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Carter Roy
When you think of archaeology, you might think of a scene like the one you can see here on your screen. Hands in the dirt, specialized tools brushing away dust, revealing some treasure that hasn't seen the light of day in thousands of years. A classic excavation, and you wouldn't be wrong. But these days a lot of archaeological work looks like this or this. A lot less messy and a lot farther from the archaeological sites. That's because these images are taken from satellites out in space. But they can actually still tell us something about what's hiding just below the surface of the earth. These non invasive techniques allow us to understand history while helping preserve it. Now two Italian researchers say that's essentially how they've discovered never before seen structures below the pyram of Giza. The news has stoked age old conspiracy theories and ignited fierce skepticism from the archaeological community. So what's the debate all about? Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy, you can find us here every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on YouTube onspiracy theories podcast as well as Instagram heconspiracypod and we would love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. This summer we're jet setting through history on a world tour of mystery and motives. Today we're stopping in Egypt to talk about some of the most mysterious structures on Earth. The Giza pyramids. And why those 4,500-year-old monuments are still trending on social media. Stay with us.
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Carter Roy
It's early 2025 when two researchers in Italy make some eye catching new claims about one of the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. They're specifically concerned with what may lie below it. They think they've discovered something that, if true, would rewrite thousands of years of history. They lay out their findings in a nearly four hour press conference in Italy. Dr. Filippo Biondi is a remote sensing expert and signal processing researcher, and he focuses his portion of the conference on new technology the team says they've used. Essentially, they've started with synthetic aperture radar, or SAR data, which has been in use for decades. In order to collect SAR data, a satellite antenna sends out an electric pulse toward the earth. That pulse reacts with whatever it hits. From mountains to marshes to deserts, some of that energy is reflected, which gets recorded and collected as the type of trippy, psychedelic looking data you see here. SAR is particularly useful because it provides more detail than a photograph. It can see beyond clouds, operate without sunlight, and penetrate through soil, snow and sand. It has all kinds of applications, like studying icebergs or tracking floods and wildfires. And since the late 20th century, it's been used to help archaeologists locate ancient structures hidden underground. At the press conference, Biondi talks about using SAR in combination with a new proprietary technology, which he says allows them to interpret the old data in a new way. It reportedly combines the SAR data with vibrational readings coming off the objects they're studying. After Biondi explains how they've made their discovery, he turns the mic over to his colleague, Dr. Corrado Malonga. He's a retired organic chemist and a researcher who has focused much of his work on the pyramids of Giza. Now, before we dig into Malanga's claims, it may be helpful to get a lay of the land. On the west bank of the Nile in northern Egypt, just outside Cairo, three massive pyramids jut out of the desert landscape. Of these structures, the Great Pyramid stands tallest. Originally built to a height of over 481ft, it remained the tallest structure built by humankind for nearly 4,000 years. It's also known as the Great Pyramid of Khufu, named for the pharaoh who commissioned its construction. Next to it stand two other grand pyramids built for Egypt's successive kings, Khafre, Khufu's son, and Menkaure, his grandson. The trio are flanked by temples, smaller tombs, and of course, the giant noseless statue associated with Khafre's pyramid, the Sphinx. Named for the lion with a human head from Greek mythology, The Sphinx stands 66ft tall. Making it even more impressive. It was carved from a single piece of stone, and it's one of the world's oldest monolithic statues. The area encompassing all of this is collectively known as the Giza Complex, or Giza Necropolis, the City of the dead. And it dates back to ancient Egypt's fourth dynasty, some 4,500 years ago. At the 2025 press conference, Malanga explained they first planned to scan below the Sphinx. But he was persuaded by his fellow researcher, Armando May to turn his focus to the pyramid of Khafre, the second pyramid built at Giza. The thinking was the Sphinx is already associated with rumors of hidden structures. But what about the pyramid most closely tied with the Sphinx? Couldn't it logically hold its own secrets? Malonga agreed the idea was worth exploring, and according to him, it was a good decision. He proceeds to reveal several images he believes show anomalies under Khafre's pyramid. Many of the images are bright blue with patches of other vivid colors yellow, green, orange, light blue and red, almost resembling a portion of a tie dye T shirt. Malanga concedes that at first it can be hard to know what you're looking at. To the untrained eye, they might look like colorful blobs. But the team felt sure their technology had picked up on something. So they kept working with the data and also asked an AI program to enhance the images. One image seems to show Khafre's pyramid with lines below it, long lines that seem to reach deep underground. Using the pyramid's height for scale, they hypothesize that whatever their scans are picking up on extends as much as 648 meters below the surface. Eventually, Malanga and Biondi proposed the following conclusions from their data. The anomaly they detected actually takes on a very specific shape. Eight shafts, or tubes arranged in two rows of four. Malonga suggests these are hollow, similar in appearance to the well of Patrizio in Italy. Based on their interpretations, spiral pathways appear to run along the outside of each shaft from top to bottom. Above the shafts are five additional structures, each connected by passageways. And at the very bottom of the shafts sit two giant cubes, 80 meters long on each side. The team, sometimes called the Khafre Sar project, makes these claims public in March. And almost immediately, the public takes two where else? Social media to share their reactions. There's excitement, skepticism and widespread speculation, not just about what the structures are, but what they might mean Now, Malonga proposes that the shafts appear to support a limestone base which keeps the pyramid from collapsing or sinking into the ground. But he also says something about the two cubes that catches people's attention. He mentions almost in passing that they represent the rooms or halls of Amenti. In Egyptian mythology, Amenti is the underworld. But it's also become part of more modern fringe theories concerning the Giza complex. There are those who believe that buried beneath the pyramids lies a hidden city and within its walls a hall of records containing knowledge that's been lost to time. It's not the only reference to Amenti. At the press conference, the first speaker of the day, Malonga's colleague Armando May, says he's focused much of his research on the legendary location. See, the researchers aren't just claiming they've found vast structures. They're also suggesting they may have found proof that some of these myths and legends associated with the pyramids, about hidden cities and knowledge, could actually be real.
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Carter Roy
Drink response at the press conference, Malanga touches on a couple of obscure theories about the Giza complex, briefly mentioning the legendary room or hall of Amenti. He also notes that the depth of the purported structures 648 meters is four times the number 162, which is reminiscent of the golden ratio 1.618. Before Malanga introduces numerology into the proceedings, Armando May sets the stage with his presentation. He covers topics like the Orion Correlation theory, which posits the three main pyramids at Giza align with the stars in the constellation's belt. He also talks about the emerald tablets, supposedly inscribed by the Egyptian God Thoth. The mythical tablets are thought to reveal some of our greatest mysteries, like the secrets of alchemy and the lost kingdom of Atlantis. On the whole, the press conference is meant to highlight Malanga and Biondi's archaeological claims. But there's also clearly an underlying interest in theories that aren't accepted by mainstream research. And a lot of those ideas have been thousands of years in the making. The Giza pyramids have fascinated humankind for nearly as long as they've been standing, and it's not hard to see why. I mean, all you have to do is look at them. Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramid is the last one standing. You can see it, you can touch it, you can even walk inside this monumental feat of human achievement. Back when they were built, the pyramids were even more breathtaking. They were once covered with an outer layer of limestone, which was polished to a dazzling bright white that reflected the sun. The smooth exterior may have been stripped down over the years, leaving the stones exposed to the elements. But even so, the Giza complex has outlasted countless empires and eras. Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Industrial Revolution. The pyramids have been standing throughout all of it. It's hard to imagine the sheer amount of artistic and physical skill that went into constructing the pyramids. And some imagination is required here. We still don't have a totally clear explanation for how the ancient Egyptians built them. The reigning theory is that they used copper to cut the stones, which were transported via waterways from other cities. The stones, weighing thousands of pounds each, were probably moved into place using ramps, levers, rollers and sledges after the ground was wetted down. These conclusions are drawn from clues gathered from ancient inscriptions and texts, as well as formal excavations. But this is just the expert's best guess for now. Hypotheses can change from time to time as new information comes to light. Just as mysterious as how the pyramids were built is what's contained in them. And humankind's quest for answers has spawned roughly 3,000 years worth of conspiracy theories about what's inside and below them. In the 5th century BCE, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the pyramids of Giza in his seminal work, the Histories of Herodotus. By the time he visited Egypt, the pyramids were about 2,000 years old. And already they carried an air of mystery. With the help of an interpreter as well as Egyptian priests, he attempted to puzzle out some of the details of how the pyramids were built. Now, Herodotus is often called the father of history, and it's a fair nickname. He did write the preeminent narrative history of the ancient world, and his account of Egypt was one of the first written by an outsider. But we now know he got some of his information about the pyramids wrong. For example, he claimed Khufu's tomb was located in an underground chamber which could be filled with water channeled in from the Nile river like a little sarcophagus island. It turns out that's not the case. Khufu's sarcophagus rests in the king's chamber, uncovered by later excavations. And it doesn't resemble an island. Sometimes Herodotus didn't let a half truth stand in the way of a good story. And which laid the groundwork for some of the enduring legends associated with the Giza complex. Ancient scholars who came after Herodotus often blended real Egyptian history with elements of mythology, fantasy, magic and the occult. Even the famous philosopher Plato took part in spreading these stories. He credited Egyptian priests with keeping records of the lost kingdom of Atlantis. Although historians think Plato probably invented the entire Atlantis story and the Egyptians part in it completely out of thin air. Then there are the tales of Setna, which involve an Egyptian prince, a trip to the underworld, a magician, a resurrected mummy, and a search for the Book of Thunder, Thoth, a tome of forbidden knowledge. Sedna's name is based on a real Egyptian prince. But the tales are a work of fiction nonetheless. They solidified a lot of the mystical themes associated with ancient Egypt. And all of this set the stage for more modern fringe theories like those championed by Edgar Cayce in the 20th century. Century. Known as the Sleeping Prophet, Cayce claimed he could tap into a universal consciousness. First he would place himself into a kind of trance and then in this sleep like state, deliver psychic readings. He would answer anything from medical questions about treating an illness to historical queries about the pyramids. Based on these readings, Cayce and his followers believe the pyramids were much older than what Egyptologists hypothesized. He also predicted that before the year 2000, a Hall of records would be discovered beneath the Sphinx, left there by the ancient people of Atlantis and containing the history and wisdom of their lost civilization. Of course, if such a discovery was made by that deadline, we probably would have heard about it. But that hasn't stopped people from wondering if the hall of records is still hidden below the Giza complex, just out of reach. When Malonga and Biondi's findings began to circulate on social media. Another theory resurfaced as well. It's called the power plant theory, and it's ascribed to Christopher Dunn. Dunn says that when he began studying the pyramids, he couldn't help but wonder if these immense structures served another purpose. He thought it was possible they utilized Earth's vibrations to create an energy source. The ancient Egyptians were certainly innovative and technologically advanced for their time, but Dunn and others think the pyramid's creators were far more advanced than they're given credit for. Hence, he proposed, they might have had access to an energy source beyond anything we've found proof of thus far, and that energy source could actually be the pyramids. To be clear, the researchers with the Khafre Saar project never seemed to reference Christopher Done during their press conference. The power plant idea may have reappeared in the Zeitgeist because both groups talk about the pyramid's vibrations or vibrational readings. Or perhaps the public was just excited about what Malonga and Biondi's claims could mean. It's important to note that as of recording this episode, the team has not published the findings about Khafre's pyramid in a peer reviewed journal. But in 2022 they did publish their work on Khufu's pyramid in remote Sensing. In that paper they described using the same new imaging technique to create a 3D model, and they claimed they discovered new interconnected structures within the Great Pyramid. At the time, this paper seemed to fly mostly under the radar, so to speak. That wasn't the case with their more recent discovery, which went viral. With all that attention came skepticism, and the skeptics unequivocally said that what Malonga and Biondi were claiming was actually impossible. This episode is brought to you by Wayfair Podcasts. Follow us everywhere. Whether you're cooking in the kitchen, chilling.
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@Lifelock.Com podcast terms apply for as much excitement as the Khafre Saar project drummed up, it also caused plenty of controversy, and many of the skeptics who've raised concerns are notable experts. Dr. Flint Dibble is an archaeologist, researcher and an educator at Cardiff University. He also runs the YouTube account Archaeology with Flint Dibble. In April 2025, he sits down to discuss Malonga and Biondi's claims with Dr. Sarah Parcak, a professor and scholar. She wrote the textbook Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology, and she's personally done remote sensing work at Giza. Parcak says when looking at any study, she teaches her students to look for some key points of information, such as who wrote it. As Dibble has stated, Malonga and Biondi's 2022 paper, along with their doctorates, gives them an air of credibility. Parkak adds that she, too has been published in the same journal they have remote sensing, and she considers it reputable. She also finds Biondi's body of work respectable, but she cautions, it doesn't look like the paper was reviewed by an Egyptologist, and Dibble notices the paper was published just a few weeks after being submitted. That process usually takes months. Another question Parcak prompts her students to ask is, do the authors have any biases? Corrado Malonga has written books about some fringe theories like Aliens, though that fact alone doesn't disqualify his findings. As my conspiracy theories producer on this episode, like me to point out, it is simply context that should be taken into consideration when you look at how he interprets his data. Which brings us to the next point of controversy, how Malonga and Biondi say they got their data. If you'll recall, the team started with sar, which is widely considered a reliable way to collect data. But there are limitations. SAR signals only penetrate 1 to 3 meters below the ground. That depth depends on what the signal has to move through, be it vegetation, ice or sand. According to National Geographic, SAR can't take readings deeper than 2 meters or so around the Giza pyramids. Here's a radar image which used one type of SAR taken by NASA over the Nile river delta in 1994. You can still generally make out what you're looking at a large landmass and the bodies of water running through it. What we don't see are formations far below the surface. Keep in mind Though the researchers say they aren't just using SAR technology, they supposedly used a cool new imaging method to get their results. And they say they've already tested it in places where they know what's buried underground, like the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. There, at the largest underground lab in the world, scientists study neutrino and astroparticle physics. Physics. Being situated 1400 meters below the peak of the Gran Sasso Mountains means less interference from cosmic rays. Biondi shows what he calls a tomograph they took of the land above the laboratory. It's a slightly fuzzy black and blue image taken by a satellite with a few lines that appear to be illuminated. He suggests these line up with some of the known structures that make up the underground lab. Not everyone agrees with how the team is interpreting these images, though. Basically, experts think the technology hasn't been tested enough. An invention that takes From a 2 meter reading to a 648 meter reading sounds great. It's just hard to believe until we see more evidence. It hasn't been verified by a third party yet either. So far, we're going off the word of the researchers behind the Khafre SAR project, and there's some confusion over the details. Here's one of the many images they released of their data, the one we mentioned earlier, which they say shows the anomaly below the pyramid. Notice the pointed pyramid structure at the top center of the image. It does seem possible that their readings picked up on something stretching far below the surface. Parts of the image even looked like they could represent a column like structure. But now take a look at the 3D rendering they presented. It shows a much clearer, more detailed image of the eight shafts, the spirals going from top to bottom. And even suggests the exact, exact placement of these structures in relation to Khafre's pyramid. Critics have raised the question, how did they go from point A to point B? Where does science end and artistic liberty begin? According to NASA, scientists have to be careful when interpreting SAR data. Even a sharper image, like the one you see here of an island in the Galapagos. Compare that to the data images produced by the Khafre project, which are significantly less defined. Then there's the fact that these findings don't align with everything we know about the geology of Giza. The pyramids sit atop a rocky plateau of dense limestone. Dr. Parcak says SAR data cannot penetrate through this rock, plain and simple. She also points out we have archaeological evidence of the quarrying and leveling performed when the pyramids were constructed. We don't have that same evidence that anybody dug 648 meters into the bedrock. And other archaeologists say that bedrock already provides a strong foundation, one that would keep the pyramids from sinking without the need for massive structures below. That's by design. The Giza complex was engineered to last, well, pretty much forever. Since the ancient Egyptians believed the afterlife lasted for eternity. Ideally, so would their tombs. The pyramids are, however, revealing new secrets all the time. In 2016 and 2017, the ScanPyramids project announced the discovery of new voids or empty spaces within the Great Pyramid. The team used a non invasive scanning technique called cosmic ray muon radiography rather than SAR data to locate a 98 foot long open space dubbed the Big Void. It's located in the upper central part of the pyramid. They also found a small, smaller 30 foot corridor above the pyramid's entrance. Then in 2023, the same team released video taken from inside Khufu's pyramid with an endoscope proving the smaller void's existence. Just one year later, in 2024, a different group of researchers announced yet another discovery, this time in an area adjacent to the Great Pyramid. They used non invasive imaging to find a 33 foot long L shaped structure. It rests 6 and a half feet below the surface and may be connected to a second deeper structure. And these leaps in what we know about the area all happened just in the past decade. So it could be worth looking further into Malonga and Biondi's claims. Whether or not you agree, there are massive columns and cube shaped structures beneath Khafre's pyramid. Their scans appear to show some kind of underground anomaly. And no matter what side you believe, the Giza pyramids, one of the most mysterious places on earth, still have secrets to take. Thank you for watching Conspiracy Theories. We're here with a new episode every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on instagram @the conspiracypod. If you're watching on Spotify, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Or email us@conspiracy storiespotify.com until next time. Remember, the truth isn't always the best story. And the official story isn't always the truth. This episode was written and researched by Mickey Taylor, Edited by Connor Sampson Fact checked by Sophie Kemp, engineered by Sam Amezquah and video edited and sound designed by Ryan Contra. Special thanks to Nick Johnson, Paige Ransberry, Andrew Byrne and Jonathan Ratliff. Life. I'm your host Carter Roy.