Satellite images point to purported pyramids

46 min.

Devin Coldewey

Serendipitous discoveries on satellite imagery happen frequently, but an archaeological researcher may have made a serious find this week while scanning the deserts of Egypt: two sets of what may be?undiscovered pyramids.

Angela Micol, who has made an career in archaeology by scrutinizing aerial imagery for signs of ruins and other man-made features, found the sites last week in a survey of areas surrounding existing settlements.

The first site?(left), just 1.5 miles from the ruins of an ancient town called Dimai, consists of a large, square formation and three (or possibly more) smaller features. The smaller ones are roughly aligned with true north, like the Giza pyramids, though the large one is conspicuously off-axis.

The other potential discovery?(below) is about 12 miles from?Abu Sidhum, a city on the Nile. Its most prominent feature is a large, triangular plateau with regular sides that have been severely eroded. The center of this triangle has a pair of circular features that may have been wells or mounds.

While the sites have been confirmed as undiscovered potential ruins, there is no way to tell for sure until a ground team can go to each. Geological processes can, after all, form incredibly regular structures, or the features could have a more prosaic provenance, such as temporary structures erected during a war, or abandoned construction on?some ordinary buildings.

The process for registering and protecting such sites may mean that the nature of these discoveries will not be made public for some time, as such ruins may contain invaluable artifacts and important documents that could be stolen or destroyed. In the meantime, amateur Egyptologists can continue scouring the area for more features by using the same method Micol used: Google Earth.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/google-combing-archaeologist-points-possible-pyramid-sites-939721

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