One of the greatest mysteries of humanity has always been the Pyramids. Who created them? How is geometric and mathematical perfection possible when there were hardly any methods? Was it aliens or an Illuminati plan? Now, archaeologists have made a discovery that has left the scientific community breathless: a pyramid in the Dahshur necropolis (south of Cairo) that had remained closed for more than 4,000 years has been opened. What was inside? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!
What is Dahshur?
Dahshur is a super important (although fairly unknown) archaeological place where some of the oldest pyramids and the first to have a perfect triangular shape exist (like the Red Pyramid) and the Bent Pyramid (which is striking because its structure has been corrected).
This place is not as famous as Giza (where Cheops and Chephren are found, which are the most famous)
The lost pyramid of Dahshur.
This discovery has turned the archaeological community upside down, raising new mysteries about what we (don’t) know about Ancient Egypt, and has been considered one of the most shocking in modern archaeology! And discoveries like this don’t happen every day, that’s for sure.
The discovery occurred when a group of excavators found some very finely carved limestone blocks in a quarry in the area. Of course, it caught their attention and they tried to continue investigating. After months of excavation and, together with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, they managed to open an underground passage that led to a sealed burial chamber (something very rare because most tombs have already been looted centuries ago).
An intact tomb?
As we said, this tomb seemed to be in perfect condition, but when they opened the chamber they got a big surprise… this tomb had also been looted despite being closed. The difference? This one had been looted centuries ago and had been sealed again.
The team leader, British Egyptologist Dr Chris Naunton, described it as an “ancient crime scene”. What was most disturbing was that everything indicated that the robbery occurred before the pyramid was officially sealed to hide the “crime”. Something they had never seen before.
A conspiracy in Ancient Egypt?
Dr Naunton explained that, once the tomb was looted, instead of being left open, it had been sealed again to erase any evidence. This theory suggests that the looting may have occurred during a period of political instability in Egypt, during the 13th Dynasty (which was a rather dark period in the country)
The forgotten princess: Hatshepsut
One of the most striking objects found in the burial chamber was a canopic chest with damaged inscriptions. When analysing the hieroglyphics, the experts discovered a name that had never appeared in official records: Princess Hatshepsut. Although many might confuse her with the famous pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty, archaeologists believe that she is another figure who was completely unknown until now, and the fact that she had her own pyramid shows us that she played an important role in the royal court even though her existence has not gone down in history.
A new mystery to solve
Now we have many more questions: Who was this princess? Why was her tomb looted before being sealed? Was it a conspiracy within the Egyptian court? Who would seal a tomb again after having looted it?
One thing is certain: Egypt continues to hold secrets and is one of the most mysterious places on earth. How much is left for us to discover about these blessed lands? And, over all, how many new conspiracy theories can come out of this history? We are excited to find out new stories! Egypt, you are such a great mystery!