Researchers using ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography discovered an L‑shaped subsurface feature about 6.5 feet (2 m) down and 33 feet (10 m) long near the Western Cemetery at Giza. A deeper anomaly between 16 and 33 feet (5–10 m) shows high electrical resistivity, which could indicate compacted sand and gravel or air-filled voids consistent with chambers. Team leader Motoyuki Sato says the sharp geometry suggests a nonnatural origin and the L‑shape may mark an entrance to a larger buried structure, but excavation or further surveys are needed to confirm the interpretation.
Ground‑Penetrating Radar Reveals L‑Shaped Anomaly Near Giza Pyramids — Could It Mark an Ancient Entrance?
Experts Find 'Anomaly' Near the Great PyramidsNick Brundle Photography - Getty Images
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) have identified a striking L‑shaped subsurface feature and a deeper resistive anomaly in the western cemetery adjacent to the Great Pyramids of Giza. The discovery, reported by a Japanese–Egyptian research team led by Motoyuki Sato of Tohoku University, appears in the journal Archaeological Prospection and raises intriguing possibilities about previously unknown buried structures near one of the world’s best-studied archaeological landscapes.
What the team found
The investigators detected a shallow L‑shaped feature about 6.5 feet (approximately 2.0 m) below the surface and roughly 33 feet (about 10 m) long that appears to have been backfilled after construction. Beneath this element they recorded a separate anomaly between roughly 16 and 33 feet (5–10 m) down that showed very high electrical resistivity, a geophysical signature that can indicate compacted sand and gravel or zones with air voids.
How it was detected
GPR uses radar pulses to image the subsurface, while ERT maps underground features by measuring electrical resistance. Together these noninvasive techniques can delineate buried architecture without excavation. The team combined both methods across a sector of the Western Cemetery, an area known for mastaba tombs and dated to about 4,500 years ago.
The Western Cemetery at Giza is known as an important burial place of members of the royal family and high-class officers. In the initial survey by GPR and ERT we found an anomaly in the north of the survey site. The area of the anomaly could be established approximately, but the structure and the location were unclear.
Interpretations and caveats
Project leader Motoyuki Sato told Live Science that the geometry of the L‑shaped feature is unlikely to be natural because of its sharp angles. The research team proposes that the shallow L‑shape could mark an entrance or accessway to a larger subsurface complex. They emphasize, however, that geophysical data alone cannot determine the material causing the deep high-resistivity signal. The two main hypotheses are a compacted fill of sand and gravel or sparse spacing with air voids consistent with chambers or corridors.
Why it matters
Although the Western Cemetery has many known mastaba tombs, this particular stretch of sand has seen little excavation because it lacks obvious surface monuments. If the resistive anomaly does correspond to man-made voids or a large buried structure, that would make the area a high-priority target for future fieldwork and could expand our understanding of funerary architecture and site organization around the pyramids.
Next steps
The authors call for additional noninvasive surveys and, where permissible, targeted excavation to test their interpretations. Until then, the anomaly remains an intriguing geophysical signal that could represent either natural backfill material or an engineered interior space associated with ancient construction.
