Scholarly efforts to gain a better understanding of probably one of the most famous monuments of the ancient world, the Great Pyramid of Giza, apparently witnessed a breakthrough when one team managed to probe the structure's hidden depths, the Daily Express reports.
Employing a sophisticated robot fitted with a camera, the Djedi Mission managed to use the device to explore a shaft concealed within the pyramid behind the so called Gantenbrink Door, with the footage “showing the moment a robot navigated its way along a narrow tunnel” being released earlier this year, as the newspaper points out.
"No one knows the purpose of the shaft, there has been speculation that it could be an air vent or perhaps access to a burial tomb”, said Professor Bob Richardson from the University of Leeds.
As Richardson explained, there is “a stone put in place to block further access”, located about 50 meters along the shaft, several meters before what they believe to be the passage's end.
"We do not know what that stone is blocking access to”, he added. "We were able to get a camera past the stone – it revealed a small chamber with intricate symbols painted onto the floor."
While the symbols discovered by the robot “opened up a new window into the behaviours of the ancient Egyptians", as the newspaper put it, the project itself "was cut short due to growing security problems in Egypt"; the footage, however, ended up being released as part of "The Robot, The Dentist and The Pyramid", a 45-minute documentary made by independent filmmaker William Westaway.