Scientists have revealed the discovery of a massive chamber hiding deep in Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza in the journal Nature on Nov. 2.
Significant Pyramid Discovery
Researchers made the discovery using cosmic ray imaging. The technology involves recording the behavior of the subatomic particles muons that can penetrate deep into rocks just like X-rays.
"We have a void, we have a cavity, and it's huge, which means possibly intentional and certainly worthy of further exploration," said Harvard University Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian.
The breakthrough is the first significant pyramid discovery since the 19th century. Interestingly, the creators of the Assassin's Creed: Origins, which is set in historical Ancient Egypt, appear to have predicted this hidden chamber.
Built Into Assassin's Creed: Origins
Assassin's Creed historian Maxime Durand said that the action-adventure video game does not necessarily need an update or patch to reflect the new discovery because it was already built into the game.
The game's version of the pyramid does not just include the chambers that have long been known. It also includes hidden chambers that have not yet been documented and an extensive internal rampway spiraling through the internal perimeters. This feature essentially supports the disputed theory proposed by French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin about how the pyramid was constructed.
Houdin's Theory On How The Pyramid Was Built
Other theories suggest that the builders on the Giza plateau hoisted the pyramid's heavy stone blocks using an external ramp, but Houdin proposed that the 4,500-year-old tomb of Pharaoh Khufu was built using a ramp that spiraled around the ancient structure's interior up to 45 feet behind the outer surface. He suggested that a long and straight ramp was used to build the first 129 feet of the pyramid, but an internal ramp was used to complete construction.
"I am completely comfortable with this theory," Houdin said in 2007 about his theory that the pyramid was built from the inside out.
Close To Location Of The New Void
It should not come as a surprise that the game reflects Houdin's ideas because the developers worked with him and other Egyptologists for years. In the game, the hidden chambers are located in the grand hallway of the pyramid, which is close to where the new void was found.
"We were betting on the fact that these secret locations inside of the Great Pyramid would probably be discovered in the near future, so we wanted to allow players the chance to visit them in advance," Durand said.
