Latest news with #groundpenetratingradar
The Sun
02-08-2025
- Science
- The Sun
Mysterious ‘anomaly' that may reveal ‘hidden portal' buried for millennia is uncovered just beneath Pharaoh's tombs
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered an "anomaly" which could reveal a secret portal underneath the tombs of Pharaohs. Researchers studying the area surrounding the famous Pyramids of Giza in Egypt detected the anomaly after using advanced geophysical techniques to examine the area near the Western Cemetery, where the royal and elite members of ancient Egyptian society were buried. 2 2 The team, made up of Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists, discovered an L-Shaped structure buried beneath the surface, whilst using using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). These non-invasive methods are a way for researchers to examine underground structures without the need for evacuation. GPR works by sending radar pulses into the ground and measuring how long it takes them to return, thus helping to create images of subsurface structures. ERT uses electrical resistance to map underground materials, and together, both of these techniques are great for providing a detailed view on the underground and detecting anomalies. The L-shaped structure is 6.5 feet underground, and has sharp, defined angles, suggesting it was man-made. Researchers say that the shape is not recognisable as any known architectural feature from Giza, leading them to believe it could be an entrance to a deeper structure or chamber. Below the L-shaped structure, a 'highly electrically resistive,' anomaly has been detected meaning it doesn't conduct electricity in the same way as the materials surrounding it. Anomalies like this can indicate the presence of substances such as sand, gravel, or voids in the earth, which could mean there is a hidden passage or chamber below the surface. Further investigation will have to be carried out to determine what exactly the anomaly is. If it is found that there is a hidden chamber or passageway, this will deepen our understanding of Egyptian burial practices, and construction techniques used by the ancient society. Ancient Tomb Discovery Reveals Stunning Tang Dynasty Murals 'Ice mummy' This comes as the intricate tattoos of a 2,500-year-old Siberian "ice mummy" have finally been revealed through high-tech imaging. The designs reveal leopards, tigers, a stag, a rooster and even some long-lost mythical creatures. They are so detailed that even a modern tattooist would struggle to reproduce them, according to the researchers behind the discovery. The tattoos belong to a woman who was about 50-years-old when she died. A brief history of Ancient Egypt Here's everything you need to know... The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilisation who at one point ruled over a huge portion of the globe The civilisation was founded about 5,000 years ago when ancient people set up 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 structures 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 Egyptian empire fell in 30BC due to a mix of factors, including wars with other empires and a 100-year period of drought and starvation She is thought to have belonged to the nomadic horse-riding Pazyryk culture, which roamed the lands between China and Europe. The scans exposed "intricate, crisp and uniform" tattooing that could not be seen with the naked eye. Over the two millennia, the ink has become all but invisible on the body as the skin darkens with time. "The insights really drive home to me the point of how sophisticated these people were," lead author Dr Gino Caspari from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Bern, told BBC News. Archaeologists worked with researcher Daniel Riday, a tattooist who reproduces ancient ink on his own body to understand how they were made. Tattooing was likely widespread during prehistory, but few remains from that era are preserved well enough to investigate.
The Sun
05-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Madeleine McCann search officially ENDS: Agony as JCB, radar & fingertip trawl of Brueckner's ‘rat run' turns up nothing
Could ground-penetrating radar help find Madeleine? As the latest search for Madeleine McCann enters a crucial phase, police appear to be using ground-penetrating radar in a fresh attempt to uncover long-buried clues. The operation, spanning 120 acres of scrubland and abandoned buildings near Praia da Luz, has seen officers clearing vegetation, wearing protective gear, and using a digger to shift rubble — all in a bid to access hidden terrain. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sends electromagnetic pulses into the ground, detecting changes in material and potential buried objects without the need for large-scale excavation. It's a method often used to locate graves and burial sites. While previous searches have turned up no evidence, hopes remain that the advanced technology could help detectives locate something vital in the hunt for answers — 18 years after Madeleine disappeared. With just two days left in the current operation, Portuguese police remain tight-lipped, offering conflicting signals about how successful the search has been so far.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Métis archaeologist transforms her field from 'grave robber' to 'grave finder'
Kisha Supernant admits she was drawn to archaeology by romantic notions of exploring ancient civilizations. "You know, the Indiana Jones phenomenon," she said. But she remained in the field for other reasons. "I realized how much it could be better than it was, and how much it could matter to Indigenous communities, descendent communities. And just generally how we tell the truth of the past." Professor Supernant is the director of the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archeology and an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Over the last seven years, she's been at the forefront of the search for unmarked graves at residential schools using ground-penetrating radar. 'She Brings the Children Home' From the 1870s until 1997, approximately 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run and government-funded residential schools, where more than 4,000 of them died, according to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Supernant and her team have investigated 14 different sites. Their ground-penetrating radar technology is non-invasive and signals when something unusual is beneath the surface. While the geophysical technique can provide some new information, Supernant says it's only part of the picture, which also includes extensive archives and survivor testimony. But she adds she's not concerned with proving that children died at residential schools. "We're not out to prove that. That's already known. We are just trying to figure out where and maybe who so that families can bring them home and families can know what happened to their children." For Supernant, the work can weigh heavy on the heart, but she still feels called to do it. A late elder from Big Stone Cree Nation gave her an Indigenous name that means 'She Brings the Children Home.' Supernant acknowledges that the impact of the naming ritual was profound: "When you carry a name like that you have to live up to it." An archaeology of heart and head When Supernant started working with Indigenous communities, her help wasn't always welcome. "One of the things that I've reflected a lot on is the transition I've gone through since being called a grave robber when I first started working in community — to now being called to find graves," she said during a recent talk at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. She says archaeology has a long colonial legacy. But it's changing — in part through her own efforts. "For me, doing archeology with an eye to restorative justice also means doing archaeology that starts from the heart, and not necessarily the head." Supernant says that means recognizing the role of ceremony and protocol, the need for wraparound support for everyone who is involved, and making more space for multiple ways of understanding and knowing the past. She has come to this approach partly through her experience uncovering her own family's story. Métis roots Supernant knew little about her roots growing up. Her father's mother was Métis, but the connection to the family history was lost. "He ended up in an orphanage and then in the foster care system his whole life," Supernant said. But she has reclaimed those roots. "I have been on a lifelong journey of coming home to my Métis family and it has been really important for me to learn the stories of my ancestors from the work that I do as an archeologist. But it's also been very important for me to reconnect with my living relatives." One of Kisha Supernant's living relatives is her 10-year-old daughter, who has expressed an interest in following in her mother's footsteps. "She's been on sites with me a few times. And holding those belongings and learning about them, I think, is really valuable," said Supernant. "So I would hope that if she wanted to take that journey, that when she went to do her studies [...] that she would have a very different experience than I did about what archeology is and can be."
