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Science

Archeologists Are Planning To Scan the Great Pyramid of Giza With Cosmic Rays – They Should See Every Hidden Chamber Inside

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The Great Pyramid of Giza might be the most iconic structure humans ever built. Ancient civilizations constructed archaeological icons that are a testament to their greatness and persistence. But in some respects, the Great Pyramid stands alone. Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Great Pyramid stands relatively intact.

A team of scientists will use advances in High Energy Physics (HIP) to scan the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza with cosmic-ray muons. They want to see deeper into the Great Pyramid than ever before and map its internal structure. The effort is called the Explore the Great Pyramid (EGP) mission.

The Great Pyramid of Giza has stood since the 26th century BC. It’s the tomb of the Pharoah Khufu, also known as Cheops. Construction took about 27 years, and it was built with about 2.3 million blocks of stone—a combination of limestone and granite—weighing in at about 6 million tons. For over 3,800 years, it was the tallest human-made structure in the world. We see now only the underlying core structure of the Great Pyramid. The smooth white limestone casing was removed over time.

The Great Pyramid is well-studied, and over the years, archaeologists have mapped out the interior structure. The pyramid and the ground under it contain different chambers and passageways. Khufu’s (Cheops’) chamber sits roughly in the pyramid’s center.

This figure is an elevation diagram of the interior structures of the Great Pyramid. The inner and outer lines indicate the pyramid’s present and original profiles. 1. Original entrance 2. Robbers’ Tunnel (tourist entrance) 3, 4. Descending Passage 5. Subterranean Chamber 6. Ascending Passage 7. Queen’s Chamber & its “air-shafts” 8. Horizontal Passage 9. Grand Gallery 10. King’s Chamber & its “air-shafts” 11. Grotto & Well Shaft. Credit: By Flanker, CC BY-SA 3.0

In recent times, archaeological teams have used some high-tech methods to probe the insides of the pyramids more rigorously. In the late 1960s, American Physicist Luis Alvarez and his team used muon tomography to scan the pyramid’s interior. In 1969, Alvarez reported that they examined 19% of the pyramid and found no new chambers.

In 2016-17, the ScanPyramids team used non-invasive techniques to study the Great Pyramid. Like Alvarez before them, they used muon tomography, along with infrared thermography and other tools. Their most significant discovery is the “Big Void,” a massive void above the Grand Gallery. The discovery was published in the journal Nature and is considered one of the most significant scientific discoveries that year.

Muons are elementary particles similar to electrons but more massive. They’re used in tomography because they penetrate deeply into structures. More deeply than even X-rays can.

Cosmic ray muons are created when high-energy particles known as cosmic rays slam into Earth’s atmosphere. Cosmic rays are fragments of atoms—high-energy protons and atomic nuclei— that constantly stream into Earth from the Sun, outside the Solar System, and outside the galaxy. When these particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere, the collision produces showers of secondary particles. Some of those particles are muons.

This diagram shows what happens when a primary cosmic particle collides with a molecule of atmosphere, creating an air shower. An air shower is a cascade of secondary decay particles, including muons, indicated with the symbol ?. Credit: By SyntaxError55 at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Muons are unstable and decay in only a couple of microseconds or millionths of a second. But they travel at near light speed, and at such a high velocity, they can penetrate deeply before they decay. There’s an unending source of muons from the cosmic rays that constantly bombard Earth. The task in muon tomography is to measure the muons effectively.

Muon tomography is used in different applications, like examining shipping containers for contraband. Recent technological innovations in muon tomography increase its power and lead to new applications. For example, scientists in Italy will use muon tomography to image the inside of the volcanic Mount Vesuvius, hoping to understand when it might erupt again.

The Explore the Great Pyramid (EGP) mission uses muon tomography to take the next step in imaging the Great Pyramid. Like ScanPyramids before them, EGP will use muon tomography to image the structure’s interior. But EGP says that their muon telescope system will be 100 times more powerful than previous muon imaging. “We plan to field a telescope system that has upwards of 100 times the sensitivity of the equipment that has recently been used at the Great Pyramid, will image muons from nearly all angles and will, for the first time, produce a true tomographic image of such a large structure,” they write in the paper explaining the mission.

EGP will use very large telescope sensors moved around to different positions outside the Great Pyramid. The detectors will be assembled in temperature-controlled shipping containers for ease of transportation. Each unit will be 12 m long, 2.4 m wide, and 2.9 m tall (40 ft long, 8 ft wide, and 9.5 ft tall.) Their simulations used two muon telescopes, and each telescope consists of four containers.

On the left is an illustration of the containers that make up the telescope. On the right is an illustration of how the telescope will be set up on-site. Credit: Explore Great Pyramid mission/Bross et al. 2022.

There are five critical points in the EGP mission:

  • Produce a detailed analysis of the entire internal structure which does not just differentiate between stone and air, but can measure variations in density.
  • Answer questions regarding construction techniques by being able to see relatively small structural discontinuities.
  • The large size of the telescope system yields not only the increased resolution, but enables fast collection of the data, which minimizes the required viewing time at the site. The EGP team anticipates a two-year viewing time.
  • The telescope is very modular in nature. This makes it very easy to reconfigure and deploy at another site for future studies.
  • From a technical perspective, the system being proposed uses technology that has been largely engineered and tested and presents a low risk approach.

EGP is still building telescope prototypes and determining which data-handling techniques they will use. Along the way, they’re doing simulations and other work to prepare for the mission. One critical piece is how they’ll corral all those muons into a tomographic image.

But the team is confident in the work they’ve done so far and satisfied with their new approach. EGP says their effort will create an actual tomographic image of the Great Pyramid for the first time, rather than a 2d image.

“The Exploring the Great Pyramid Mission takes a different approach to imaging large structures with cosmic-ray muons. The use of very large muon telescopes placed outside the structure, in our case, the Great Pyramid of Khufu on the Giza plateau, can produce much higher resolution images due to the large number of detected muons. In addition, by moving the telescopes around the base of the pyramid, true tomographic image reconstruction can be performed for the first time.”

Most of EGP’s work so far has been data simulations. But they won’t be starting from scratch when they build the telescope. “The detector technology employed in the telescopes is well established, and prototyping of specific components has already begun,” they write.

When ScanPyramids discovered the Big Void in 2017, it was big news. It caused some controversy, too. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass pooh-poohed the findings. He told the New York Times that “They found nothing…This paper offers nothing to Egyptology. Zero.”

But most other Egyptologists embraced the discovery and its scientific nature. Physicists were supportive of the discovery, too. Particle physicist Lee Thompson told Science that: “The scientists have “seen” the void using three different muon detectors in three independent experiments, which makes their finding very robust.”

There’s bound to be some drama when scientists use modern high-energy physics to probe one of humanity’s most ancient archaeological treasures. Some Egyptologists seem possessive and might view physicists as interlopers in their field. They might not like physicists using mysterious particles from outer space to open the veil on our ancient past.

It looks like they’ll have to get used to it.

Originally published on Universe Today.

Reference: “Tomographic Muon Imaging of the Great Pyramid of Giza” by Alan D. Bross, E.C. Dukes, Ralf Ehrlich, Eric Fernandez, Sophie Dukes, Mohamed Gobashy, Ishbel Jamieson, Patrick J. La Riviere, Mira Liu, Gregory Marouard, Nadine Moeller, Anna Pla-Dalmau, Paul Rubinov, Omar Shohoud, Phillip Vargas and Tabitha Welch, 16 February 2022, Physics > Instrumentation and Detectors.
arXiv:2202.08184



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World

UK archeologists unearth Roman-era cemetery holding dozens of decapitated skeletons

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A high-speed rail project led to the gruesome discovery of dozens of decapitated corpses just outside a major metropolis.

United Kingdom archeologists have announced the discovery of about 40 2,000-year-old decapitated corpses buried in an ancient Roman village unearthed during the construction of the HS2 project, an hour northwest of London.

In addition to the ruins of the village, artifacts and ancient coins, they found burial sites for more than 400 people, about 10% of whom had been decapitated. They could have been outcasts or criminals, according to authorities, but the nature of their beheadings was not fully clear.

Some of those had their skulls placed between their legs or at their feet, according to the researchers.

“One interpretation of this burial practice is that it could be the burial of criminals or a type of outcast, although decapitation is well-known elsewhere and appears to have been a normal, albeit marginal, burial rite during the late Roman period,” the HS2 said in a statement over the weekend.

Researchers expect to learn more about Britain’s Roman era and how residents once lived there.

The team of archeologists began excavating the site last year.
HS2

“All human remains uncovered will be treated with dignity, care and respect and our discoveries will be shared with the community,” said Helen Wass, HS2 Ltd’s head of heritage. 

Search teams also discovered ancient pottery, an old lead die, as well as other tools and ornaments. 

HS2 said that they also found hundreds of ancient coins, suggesting “trade and commerce” in the town, which was situated along a defunct road between the former Roman cities of Verulamium, now St. Albans, and Corinium Dobunnorum, now Cirencester. 

The HS2 rail system is a planned cross-country, high-speed line. Since 2018, HS2 has investigated about 100 archeological sites, including the Fleet Marston village.

Archaeologists discover different tools such as a dice.
HS2
An archaeologist holds a spear-shaped tool.
HS2

A team of over 50 archeologists began excavating the site last year, according to the project organizers.

Climate change activists have protested the rail project, demanding the government halt the construction. Last month, London police evicted a group of them from a city park, where they had set up an encampment to demand an end to the project.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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World

Pompeii archeologists find Ikea-like extendable beds in rare ‘slave room’ discovery

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What happened?  

Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow.  

Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano in continental Europe and is thought to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.  

Every single resident died instantly when the southern Italian town was hit by a 500°C pyroclastic hot surge.

Pyroclastic flows are a dense collection of hot gas and volcanic materials that flow down the side of an erupting volcano at high speed.

They are more dangerous than lava because they travel faster, at speeds of around 450mph (700 km/h), and at temperatures of 1,000°C.

An administrator and poet called Pliny the younger watched the disaster unfold from a distance. 

Letters describing what he saw were found in the 16th century.  

His writing suggests that the eruption caught the residents of Pompeii unaware.

Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow

He said that a column of smoke ‘like an umbrella pine’ rose from the volcano and made the towns around it as black as night.

People ran for their lives with torches, screaming and some wept as rain of ash and pumice fell for several hours.  

While the eruption lasted for around 24 hours, the first pyroclastic surges began at midnight, causing the volcano’s column to collapse.

An avalanche of hot ash, rock and poisonous gas rushed down the side of the volcano at 124mph (199kph), burying victims and remnants of everyday life.  

Hundreds of refugees sheltering in the vaulted arcades at the seaside in Herculaneum, clutching their jewelry and money, were killed instantly.

The Orto dei fuggiaschi (The garden of the Fugitives) shows the 13 bodies of victims who were buried by the ashes as they attempted to flee Pompeii during the 79 AD eruption of the Vesuvius volcano

As people fled Pompeii or hid in their homes, their bodies were covered by blankets of the surge.

While Pliny did not estimate how many people died, the event was said to be ‘exceptional’ and the number of deaths is thought to exceed 10,000.

What have they found?

This event ended the life of the cities but at the same time preserved them until rediscovery by archaeologists nearly 1700 years later.

The excavation of Pompeii, the industrial hub of the region and Herculaneum, a small beach resort, has given unparalleled insight into Roman life.

Archaeologists are continually uncovering more from the ash-covered city.

In May archaeologists uncovered an alleyway of grand houses, with balconies left mostly intact and still in their original hues.

A plaster cast of a dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79. Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day

Some of the balconies even had amphorae – the conical-shaped terra cotta vases that were used to hold wine and oil in ancient Roman times.

The discovery has been hailed as a ‘complete novelty’ – and the Italian Culture Ministry hopes they can be restored and opened to the public.

Upper stores have seldom been found among the ruins of the ancient town, which was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius volcano and buried under up to six meters of ash and volcanic rubble.

Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day. 

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World

Archeologists find intact ceremonial chariot near Pompeii

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MILAN (AP) — Officials at the Pompeii archaeological site in Italy announced Saturday the discovery of an intact ceremonial chariot, one of several important discoveries made in the same area outside the park near Naples following an investigation into an illegal dig.

The chariot, with its iron elements, bronze decorations and mineralized wooden remains, was found in the ruins of a settlement north of Pompeii, beyond the walls of the ancient city, parked in the portico of a stable where the remains of three horses previously were discovered.

The Archaeological Park of Pompeii called the chariot “an exceptional discovery” and said “it represents a unique find – which has no parallel in Italy thus far – in an excellent state of preservation.”

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD destroyed Pompeii. The chariot was spared when the walls and roof of the structure it was in collapsed, and also survived looting by modern-day antiquities thieves, who had dug tunnels through to the site, grazing but not damaging the four-wheeled cart, according to park officials.

The chariot was found on the grounds of what is one of the most significant ancient villas in the area around Vesuvius, with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city.

Archaeologists last year found in the same area on the outskirts of Pompeii, Civita Giulian, the skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a wealthy man and his male slave, attempting to escape death.

The chariot’s first iron element emerged on Jan. 7 from the blanket of volcanic material filling the two-story portico. Archaeologists believe the cart was used for festivities and parades, perhaps also to carry brides to their new homes.

While chariots for daily life or the transport of agricultural products have been previously found at Pompeii, officials said the new find is the first ceremonial chariot unearthed in its entirety.

The villa was discovered after police came across the illegal tunnels in 2017, officials said. Two people who live in the houses atop the site are currently on trial for allegedly digging more than 80 meters of tunnels at the site.

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