17 Hidden Pyramids Discovered with Infra-Red Satellite Cameras

Added by Monique Robinson on May 29, 2011

Infra-red satellite technology has allowed archaeologists to discover 17 previously unknown pyramids hidden among 3,000 ancient Egyptian settlements that for a long time have been buried under sand.

 

A BBC documentary – Egypt’s Lost Cities – reported that these new satellite images captured by infra-red technology were able to detect structures that have been buried underground. These images turned out to allow scientists to identify the location of several “long-lost buildings”.

According to University of Alabama Egyptologist Sarah Parcak, this kind of technology is likely to give archaeologists the opportunity to discover many more hidden sites.

“I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the “Aha!” moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we’d found and I couldn’t believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt,” Dr Parcak said.

She also added ”They’d excavated a 3000-year-old house that the satellite imagery had shown and the outline of the structure matched the satellite imagery almost perfectly.”

Archaeologists have now embarked on the process of excavating some of the new-found discoveries. These include pyramids, temples, houses and what could turn out to be up to 1,000 tombs.