ARCHAEOLOGISTS have claimed to have discovered a second hidden city sat deep beneath Egypt’s famous pyramids of Giza.
The potentially seismic revelation could even help to prove the existence of a whopping complex of chambers buried 2,000ft underground.
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Back in March, a clever team of Italian and Scottish archaeologists sensationally claimed that “an entire hidden world of many structures” is hidden beneath the pyramids.
This was described as a secret city at the time.
They used radar technology to see a complex network sat more than a kilometre below the ground of the Khafre pyramid.
It is said to include huge vertical columns with spiral stairs, a water system and connecting corridors which all formed a city.
But now, the same team has uncovered a similar phenomenon under a second pyramid in Giza.
Just months after the Khafre discovery, they claim to have found another city beneath the Pyramid of Menkaure – the smallest of the three main pyramids at Giza.
The newly-discovered shafts and pillars would blow apart the accepted wisdom about the origins of the pyramids, if ever proven.
Filippo Biondi, a radar expert from University of Strathclyde and co-author of the research, told the Daily Mail their data shows a 90 per cent probability the Menkaure and the Khafre share the same pillars.
The team used “objective analysis of the tomography data” to help uncover the mystery structures beneath the pyramids.
Biondi said: “We firmly believe that the Giza structures are interconnected, reinforcing our view that the pyramids are merely the tip of the iceberg of a colossal underground infrastructural complex.
“This network likely consists of a dense system of tunnels linking the main subterranean structures.
“Discoveries like these under Menkaure challenge us to rethink our understanding of ancient Egyptian history and humanity’s past, opening new perspectives on our origins and capabilities.”
In an even bolder claim, they theorised the Giza complex of pyramids, widely thought the be around 4,500 years old, was actually built 38,000 years ago.
The shafts and chambers they identified below ground are said to be a similar age.
Another major suggestion is that the people who built the pyramids may have been wiped out by a “divine flood” triggered by an asteroid pact.
According to the theory, the pyramids were the only “megastructure” to survive the extinction event.
Many fellow researchers remain sceptical about the existence of a hidden network underneath the great pyramids.
Some have even outright blasted the archaeologists for their proposals.
Dr Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former Minister of Antiquities, labelled the findings “completely wrong” and not rooted in science.
He added: “The claim of using radar inside the pyramid is false, and the techniques employed are neither scientifically approved nor validated.”
The extraordinary new study is also yet to be peer-reviewed.
A brief history of Ancient Egypt
Here’s everything you need to know…
- The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilisation who at one point owned a huge portion of the globe
- The civilisation began about 5,000 years ago when ancient humans began building villages along the River Nile
- It lasted for about 3,000 years and saw the building of complex cities centuries ahead of their time – as well as the famous Great Pyramids
- The Ancient Egyptians were experts at farming and construction
- They invented a solar calendar, and one of the world’s earliest writing systems: The hieroglyph
- The Egyptians were ruled by kings and queens called pharaohs
- Religion and the afterlife were a huge part of Ancient Egyptian culture. They had over 2,000 gods
- Pharaohs built huge elaborate tombs to be buried in, some of which were pyramids – at the time among the largest buildings in the world
- The Egyptians believed in life after death, and important people’s corpses were mummified to preserve their bodies for the afterlife
- The Ancient Egytpian empire fell due to a mix of factors, including wars with other empires and a 100-year period of drought and starvation
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