A war of the ancient Pyramids of Giza has erupted after one of the world's leading Egyptologists labelled a study claiming to show an 'underground city' beneath the complex as 'fake news'.
Over the weekend, three Italian researchers looking in to the Giza necropolis - Professor Corrado Malanga and Filippo Biondi from the University of Pisa and University of Strathclyde respectively, alongside Egyptologist Armando Mei - claimed they had discovered what they called 'vertical cylinders' 2,000 feet below the ground.
But Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has rubbished what they claim to have found, causing a bit of a clash in the realm of historical studies around Ancient Egypt.
Advert
Hawass is a large name in the world of Ancient Egypt, having founded the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities and Heritage; a foundation he established to teach Egyptians hieroglyphics, archaeology, and the history of Egypt.
Specifically under the Khafre pyramid, the Italian research team says 'spiral staircases' exist beneath the surface, where they claim to have uncovered a limestone platform with two chambers and channels that look like pipes for an underground water system.
The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed by experts in academia, have not landed well with some of the bigger names in the world of Egyptian archaeology.
"When we magnify the images [in the future], we will reveal that beneath it lies what can only be described as a true underground city," Professor Malanga said in his team's report on the supposed findings.
A statement from the team said there could be 'an entire hidden world of many structures' with the Pyramid of Khafre potentially 'concealing undiscovered secrets, notably the fabled Hall of Records'.
Advert
This is a supposed ancient library that is claimed to exist underground near the Great Sphinx of Giza that could contain immense knowledge about Ancient Egyptian civilisation long lost to history.
But in a post on Dr Hawass' verified Facebook page, he labelled the research as 'fake news on the Kafre pyramid'.
He wrote: "I would like to make a statement regarding the news that was published all over the world by a group of amateurs. The news was under the pyramid of Khafre at Giza they found a platform topped with pillars.
"All this information is completely wrong and has absolutely no scientific basis. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity did not give permission to any individuals or institutions to work inside or outside the second pyramid."
Advert
Dr Hawass added: "In addition, the claim that a radar was used inside the pyramid is false.
"These people who announced this wrong information, they used techniques that are not approved nor validated, the details announced would never have been seen by using this technique."
On top of Dr Hawass' reaction, Professor Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver who focuses on archaeology, told MailOnline that the technology used in their research couldn't penetrate the ground in way that they claim.
Professor Conyers said it made their findings a 'huge exaggeration' on what they might be seeing, saying it was possible for structures to exist under the pyramid from before it was built, given the site was clearly of extreme importance to the ancient civilisation.
Topics: Ancient Egypt, Education, History, Science, Social Media, Viral, Archaeology
Tom Earnshaw