What are we still discovering about the pyramids?
The pyramids of Giza still hold plenty of secrets. And while scientists continue to make new discoveries, many of them also raise new questions.
The ScanPyramids project, an international team under the authority of Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, has been using modern technology to delve inside the pyramids since 2015 without setting foot inside. Advances in high-energy particle physics have allowed them to use cosmic rays to uncover various empty spaces that had been hidden for 4,500 years—including one void that rivals the size of the pyramid’s Grand Gallery and passage, dubbed the North Face Corridor, to the Pyramid of Khufu.
It’s unclear if anything is inside these spaces, but most experts believe they have no ritual significance. Instead, they were likely used during construction, a carefully engineered system to distribute the weight and stress of these iconic structures that have definitely stood the test of time.