From strange heat scans of the pyramids to a 4th pyramid to...what did the ancient egyptians even look like?... The Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as Khufu, has long fascinated archaeologists who are constantly uncovering new and mysterious things about this world-famous landmark. And a project underway right now hopes to tell us even more. A thermal scanning of Khufu is being undertaken by the creatively named Scan Pyramids project, and is scheduled to continue until the end of 2016. They are using non-invasive techniques to analyse Khufu to avoid destroying any precious markings or artefacts on their way in, which is very thoughtful. So what have they found? Ancient Egyptian's dynastic period begun around 3150 BC as Upper and Lower Egypt combined under Pharoah Narmer, but this followed the existence of prehistoric Egypt, and there is some controversy over exactly how advanced those people were. In 2015 an international team of archaeologists discovered ruins in Abu Rawash, Cairo, which are believed to be the site of the 4th Pyramid of Giza. Known as the Pyramid of Djedefre, it may have been the largest of the four with a purported height of 722 feet. Others believe it was more likely to be the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure, and some think it was never even finished at all. The Great Sphinx is subject to many fascinating mysteries, including secret passageways, its orientation towards the constellation Orion, and the story of how its face got smashed off - probably a bar brawl or something. But the greatest mystery of all is the lack of a second Sphinx, because it's pretty likely that the ancient Egyptians built one. Even though we have plenty of statues, paintings, engravings and mummies depicting Ancient Egyptians, we can only make an educated guess as to their exact appearance. Everyone knows they definitely weren't white, unless you're a Hollywood casting director that is, but there's also evidence to show that they may not have been black either.
Visibility: 250227
Duration: 8m 59s
Rating: 3805