The Orion Correlation Theory grew from researchers’ interpretations of two mysterious, narrow shafts discovered in the Great Pyramid of Giza. These shafts extend from the so-called “King’s Chamber” into the pyramid’s walls. Some experts have suggested they are air shafts. But it’s unclear why the dead would need access to oxygen. Other researchers, however, think these tunnels served as pathways to heaven.
And in the 1960s, a group of Egyptologists suggested that these were actually star shafts, built to point toward important stars and constellations. Two researchers, Virginia Trimble and Alexander Badawy, found that one of the shafts seems to aim in the general direction of where the north star would’ve been when the pyramids were constructed. The other shaft, generally, points toward Orion’s Belt. These two sections of the sky were also known to be important in ancient Egyptian mythology.
The pole stars, including the north star, were known as “imperishable stars,” or “the indestructibles.” The Egyptians tied these unflinching stars with their beliefs about the afterlife, and thought their deceased pharaohs would join them there. “I [the king] will cross to that side on which are the Imperishable Stars, that I may be among them,” one passage reads. Similarly, Orion was also important to ancient Egyptian culture because its stars represented Sah, the father of the Egyptian gods.
The shafts likely wouldn’t have been useful for actually observing these objects, though. They were roughly oriented, with horizontal sections and large stones blocking their exit. But despite a number of attempted shaft explorations, the mystery of their true purpose has persisted for more than half a century.
Recent exploration of the pyramids
In 2020, researchers from Leeds University in the United Kingdom announced they had developed a small robot in an attempt to settle the shafts' purpose once and for all. The robot successfully navigated through all 200 feet (60 meters) of one shaft, collecting nine hours of video footage along the way.
But a surprise was waiting for them at the end of the tiny tunnel. The robot was able to get a camera past the intentionally placed stone blocking the shaft, allowing it to discover a small chamber with elaborate symbols drawn on the floor. But beyond that, there was a second stone the robot couldn't get around.
“Given the artwork, it is likely the shaft served a bigger purpose than act[ing] as an air vent,” Rob Richardson, a robotics professor at Leeds University and the project’s technical lead, said in the initial announcement of the discovery. “What lies beyond that second stone, at the end of the shaft, is a question that remains unanswered. The mystery of the Great Pyramid continues.”
Ultimately, the team cut their project short in Egypt after security concerns grew within the country.