Ran across this news article (thanks Facebook Friend & 2nd Cousin Austen for posting the article from Yahoo! News) that caught my eye since we were visiting the Pyramids of Giza just last November.
Currently at this site there are 3 full size pyramids and 3 smaller ones. I'm sorry to say that as I sit here now I can't remember the stories behind the smaller ones. I want to say they are for the children of one of the Pharaohs, but I can't recall.
What an interesting use of remote sensing technology. Using what we know about the way the pyramids and tombs were built, they were able to classify the infrared imagery to look for density changes. These structures were built with mud bricks which are much more dense than the soil around them.
Amazing - 17 pyramids, 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements.
There will be a documentary on the BBC which follows Egyptologist Dr. Sarah Parcak as she begins to unearth this new find. Keep an eye out for "Egypt's Lost Cities" if you find this topic interesting. I love the title they give the Dr - "Satellite Archaeologist". Cool.
Weird six degrees of separation moment? Dr Parcak was born in Bangor, Maine, as was my mom.
Here's the link to the full article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110525/tc_digitaltrends/infraredsatelliteimagryunveils17lostegyptianpyramids
Here's a BBC article that goes into more detail about the work leading up to the find: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
