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water, and that this necessarily means that it dates back chambers beneath the monument it is not altogether o long before the Old Kingdom. None of their theories clear, either. But considering the other unscientific as any basis in fact, but their supporters have insisted jumps Hawass makes, nothing should come as a hat we should drill holes to try and find these hidden __ surprise. chambers. | have always refused to permit such a When one looks at Hawass's reports rather than at his project in the past, because there was no scientific basis | statements to the press, an even more interesting or it. Because such drilling was a necessary part of our picture emerges. We learn that in early 2008, the work to protect the Sphinx from groundwater, however, Supreme Council of Antiquities co-operated with Cairo we did finally drill in the vicinity of the statue, and we __- University's Engineering Center for Archaeology and ound that there were no hidden passages or chambers Environment to drill four boreholes, each four inches in here."° diameter and about 20 metres deep, into the bedrock a Despite all the usual hype that Hawass uses to he base of the Sphinx. A camera was lowered into each underline his most mundane accomplishments, this is borehole to allow examination of the plateau's geology. an unfortunate—and totally unscientific—conclusion. The "Story of the Sphinx" report contains severa There are several studies, such as gems, some of which Hawass should seismic work from 1992 and the Schor address, but instead he creates a radar survey from 1996, which clearly Q smoke-and-mirrors show. One migh show geological anomalies (read -.ON 14 April 1996, almost wonder whether he does no! cavities), most of which are natural, Hawass himself want this material to be noted; and but that is somewhat beside the judging from what happened upon point. In fact, one might argue—and announced...that publication, the few who reported on some have—that Hawass specifically the announcement indeed focused on there are secret ested for groundwater in those the "West-Bauval—Hancock sidebar" particular locations where he was ue tunnels under the and not on the main show at no such cavities, natural or ° A separate scientific update states "hidden passages or chambers", would Sphinx and around that 260 cubic metres of water are be found. iH would make sense to “ the pyramids. pene pumped ou ery four through or groundwater, but Hawass's gli Q . rainage tubes. at's 6, cubic statement, "that there were no hidden He stated his belief metres or 6,240,000 litres of water per reached from the limited research that these tunnels hag 2500,000 lites. ln chore is test carried ou ; Without would prove to water of a quantity equal to cone there are cavities. Full "carry many a eee ome wine In fact Hawass mse! secrets of the pass from underneath the on 14 April 1996 that there are building of the could roughly fit inside an secret tunnels under the Sphinx Pyramids". Olympic swimming pool. The report continues that, as such, the water in front of the Sphinx and around the pyramids. He stated his belief that these unnels would prove to "carry has been reduced to 70 per cen many secrets of the building of of its original volume. But wait: he Pyramids".’ Although people no fewer than 33 monitoring are allowed to change their minds, they should perhaps, points were established to inspect the movement of the 3 years to the month, highlight their new position. Not body of the Sphinx and the surrounding bedrock, this Dr Hawass. over a period of a month, and this monitoring proved However, Hawass's "Story of the Sphinx" report is also __ that they are steady.’ contrary to findings from scans carried out by Dr Abbas Now, unless | am seriously mistaken, for such serious and team, published by NRIAG (National Research amounts of water to be moved hourly there would need nstitute of Astronomy and Geophysics) in 2007. But to be at least one cavity, roughly the size of a smal rather than comment on a fellow academic who has had ~—= swimming pool, which could fill up continuously with is results published in a scientific publication, | water. In short, an underground lake. So the repor Hawass—for reasons that have nothing to do with strongly suggests the fallacy of Hawass's own science, but are likely to do with grandstanding if not conclusions! more sinister motives—has a go at the likes of West, Which brings us to the next question: why are they Bauval and Hancock. emptying an underground lake? For stability, or for And why the age of the Sphinx determined through something else? One might argue that removing the water erosion has anything to do with the presence of _ water will reduce the stability of the Sphinx, which was ...on 14 April 1996, Hawass himself "the pyramids. He stated his belief "carry many secrets of the building of the Pyramids". NEXUS ¢ 45 announced...that there are secret tunnels under the Sphinx and around that these tunnels would prove to AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2009 www.nexusmagazine.com