Google Earth Shows Undiscovered Pyramids, Amateur Archeologist Claims

Google Earth is prompting one arm chair archeologist to suggest that there may be two undiscovered pyramid complexes in Egypt. Both locations feature what appear to be pyramid-shaped mounds with a deliberate organizational structure, according to Angela Micol of Maiden, N.C., who runs Google Earth Anomalies. As its name suggests, the site is dedicated to discovering intriguing images from Google Earth.

Publishing possible discoveries like this in the age of the Internet is a double-edged sword. Micol says she is not publishing the coordinates of the two sites for fear they may be pillaged by treasure hunters. Nevertheless, by piecing together the general locations of these sites from other reports, it took me less than 15 minutes to find both locations using Google Earth and Google Maps. I expect anyone else armed with a Web browser and a modicum of Google savvy would have a similar experience.

Site 1

The first site is located just a few miles from the ancient ruins of Dimeh in Middle Egypt, not far from the city of Faiyum. The site features what appears to be one large mound and three smaller ones. Micol believes the three smaller sites echo the diagonal arrangement of the famed pyramids of Giza.

Site 2

The second site is located near Abu Sidhum and also appears to feature four mounds, alongside what appears to be a “triangular-shaped plateau.” Micol says the second complex is arranged in a very clear formation.

Interesting, but…

While the sites are interesting to look at (especially if you take the few minutes to find them), it seems somewhat unbelievable they would be undiscovered pyramid sites. The first pyramid site is ridiculously close to a well-known archeological location, while the second site is flanked by what appears to be farming activity. In fact, the large triangular plateau at the second site appears to be less than a half-mile from a barn or some other farm-related structure. Given their proximity to human activity and apparent large size, it seems unlikely these finds will pan out to be the real thing.

Remember Atlantis

The possible pyramid finds echo a tantalizing image found in 2009 when Google Earth scouts believed they had found the resting place of the ancient lost city of Atlantis. The site was located just off the coast of Northwestern Africa. The “Atlantis” find came shortly after the search giant launched Google Ocean, which allows users to explore the ocean’s floor using Google Earth. “Atlantis,” Google later explained, was just a collection of ship tracks created by a boat gathering images of the ocean floor, a process called echo sounding.

It would be an amazing story if Micol’s discoveries turned out to be the real thing, but I wouldn’t get too excited just yet.

Micol says she is planning a documentary based on potential satellite image discoveries gathered over the past 10 years. The North Carolina resident also hopes to form a nonprofit organization promoting archeological finds using satellite images.

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