For thousands of years, people believed that the Great Pyramid of Khufu2 at Giza had been ransacked3 by tomb robbers. They assumed it had been stripped of4 all its treasures—including the body of Khufu, a ruler of ancient Egypt. The massive pyramid dedicated to the pharaoh5 holds only an empty red-granite6 coffin.
Now, however, scientists are rethinking that theory. They've found two mysterious passageways in the pyramid, and they're sending a small robot to crawl through them. Scientists hope the robot will find the answer to an ancient mystery—what happened to Khufu's mummy?
Researchers think that the dark passageways may lead directly to the burial chamber of the pharaoh. “It could be... that maybe Khufu's chamber is still hidden in the pyramid,” Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities7 of Egypt, told reporters.
Take Two
Scientists have been trying for years to uncover the secrets of the peculiar8 passageways, which were discovered in 1872. Four years ago, they hit a wall—literally. That year, archaeologists9 sent a robot through the narrow passageways, which are only 8 inches by 8 inches wide. After crawling through the corridors and drilling through a stone door, the robot came to a dead end—another closed door.
Scientists hope the new robot can finally unlock the secrets behind door number two. “I believe that these doors are hiding something,” Hawass says. “It is impossible that these doors are only symbolic or were just built for King Khufu....Behind these doors are secrets that the robot can uncover.”
A Great Mystery
The two shafts10 are unusual because no other pyramid has similar passageways and no one is sure of their purpose. Scientists initially thought the shafts were air vents11 or part of the exit routes for the pyramid builders. Others thought they were built to fool the gods, so they wouldn't find the pharaoh's mummy inside. Some people thought the shafts were constructed to confuse potential grave robbers.
Hawass and many experts now think the shafts were built as symbolic passageways to help the dead pharaoh's soul reach the afterlife12 . The ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. That's why archaeologists predict that the passages will lead them directly to the pharaoh's tomb.
Hidden Treasures?
If the robot finds Khufu's burial chamber, archaeologists would have to rethink all their Great Pyramid theories. For example, it would mean that none of the three chambers they have already discovered are the pharaoh's tomb, even the chamber housing13 the empty coffin.
That wouldn't be the only thing the robot might find. Pharaohs were buried with gold, jewels, and furniture—things the rulers would need in the afterlife. There is a possibility that the robot might uncover valuable artifacts14 untouched for thousands of years.
“If something interesting is discovered,” Hawass says, “we're going to show it to people all over the world.”
数千年以来，人们以为吉萨的胡夫大金字塔曾遭盗墓贼洗劫。他们认定塔内所有财宝均被抢光，包括古埃及统治者胡夫的遗体。这座专为法老建造的大金字塔内仅剩一具红色花岗岩空棺。
然而，科学家们现在开始重新思考这一说法。他们在金字塔内发现了两条神秘的通道，并打算让一个小机器人爬行穿越这些通道。科学家希望这个机器人能找到这个千年之谜的答案——胡夫的木乃伊到底怎么了？
研究人员认为这些黑乎乎的通道也许直接通向法老的墓室。"有可能……胡夫的墓室仍旧藏在金字塔内。"埃及最高文物委员会秘书长扎西·哈瓦斯告诉记者。
锲而不舍
科学家们多年来一直试图揭秘这些1872年发现的奇特通道。4年前， 他们曾碰过壁——真地撞了墙。那一年，考古学家送一个机器人在仅有8英寸高、8英寸宽的狭窄通道中穿行，但爬过狭长的通道并钻穿一扇石门之后，就陷入了死胡同——另一扇关闭的门。
科学家们希望这次的新机器人能最终开启第二扇门背后的秘密。“我相信这些门后隐藏着什么，”哈瓦斯说，“它们不可能只具有象征意义或仅仅为胡夫建造……这些门的背后正隐藏着机器人所要揭示的秘密。”
千古之谜
这两条狭长的通道非同寻常，因为其它任何金字塔均无类似的通道，也无人确知修建它们的意图。科学家们起初认为它们仅仅是通风道或供建筑工人退出金字塔路线的一截。有些人认为它们是为欺骗天神而造的，目的是让他们找不到里面法老的木乃伊。还有些人认为这些通道是为迷惑可能的盗墓者而建造的。
现在，哈瓦斯和许多专家认为，建造这些通道是为了表达一个象征意义，即帮助已死法老的灵魂在来世投生。古埃及人相信人死后有来生，正因如此，考古学家预测这些通道将把他们直接带往法老的墓室。
隐秘的财宝？
假如机器人真的找到胡夫的墓室，考古学家将不得不重新思考他们有关大金字塔的理论。比如，这将意味着他们已经发现的3个墓室，即使是那个藏有空棺的墓室，都不是法老的墓穴。
也许这还不是机器人的惟一发现。法老的陪葬品通常有黄金、珠宝和家具等一些统治者来世需要的东西。机器人有可能发掘出数千年来原封未动的贵重工艺品。
“假如获得有趣的发现，”哈瓦斯说，“我们将把它向全世界展示。”
1. crawler n. 履带牵引装置
2. Khufu 胡夫（活动时期公元前26世纪），埃及第四王朝第二代国王，曾远征西奈半岛和努比亚，下令在吉萨建造高达146.5米的大金字塔。
3. ransack v. 掠夺，洗劫
4. strip sb. of sth. 剥夺某人某物 5. pharaoh n. 法老（古埃及国王）
6. granite n. 花岗岩
7. antiquity n. （常用复数）古代文物，古迹
8. peculiar adj. 奇怪的，特别的
9. archaeologist n. 考古学家
10. shaft n. 通风道，隧道
11. air vent 通风口
12. afterlife n. 来生，来世
13. house [haus] v. 容纳，隐藏
14. artifact n. 工艺品，人工制品