Here’s a summary of it:
1. **Labyrinth’s Fame**: The Labyrinth of Hawara, near Lake Moeris, was described by ancient historians like Herodotus as an architectural marvel surpassing even the pyramids.
2. **Herodotus’s Account**: In the 5th century BC, Herodotus detailed the Labyrinth as having 12 roofed courts and 3,000 chambers, half above ground and half below, with intricate passages.
3. **Purpose**: The underground chambers were believed to be burial vaults for kings and sacred crocodiles.
4. **Petrie’s Survey**: In the 19th century, Sir Flinders Petrie surveyed the site, estimating the above-ground structure’s area to be about 277,000 square feet.
5. **Mataha Expedition**: In 2008, the Mataha expedition used geophysical methods and reported discovering underground features south of the Hawara pyramid, suggesting the presence of numerous large rooms.
6. **Geophysical Findings**: The expedition identified vertical walls forming nearly closed rooms, indicating a complex subterranean structure.
7. **VLF-EM Surveys**: Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic surveys revealed anomalies interpreted as walls and rooms of the Labyrinth’s mortuary temple complex.
8. **Structure’s Extent**: The surveys covered a limited area, so the full extent of the underground structure remains unknown.
9. **Historical Discrepancy**: There’s a discrepancy between Herodotus’s account of colossal structures in Lake Moeris and Petrie’s findings of more modest ruins at Biahmu.
10. **Alignment Analysis**: An analysis of the Labyrinth’s alignment with other ancient sites in the Faiyum suggests they may be much older than previously thought.
11. **Advanced Civilizations**: The findings imply the existence of advanced prehistoric civilizations in the Faiyum region.
12. **Underground Structure**: The article presents space-based evidence of an enormous underground structure at Hawara, likely the subterranean portion of the Labyrinth mentioned by Herodotus.
13. **Herodotus’s Access**: Herodotus was allowed to see the above-ground chambers but was denied access to the underground ones by the Egyptians.
14. **Architectural Marvel**: The Labyrinth was considered a creation greater than human, with mazy passages and intricately fitted stone pillars.
15. **Pyramid Connection**: Near the Labyrinth’s end stood a pyramid about 240 feet high, with a passage connecting it underground.
16. **Preservation State**: By the second century BCE, the Labyrinth was still under royal care but likely faced ruin shortly after.
17. **Modern Technology**: The use of modern geospatial data has provided new insights into the Labyrinth’s structure and extent.
18. **Ongoing Mystery**: Despite these findings, much about the Labyrinth remains unknown, inviting further exploration and study.
Thanks for the summary. One note:
“18. **Ongoing Mystery**: Despite these findings, much about the Labyrinth remains unknown, inviting further exploration and study.”...
...IF hawass permits such exploration and study at the site.