Un interessante post su un servizio del programma Freedom di Roberto Giacobbo.
Showing posts with label egyptology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egyptology. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Il tempo ha paura delle Piramidi, ma le Piramidi hanno paura di ... Giacobbo
Camere segrete, troni di ferro e proto-geroglifici: i misteri della Piramide di Cheope secondo Freedom (bufale eGGizie*) Pubblicato il gennaio 3, 2019 da mattiamancini
Thursday, October 13, 2011
How to measure the stair angle
According to the site of Duradek http://duradekmidatlantic.com/durarailchecklisthelp.html you can
use a protractor (available at most hardware stores) to determine this angle.
use a protractor (available at most hardware stores) to determine this angle.
Lay a straightedge across a minimum of 3 stair nosings. Put your universal protractor on the straightedge and measure the angle. Note that the more stair nosings you have under the straightedge, the more accurate the angle will be. In the case that the run of stairs is very long, measure the stair angle at 2 or 3 places along the run to check that the angle remains constant along the full run.
I am proposing that Kha the architect at Deir El-Medina, Egypt, supervisor of the projects of three kings of the 18th Dynasty used his protractor to check the inclination of stairs for instance. You can see it at the Egyptian Museum of Torino. Read more at http://stretchingtheboundaries.blogspot.com/2011/08/khas-protractor.html
I am proposing that Kha the architect at Deir El-Medina, Egypt, supervisor of the projects of three kings of the 18th Dynasty used his protractor to check the inclination of stairs for instance. You can see it at the Egyptian Museum of Torino. Read more at http://stretchingtheboundaries.blogspot.com/2011/08/khas-protractor.html
A modern universal protractor for building is that shown in the following figure.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Back to Kha's protractor
In the post "Kha's protractor", I have discussed an object found in the tomb of an ancient egyptian architect, Kha. It can be used to measure angles.Plums, levels, protractors , compasses and so on are instruments for surveying. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveying and the table http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Table_of_Surveying,_Cyclopaedia,_Volume_2.jpg
In this table there is the image of a compass rose. We can start from it and go back to the Kha's rose.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Concrete in the Great Pyramids
Did the Great Pyramids' builders use concrete?
This is the question we can find in the article by Colin Nickerson on New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/africa/23iht-pyramid.1.12259608.html
"It is a theory that gives indigestion to mainstream archaeologists. Namely, that some of the immense blocks of the Great Pyramids of Egypt might have been cast from synthetic material - the world's first concrete - not just carved whole from quarries and lugged into place by armies of toilers. Such an innovation would have saved millions of man-hours of grunting and heaving in construction of the enigmatic edifices on the Giza Plateau."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/africa/23iht-pyramid.1.12259608.html
"It is a theory that gives indigestion to mainstream archaeologists. Namely, that some of the immense blocks of the Great Pyramids of Egypt might have been cast from synthetic material - the world's first concrete - not just carved whole from quarries and lugged into place by armies of toilers. Such an innovation would have saved millions of man-hours of grunting and heaving in construction of the enigmatic edifices on the Giza Plateau."
See also:
Revisiting the construction of pyramids
Monday, August 1, 2011
Kha's protractor
Kha was an architect at Deir El-Medina, Egypt, supervisor of some projects completed during the reigns of three kings of the 18th Dynasty (approximately 1440-1350 BC). Buried with his wife Merit, the items of their tomb are exposed at the Egyptian Museum, Torino. The papers at http://arxiv.org/abs/1107.4946 describes some devices of the ancient Egypt masonry (cubits, cords, plumb, levels and squares), that Kha used during his activity. An object among those found in his tomb could be used a protractor.
The figure shows an object from the Kha’s Tomb supposed to be the case of a balance scale, or the scale itself as reported by the corresponding label. In a previous preparation of the items of Kha’s Tomb, it was possible to see the front and back of the object. They are the same, with the same complex decoration.
The tool has a complex decoration, that suggested me the case could be used as a protractor, to determine directions and measure angles. The detail of decoration is shown in the following figure.
We see the 16-fold symmetry of a compass rose with 16 leaves as an inner decoration. Outside this rose there is a polygonal line with 18 corners and then 36 sides. In the inner decoration we can see the fraction 1/16 corresponding to one leaf. The Egyptian knew and used the fractions as the sum of distinct unit fractions. That is, a fraction was written as a sum of fractions, each fraction having a numerator equal to 1 and a denominator equal to a positive integer. Every positive rational number can be represented by an Egyptian fraction. In this ancient system of calculus, the Eye Of Horus defined the Old Kingdom number one, such as, 1 = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + 1/32 + 1/64, rounded-off at the six-term. A 1/64 is needed to have the exact value 1. The separated parts of the Eye of Horus were used to write describe the fractions. May be, Kha used the balance case for calculations, or simply as a protractor when he was using a plumb, a level or a scale, to find vertical or equilibrium positions, but also to measure the deviation from vertical or horizontal directions.
Is there anything we can tell about number 36, the number of corners of the external decoration of the architect’s case? Let us remember that the Egyptians has the Decans, 36 groups of stars which rise in succession from the horizon due to the earth rotation. The rising of each decan marked the beginning of hours of the night. In the ancient Egypt, the decans were used as a sidereal clock beginning by at least the 9th or 10th Dynasty (ca 2100 BC). Probably, the object found in the Kha’s tomb had simply a geometrical decoration, such as that on another object of the tomb, which seems to be a “rose of direction”.
The use of 1/16 fraction, the coincidence of the number of corners with that of decans, and the fact that the decoration was engraved on the instrument of an architect, suggest me that this object had been used as a protractor instrument with two scales, one based on Egyptian fractions, the other based on decans. Assuming this tool used to evaluate angles, let me show a possible set-up to measure the angle of an inclined plane. Note that the case has a lid. Let us imagine to remove the lid; the case has a perfectly linear side, that can be put on a smooth surface, as shown in the following figure.
When the surface is horizontal, using a plumb to have the vertical direction, one of the directions of the rose of the case coincides with the direction of the plumb (the line between leaves 1-16 or 8-9 seems to be perpendicular to the side of the case). If the surface is inclined, the direction of the rose is inclined forming a certain angle with respect to the vertical. This angle has the same value of the angle of the inclined plane. Geometry originated as a practical science, to measure lengths, surfaces and volumes. In my opinion, Kha could have used his tool, with the contemporary use of a plumb to have a reference direction, to create a set-up able to provide a practical measurement of inclination. The Kha’s protractor could be one of the first devices to measure angles.
References
Turin Egyptian Museum: the tomb of Kha
Deir El Medina: The Painted Tombs, Christine Hobson, Exploring the World of the Pharaohs: A
complete guide to Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, 1993.
Building in Egypt; Pharaonic Stone Masonry, Dieter Arnold, Chapter 6, Tools and their
applications, New York and Oxford, 1991
E. Robens and R.S.H. Mikhail, The ancient Egyptian balance, Thermochimica Acta, Volume
82(1), 1 December 1984, Pages 63-80. 7. Egypt Plumb Bobs, Wolfgang Ruecher, Wolf’s Plumb Bob News, Issue 02, Feb.2010,
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Abusir - from Pliny the Elder to Google Maps
Abusir: from Pliny the Elder to Google Maps
Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
"Abusir, the House of Osiris, is the name given to an Egyptian necropolis of the Old Kingdom period. This site is a part of a huge area, from Giza to Dahshur, rich of archaeological remains and covered by many pyramids. The paper is reporting concisely some archaeological studies on Abusir. We start from the description given by Pliny the Elder and end proposing the use of Google Maps."
"Abusir, the House of Osiris, is the name given to an Egyptian necropolis of the Old Kingdom period. This site is a part of a huge area, from Giza to Dahshur, rich of archaeological remains and covered by many pyramids. The paper is reporting concisely some archaeological studies on Abusir. We start from the description given by Pliny the Elder and end proposing the use of Google Maps."
Read more
Map of Abusir
In the upper part of the figure, we see an image from Google Maps, obtained after a suitable image processing, showing the Abusir site. In the lower part, a map from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abusir, for comparison.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Locations of archaeological sites
A collection of Placemarks of archaeologically interesting locations of the ancient world.
http://www.ancientlocations.net/
For instance, the egyptian pyramids
http://www.ancientlocations.net/index.php?sp=-1&in=0&rep=0&sort=0&f=22#section_22_Pyramids
http://www.ancientlocations.net/
For instance, the egyptian pyramids
http://www.ancientlocations.net/index.php?sp=-1&in=0&rep=0&sort=0&f=22#section_22_Pyramids
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Earliest Roman basilica found outside Alexandria - Ahram Online
" At Al-Baron area in Semouha district, south of Alexandria, an Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered several significant monuments and artefacts that will help in the writing of the history of the area.
During excavations, archaeologists uncovered the earliest Roman civil basilica yet found on top of a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the three Alexandria deities (Isis, Serapis, Harpocrates) along with a collection of terracotta statues."
Earliest ever civil Roman basilica found outside Alexandria - Greco-Roman - Heritage - Ahram Online
During excavations, archaeologists uncovered the earliest Roman civil basilica yet found on top of a Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the three Alexandria deities (Isis, Serapis, Harpocrates) along with a collection of terracotta statues."
Earliest ever civil Roman basilica found outside Alexandria - Greco-Roman - Heritage - Ahram Online
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Royal scenes dated back to Dynasty Zero
The oldest depiction of an Egyptian King wearing the Upper Egyptian crown
“Dr. Maria Carmela Gatto (Director of Aswan-Kom Ombo Archarological Project) made a discovery at Nag el-Hamdulab site (North west of Aswan) of the oldest graffiti shows a King wearing the Upper Egypt headgear(crown) with a group of royal scenes dated back to dynasty zero.” Said Dr. Zahi Hawass. “The find shows many hieroglyphic graffiti and the first drawings shows a complete royal celebration looks exactly like what was known in the different Pharanoic eras, showing the Pharaoh wearing his white crown accompanied by Horus followers or the royal court.”Hawass added."
More on the Dinasty Zero (Naqada III) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqada_III
“Dr. Maria Carmela Gatto (Director of Aswan-Kom Ombo Archarological Project) made a discovery at Nag el-Hamdulab site (North west of Aswan) of the oldest graffiti shows a King wearing the Upper Egypt headgear(crown) with a group of royal scenes dated back to dynasty zero.” Said Dr. Zahi Hawass. “The find shows many hieroglyphic graffiti and the first drawings shows a complete royal celebration looks exactly like what was known in the different Pharanoic eras, showing the Pharaoh wearing his white crown accompanied by Horus followers or the royal court.”Hawass added."
More on the Dinasty Zero (Naqada III) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naqada_III
More on the Dynasty Zero
"5,200 year-old rock drawings of earliest Ancient Egyptian celebrations unearthed, by Associated Press, Published: July 4 CAIRO — Egypt’s Antiquities Authority says archaeologists have unearthed a 5,200-year-old rock drawing depicting a royal festival during Ancient Egypt’s earliest dynasty. The ministry says the scenes were part of a series of rock drawings featuring hunting, fighting and celebrations along the banks of the Nile River."
Friday, July 1, 2011
List of Egyptian sites
The Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA) is responsible for hundreds of sites dating to every period of Egypt’s past. Many have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The web site of MSA is proposing a list of sites organized alphabetically, by region, or by the period to which each site’s main monuments date. http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/SITE_List.htm
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Who and where
Who and where: Current and Recent Foreign Missions in Egypt http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/FMR_CURRENT-MISSIONS_MP.htm
"The principal mission of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, previously known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, is to protect and promote the cultural heritage of Egypt, both independently and in cooperation with national and international organizations. To achieve its goals, it formulates and implements all policies concerned with antiquities; issues guidelines and permits for the excavation, restoration, conservation, documentation, and study of sites and monuments; and manages a country-wide system of antiquities museums."
"The principal mission of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, previously known as the Supreme Council of Antiquities, is to protect and promote the cultural heritage of Egypt, both independently and in cooperation with national and international organizations. To achieve its goals, it formulates and implements all policies concerned with antiquities; issues guidelines and permits for the excavation, restoration, conservation, documentation, and study of sites and monuments; and manages a country-wide system of antiquities museums."
Dakhla Oasis
A French excavation team made several discoveries in Balat village in the Dakhla Oasis, around 500 km south of Cairo. More at http://www.archaeogate.org/egittologia/article/1427/1/recenti-scoperte-archeologiche-nelloasi-di-dakhla.html
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/470508 and also
An ancient Egyptian federation
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/470508 and also
An ancient Egyptian federation
An ancient Egyptian federation
E il faraone inventò lo Stato federale, by Aristide Malnati
"Il federalismo ha avuto la prima manifestazione storica nell’Antico Egitto. ... è la conclusione dell’analisi degli elementi archeologici e storici, emersi in 30 anni di scavo sistematico sul sito di Balat, capoluogo dell’Oasi di Dakhla (200 Km a Ovest dell’odierna Luxor) durante il regno dei sovrani della VI Dinastia (2300-2200 a. C.); scavo condotto dall’archeologo francese Georges Soukiassian alla testa di un’équipe internazionale." Balat è il più antico abitato egizio giunto fino a noi. "A Balat sono state rinvenute imponenti vestigia di quello che fu il fulcro del potere della regione più ricca d’Egitto, in particolare (ma non solo) durante la VI Dinastia. Qui risiedevano e facevano il bello e cattivo tempo i Governatori di tutta l’Oasi ... Godevano di forte autonomia e di reale possibilità di incidere anche in decisioni di politica nazionale. ... Se passiamo poi alla necropoli per l’eterno riposo dei, diremmo oggi, Presidenti della regione, il quadro della venerazione, in cui erano tenuti, si completa: ognuno fu sepolto in una mastaba, un’imponente sepoltura a sviluppo sotterraneo (quasi una piramide rovesciata), che sfociava nella camera funeraria superbamente affrescata con scene".
More
http://www.avvenire.it/Cultura/faraone_201106301208149670000.htm
As reported by Aristide Malnati, federalism had been developed for the first time in the ancient Egypt. This is a conclusion after analysis of archaeological and historical elements, lasted for 30 years during the systematic excavations on the site of Balat, Dakhla Oasis (200 km due west of Luxor). The period was that of the Sixth Dynasty (2300-2200 BC). The excavation is lead by the French archaeologist Georges Soukiassian.
Balat is considered the oldest Egyptian village. It was the most powerful center in one of the richest regions in Egypt, particularly during the Sixth Dynasty. Here lived the Governors of Oasis, having wide autonomy from the king and a real possibility to influence the decisions of the national policy.
As reported by Aristide Malnati, federalism had been developed for the first time in the ancient Egypt. This is a conclusion after analysis of archaeological and historical elements, lasted for 30 years during the systematic excavations on the site of Balat, Dakhla Oasis (200 km due west of Luxor). The period was that of the Sixth Dynasty (2300-2200 BC). The excavation is lead by the French archaeologist Georges Soukiassian.
Balat is considered the oldest Egyptian village. It was the most powerful center in one of the richest regions in Egypt, particularly during the Sixth Dynasty. Here lived the Governors of Oasis, having wide autonomy from the king and a real possibility to influence the decisions of the national policy.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
New Pharaonic artefacts discovered in North Egypt - Ahram Online
"New Pharaonic artefacts discovered in North Egypt's site of San El-Hagar
A collection of painted blocks used in the construction of king Osorkon II’s temple have been unearthed in San El-Hagar in the Delta city of Sharqia"
New Pharaonic artefacts discovered in North Egypt's site of San El-Hagar - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online
A collection of painted blocks used in the construction of king Osorkon II’s temple have been unearthed in San El-Hagar in the Delta city of Sharqia"
New Pharaonic artefacts discovered in North Egypt's site of San El-Hagar - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Khufu’s second solar boat revealed
"Today, hundreds of foreign and Egyptian journalists along with photographers, cameramen and TV presenters flocked to the Giza Plateau, where Minister of State for Antiquities Zahi Hawass, Chargé d’Affaires at the Japanese Embassy to Egypt Masami Kinefuchi, and the chief executive representative of the Nitori Holding Company, Akio Nitori, unveiled King Khufu’s second solar boat. This boat was first discovered in 1954 by Egyptian architect and archaeologist Kamal El-Malakh with fellow archaeologist Zaki Nour during routine cleaning at the southern side of Khufu’s Great Pyramid. The first pit was found under a roof of 41 limestone slabs. Removing one of these slabs, a cedar boat, completely dismantled but arranged in the semblance of its finished form, was found along with layers of mats, ropes, instruments made of flint and some small pieces of white plaster with 12 oars, 58 poles, three cylindrical columns and five doors."
Friday, June 10, 2011
The bent pyramid
Google Maps is an excellent service for archaeological survey. Let us look at the Bent Pyramid in Egypt.
After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and GIMP, we have
Or using the wavelets of Iris
Interesting for mapping sites! In my opinion, there are many other structures in these images which are connected to the pyramid (for instance, the one that seems a pool near the upper left corner), besides those listed in the following map.
This map is adapted from:
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The cradle of Egyptian pyramids
The cradle of pyramids in satellite images, by Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.0818
We propose the use of image processing to enhance the Google Maps of some archaeological areas of Egypt. In particular we analyse that place which is considered the cradle of pyramids, where it was announced the discovery of a new pyramid by means of an infrared remote sensing.
Saqqara and Dahshur are burial places of the ancient Egypt. Saqqara was the necropolis of Memphis, the ancient capital of the Lower Egypt. This place has many pyramids, including the well-known step pyramid of Djoser, and several mastabas. As told in Wikipedia, 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids there and the high officials added their tombs during the entire pharaonic period [1]. The necropolis remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies till the Roman times. Dahshur is another royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile [2]. The place is well-known for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest and best preserved in Egypt. Therefore this site can be properly considered as the cradle of Egyptian pyramids [3]. Figure 1 shows the Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara. The two images have been obtained from Google Maps after an image processing with two programs, AstroFracTool, based on the calculus of the fractional gradient, and the wavelet filtering of Iris, as discussed in Ref.4. The reader can compare the images with the original Google Maps, using the coordinates given in the figure [5].
Recently the BBC announced the discovery in the area between Saqqara and Dashur, near the river Nile, of a new pyramid buried in the sand [6]. The pyramid has been observed by means of the infrared remote sensing. According to the images in Ref.7, it is located near the pyramid of Khendjer, discovered by Gustave Jequier in 1929, built as the tomb of king Khendjer, who ruled Egypt during the 13th Dynasty [8]. The pyramid currently lies in ruins, in part damaged during the excavations done by Jequier, and it is rising just one meter above the desert sand. The pyramid complex was enclosed by inner and outer walls. The inner wall was made of limestone, the outer wall was made of mud bricks. According to Wikipedia, the pyramid stood at about 37.35 meters high [8].
It is interesting to observe the structure of this pyramid from the space with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we obtained the lower panel in Fig.2. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; the Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details of the Khendjer complex.
As BBC announced, Sarah Parcak, of the University of Alabama, used some data from NASA infrared equipped satellites to survey the Egypt. Waiting for a more detailed report on her researches and on the methods the team used, let us observe the images that some Web sites are publishing, in particular that of the Khendjer complex (for the author it is impossible to tell whether the images are the original infrared ones or not). According to [7], it is in this complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The site is shown in Fig.3, where the upper panel is displaying as it appears in Google Maps, and the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
According to the Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, the new technologies are able to locate the remains beneath the sand [9], but it is necessary to identify them with archaeological researches on the spot. Of course, a research on the area will be able to tell the name of the king buried in the site.
As discussed in Ref.10, there are several remote sensing techniques that can be useful in archaeology. For what concerns the Google Maps, let me remark its use in the study of the Merowe Dam and the paleochannels of the Nile where we compared the images from SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, with those from Google [11].
It is my opinion that the image processing of Google Maps can be used for an archaeological survey of Egypt (see for instance, some examples on the satellite images of Amarna, [11]), besides of course, all the satellite methods used for geophysical researches. For what concerns the proposed processing of Google Maps, it is important to note the following fact: it is during the processing activity, when the user is changing parameters and details appear in the picture, that it is easier to recognize them. The information is already in the image: it is only enough to take it out.
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur
3. From A to Z, Dahshur, http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
4. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590
5. See images at the site https://sites.google.com/site/saqqaradahshursatellite/
6. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
7. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Khendjer
9. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
10. The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.6315
11. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911
12. Some image processing on Amarna,
https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.1: The Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara, Egypt. The images have been obtained from Google Maps after a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp, in the upper panel, and Iris wavelets, in the lower panel. For a discussion of the processing see Ref.4. The figure is giving the coordinates for a comparison with the original Google Maps’ image [5].
Fig.2 The Khendjer complex as seen from the space, with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we have the lower panel. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details.
Fig.3. According to [7], it is in the Khendjer complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The upper panel is showing as it appears in Google Maps, the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
http://arxiv.org/abs/1106.0818
We propose the use of image processing to enhance the Google Maps of some archaeological areas of Egypt. In particular we analyse that place which is considered the cradle of pyramids, where it was announced the discovery of a new pyramid by means of an infrared remote sensing.
Saqqara and Dahshur are burial places of the ancient Egypt. Saqqara was the necropolis of Memphis, the ancient capital of the Lower Egypt. This place has many pyramids, including the well-known step pyramid of Djoser, and several mastabas. As told in Wikipedia, 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids there and the high officials added their tombs during the entire pharaonic period [1]. The necropolis remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies till the Roman times. Dahshur is another royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile [2]. The place is well-known for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest and best preserved in Egypt. Therefore this site can be properly considered as the cradle of Egyptian pyramids [3]. Figure 1 shows the Djoser pyramid and the Great Enclosure at Saqqara. The two images have been obtained from Google Maps after an image processing with two programs, AstroFracTool, based on the calculus of the fractional gradient, and the wavelet filtering of Iris, as discussed in Ref.4. The reader can compare the images with the original Google Maps, using the coordinates given in the figure [5].
Recently the BBC announced the discovery in the area between Saqqara and Dashur, near the river Nile, of a new pyramid buried in the sand [6]. The pyramid has been observed by means of the infrared remote sensing. According to the images in Ref.7, it is located near the pyramid of Khendjer, discovered by Gustave Jequier in 1929, built as the tomb of king Khendjer, who ruled Egypt during the 13th Dynasty [8]. The pyramid currently lies in ruins, in part damaged during the excavations done by Jequier, and it is rising just one meter above the desert sand. The pyramid complex was enclosed by inner and outer walls. The inner wall was made of limestone, the outer wall was made of mud bricks. According to Wikipedia, the pyramid stood at about 37.35 meters high [8].
It is interesting to observe the structure of this pyramid from the space with Google Maps. After a processing by means of AstroFracTool and Gimp [4], we obtained the lower panel in Fig.2. According to Ref.[8], the ruins are rising only a few meters above the grounds; the Google Maps, however, after a suitable processing are displaying all the details of the Khendjer complex.
As BBC announced, Sarah Parcak, of the University of Alabama, used some data from NASA infrared equipped satellites to survey the Egypt. Waiting for a more detailed report on her researches and on the methods the team used, let us observe the images that some Web sites are publishing, in particular that of the Khendjer complex (for the author it is impossible to tell whether the images are the original infrared ones or not). According to [7], it is in this complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The site is shown in Fig.3, where the upper panel is displaying as it appears in Google Maps, and the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.
According to the Egypt's Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, Zahi Hawass, the new technologies are able to locate the remains beneath the sand [9], but it is necessary to identify them with archaeological researches on the spot. Of course, a research on the area will be able to tell the name of the king buried in the site.
As discussed in Ref.10, there are several remote sensing techniques that can be useful in archaeology. For what concerns the Google Maps, let me remark its use in the study of the Merowe Dam and the paleochannels of the Nile where we compared the images from SIR-C/X-SAR imaging radar system, with those from Google [11].
It is my opinion that the image processing of Google Maps can be used for an archaeological survey of Egypt (see for instance, some examples on the satellite images of Amarna, [11]), besides of course, all the satellite methods used for geophysical researches. For what concerns the proposed processing of Google Maps, it is important to note the following fact: it is during the processing activity, when the user is changing parameters and details appear in the picture, that it is easier to recognize them. The information is already in the image: it is only enough to take it out.
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahshur
3. From A to Z, Dahshur, http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
4. Enhancing the Google imagery using a wavelet filter, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1009.1590
5. See images at the site https://sites.google.com/site/saqqaradahshursatellite/
6. Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images, F. Cronin, BBC New, 24 May 2011,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957
7. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1390667/Seventeen-lost-pyramids-thousands-buried-Egyptian-settlements-pinpointed-infrared-satellite-images.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, and also http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/9202577-egyptian-pyramids-found-by-infrared-satellite-images
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Khendjer
9. News broadcast by BBC is inaccurate, says Hawass, N. El-Aref, Ahramonline, 26 May 2011, http://english.ahram.org.eg/
10. The satellite archaeological survey of Egypt, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.6315
11. The Merowe Dam on the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://www.archaeogate.org/, and, Merowe Dam and the inundation of paleochannels of the Nile, A.C. Sparavigna, http://arxiv.org/abs/arXiv:1011.4911
12. Some image processing on Amarna,
https://sites.google.com/site/amarnasatelliteimagery/
Fig.3. According to [7], it is in the Khendjer complex that there is one of the discovered pyramids. The upper panel is showing as it appears in Google Maps, the lower panel shows it after processing by means of AstroFracTool. It seems a ghost image having the same features of the complex outlines in Fig.2.