Amelia* would be so thrilled

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images

Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings.

Initial excavations have already confirmed some of the findings including of two suspected pyramids.

"To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist," says Dr Sarah Parcak.

*(For those not in the know, Amelia Peabody is a fictional Victorian/Edwardian sleuth created by Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Mertz. She has a weakness for pyramids and murder. It's a very enjoyable series, my favourite of historical mysteries. I must say, the author has been very prolific, and she's 83 and still writing.)

Cool

Robot to expose hidden secrets of pyramid: Device will unlock Egyptian room that has been sealed for 4,500 years

Following in the footsteps of Howard Carter and Abbot and Costello, a specialized robot will penetrate deeper into the Great Pyramid of Giza than ever before. The robot, part of a years long exploration called the Djedi Project, will explore a shaft inaccessible to a previous robot, unlocking a room that has remain sealed for 4,500 years.

Here's some more information on the Djedi Project from Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Aegypt.

Ah, a great chance at exploration!

Cave complex may lie beneath Giza Pyramids: British explorer claims to have found the lost underworld of the pharaohs

'In his memoirs, British consul general Henry Salt recounts how he investigated an underground system of "catacombs" at Giza in 1817 in the company of Italian explorer Giovanni Caviglia,' [Andrew] Collins said.

The document records that the two explored the caves for a distance of 'several hundred yards,' coming upon four large chambers from which stretched further cave passageways.

With the help of British Egyptologist Nigel Skinner-Simpson, Collins reconstructed Salt's exploration on the plateau, eventually locating the entrance to the lost catacombs in an apparently unrecorded tomb west of the Great Pyramid.

Meanwhile...

Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, has dismissed the discovery.

'There are no new discoveries to be made at Giza. We know everything about the plateau,' he stated.

Those are just the sorts of words scientists should never utter, for no matter if it's biolgoy, history, or archaeology--someone's going to come along to prove you wrong. I'd be interested if Collins' claims will be borne out. If so, it's a significant discovery. If not, it will be yet another spurious claim about the mysteries of Aegypt.