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Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
New discovery beneath Egypt's Sphinx fuels theory of ancient underground city built 38,000 years ago
The mystery of a 'underground city' beneath Egypt 's pyramids has intensified after scientists revealed new scans showing a shaft plunging below the Great Sphinx. Italian researchers, who made waves earlier this year with claims of vast structures hidden beneath the Pyramid of Khafre, now say they have identified a colossal vertical shaft leading and two chambers below the Sphinx. The findings were presented at the recent Cosmic Summit in North Carolina, a gathering known for exploring alternative theories about ancient history. While mainstream archaeologists have slammed the work as unscientific and speculative, the team insists their latest scans point to something extraordinary. Filippo Biondi, a radar expert from University of Strathclyde in Scotland and co-author of the research, told 'These findings strongly support the hypothesis that the Giza Plateau conceals a vast subterranean complex, potentially indicative of an extensive underground city.' The scans detailed a massive shaft surrounded by a spiral-like staircase, decedending from the center of the Sphinx's base and down into two square structures, one at 2,000 feet and another 4,000 feet underground. Armando Mei, an Egyptologist and co-author of the study, noted that similar underground features have now been detected beneath all three major pyramids, suggesting a unified architectural blueprint. 'The discovery proves that the Giza Plateau was engineered long before the dynastic era, possibly around 36,400 BCE, as my research suggests,' he added. If confirmed, the findings could dramatically rewrite the history of ancient Egypt, challenging the long-held belief that the pyramids were built solely as royal tombs, and hinting instead at a forgotten civilization with advanced engineering skills. The iconic Giza pyramids and the Great Sphinx have long been hailed as marvels of ancient engineering, built roughly 4,500 years ago with breathtaking precision and scale that still baffle experts today. But the researchers are shaking up that timeline, suggesting these legendary monuments may rest atop far older, hidden structures that could predate known history by tens of thousands of years. It all began in March when the team announced four massive shafts and chambers were found under the Pyramid of Khafre using a type of sonar technology. They employed cutting-edge SAR Doppler Tomography, a technique that uses satellite radar to detect tiny seismic movements. By analyzing radar signals are and the timing or pattern of those signals when they bounce back, the team was able to create 3D maps revealing hidden subsurface structures. The technology has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, latest work by Corrado Malanga from Italy's University of Pisa, Biondi and Mei has not yet been published in a scientific journal for the review of independent experts. They plan to publish a study in 2026. 'Our geophysical surveys beneath the Great Sphinx uncovered pillar-like formations remarkably similar to those beneath the Khafre and Menkaure pyramids,' explained Biondi. 'Even more compelling, our tomographic imaging revealed two large chambers nearly 2,000 feet below the surface.' The two massive chambers, each measuring 131 feet by 131 feet, appear to be connected by an underground shaft, according to recent findings. The data collected also points to a network of hidden structures below the surface, possibly part of a vast underground city, potentially as expansive as the entire Giza Plateau itself. Mei explained that their theory of a lost city draws from ancient Egyptian texts, particularly Chapter 149 of the Book of the Dead, which references the '14 residences of the city of the dead.' 'It describes certain chambers and some inhabitants of the city. That is why we believe it could be Amenti [realm of the dead], as described in ancient texts,' he said. 'Of course, we must be certain, but we believe this could be the case because the pyramids are located exactly where the texts say. 'The texts state that the pyramids were built on top of the city, sealing its entrance.' Biondi added that the mysterious chambers found more than 4,000 feet below the pyramids may be linked to the legendary Hall of Records. The Hall of Records is a mythical chamber said to lie beneath the Great Pyramid or the Sphinx, reputed to house lost wisdom about ancient civilizations. Armando Mei (center) and his team, which includes Corrado Malanga (right) and Filippo Biondi (left), took the world by storm last month when they discovered shafts and chambers more than 2,000 feet below the surface. Despite its enduring allure, there is no solid evidence proving the Hall of Records exists. The team proposes that an advanced civilization originally built the complex, but was destroyed around 12,000 years ago by a 'divine flood' triggered by an asteroid impact. According to their theory, the pyramids are the lone surviving 'megastructure' from this ancient society. Alternate historians, including Graham Hancock, a frequent guest on Joe Rogan's podcast, have long suggested that a sophisticated prehistoric civilization was wiped out by a global cataclysm, possibly a comet strike. This theory holds that the catastrophic floods and upheaval erased most traces of this civilization, with survivors passing down critical knowledge of astronomy, engineering, and sacred architecture to later cultures such as the ancient Egyptians. The researchers now hope to gain permission from Egyptian authorities to excavate beneath the Giza Plateau and put their findings to the test, potentially rewriting the story of human history. 'We have the right. Humanity has the right to know who we are because, right now, we don't,' Biondi said.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists rubbish claims of 'giant structures' underneath Egyptian pyramids
"What they found was something amazing, five large structures near the base of the pyramid, connected by geometric paths," reads a Malay-language Facebook post published March 23, 2025. "Each contains 5 horizontal levels and a sloping roof. Below this are 8 vertical cylindrical wells, hollow and surrounded by a spiral descent dropping 648 meters into the earth." The claims spread on social media after three researchers -- Corrado Malanga, Armando Mei and Filippo Biondi -- held a press conference March 22 and 23 on YouTube. The trio claimed "synthetic aperture radar" revealed "a colossal underground complex" under the Pyramid of Khafre, the second of the ancient pyramids of Giza. Similar posts spread elsewhere on Facebook in various languages, including German, Arabic and Turkish. British tabloid the Daily Mail also picked up the claim. Experts, however, told AFP the trio's research does not hold water. "The pyramids are monumental stone structures, built on a flat plateau," said Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, doctor of Egyptology at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (archived link). "They were then excavated or converted to include burial and funerary chambers, but there is no evidence of underground networks as deep as those mentioned." Despite the criticism, Biondi told AFP the researchers stand by their findings. 'The term impossible does not apply when objective evidence emerges," he said in an April 22 email. 'Our satellite data indicate the presence of large artificial structures beneath the Giza Plateau, structures that appear to belong to an unknown civilization referenced in ancient myths worldwide.' Archaeology uses techniques such as magnetometry, which can analyse soils up to three to five meters deep, depending on their nature (archived link). However, the researchers' claims are not based on "any scientifically valid data," Olette-Pelletier said. Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist and former Egyptian minister of antiquities, also refuted the allegations in a March 26 statement (archived links here and here). "The rumors suggesting the presence of columns beneath the Pyramid of Khafre are nothing but fabrications propagated by individuals with no expertise in ancient Egyptian civilization or the history of the pyramids," he said. Hawass added that no researchers have used radar devices inside the pyramid. "There is no scientific evidence to support these assertions, and no archaeological missions are currently working inside the Pyramid of Khafre." NASA uses the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology mentioned by the Italian trio to map the Earth's surface, but Lawrence Conyers from the University of Denver said it is not designed to detect structures located several hundred metres underground (archived link). "Radar waves gradually attenuate in the ground. It is impossible to reach such a depth with this technique," the radar specialist said. NASA itself confirms that SAR "allows detailed images of the Earth's relief to be obtained" but "is not designed to probe extreme depths" (archived link). The three Italian researchers behind the findings have no background in Egyptology or archaeology, and their work was not published in any credible scientific journals. Malanga is a researcher affiliated with the University of Pisa in Italy, but his area of specialisation is organic chemistry and ufology -- the study of UFOs. Biondi, described as a researcher at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, is no longer part of that institution. He now runs the private radar imaging company Harmonicsar, according to his LinkedIn posts. Mei studied political science and identifies himself as an independent archaeological researcher and journalist, according to his LinkedIn account. He is the author of several books defending pseudo-archaeological theories, including one claiming the Visoko Hills in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not natural formations, but ancient pyramids built by humans. The scientific and archaeological community has refuted that theory (archived link). AFP has previously fact-checked misinformation about the pyramids here and here.
