the improved Jedi robot was able to get behind the first door and discovered that the copper handles on the other side were decorated in the form of neat hinges, and badges were painted on the floor in red ocher.
Moreover, despite the fact that, according to official data, no one penetrated the mine for 9 years, new longitudinal scratches and a deep cut in the ceiling appeared in it.
Promotional video:
2. What is the real age of the Great Pyramid?
It is believed that the pyramid was completed in 2540 BC. e. However, some scholars have questioned this theory due to the inventory stele that was found in Giza. The embossed text on it says that Khufu ordered not to build, but only to restore the sphinx. In addition, modern research shows that the furrows on his body are traces of precipitation, and their level was last in this place 8 thousand years ago.
So how old is the Great Pyramid, then, if the Sphinx is considered a later structure than the pyramids themselves?
3. Thermal riddle of the Cheops pyramid
In 2016, work was carried out to study the Cheops pyramid using infrared thermography, and it was discovered that there are inexplicable voids at the base of the Great Pyramid.
It is assumed that there may be an empty space or an underground passage. Areas with different temperatures were found in the upper part of the pyramid.
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has not provided any comments yet.
4. Technologies for building pyramids
Chemist Joseph Davidovits claims that the pyramid blocks were produced on site. This explains why the structure of the pyramid contains blocks weighing 70 tons and why there are no gaps between them (the upper block was made just above the lower one).
But geologists and paleontologists who have studied the composition and structure of pyramid blocks argue that the blocks are processed blocks of natural sedimentary deposits, which rules out Davidovitz's theory.
At the moment, there is no single hypothesis about how and from what the pyramids were built.
5. Curse of Tutankhamun's tomb
The tomb was discovered on November 6, 1922 by Howard Carter and George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon.
During the study of the tomb, Carter found a tablet on which there was a warning: “over anyone who dares to disturb the peace of Pharaoh, death will spread its wings,” but Howard himself did not attach any importance to this.
They started talking about the fact that the curse still works when news of the death of 22 people appeared: 13 participants in the opening of the tomb and 9 of their relatives. By 1930, only Howard Carter himself survived.
Scientists are trying to explain the curse of the pharaoh with the poison that the priests inflicted on the walls of the tomb and the sarcophagus itself, but this theory has not received scientific confirmation.