Television viewers were taken on a live expedition inside the Great Pyramid at Giza in 2002.

Although the pyramids of Egypt are well known around the world, many mysteries continue to surround them. Archaeologists are still exploring even the best-known pyramids to deepen our understanding of how and why they were built. On this day in 2002, people around the world shared the excitement of archaeologists via live television as they peered for the first time around a chunk of limestone that had blocked a shaft in the Great Pyramid for centuries. Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and archaeologist Mark Lehner led the expedition to explore the mysterious shaft in the Queen's Chamber inside the Great Pyramid. The Chamber is interesting to archaeologists because it is filled with complex shafts not found elsewhere in the pyramids. Archaeologists had been curious about what lay beyond the limestone, but were unable to see around it. While television viewers watched, Hawass used a specially built robot, equipped with cameras, to see around the stone. Television viewers and archaeologists together saw another stone blocking the shaft, which an excited Hawass identified as a sealed door. "We can see another sealed door," he said. "It looks to me like it is sealing something. It seems that something important is hidden there." Citing the uniqueness of the shafts in the Queen's Chamber, Hawass also claimed that the find was "one of the first major discoveries in the Great Pyramid in some 130 years." The live expedition was part of the ongoing Giza Plateau Mapping Project, which is attempting to map the entire Giza Plateau, including not only the pyramids, but also the living areas of workers and royalty.

EDSITEment
In Egypt's Pyramids: Monuments with a Message (3–5), students theorize about the purpose of the pyramids and describe what the pyramids tell us about the people of Ancient Egypt. This lesson contains three separate, but integrated, activities.

Xpeditions
In Ancient Worlds Workshop: Egypt (3–5), students explore the ancient civilization of Egypt. They learn about the geography of Egypt, read about daily life in ancient Egypt and conclude by writing letters describing one aspect of life in ancient Egypt that they find interesting.

In River Sources and Stories (3–5), students learn about the differences in precipitation levels and elevation in the regions of the Nile and its source rivers—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. They then learn about the importance of the source rivers to civilization in Egypt.

In The Mystery of the Scroll: Ancient Egyptian Culture and Geography (6–8), students examine the design and location of ancient Egypt's tombs and pyramids, including the Great Pyramid. They examine cultural and geographic evidence as clues for understanding the structure and placement of these historical landmarks.

ReadWriteThink
In Guided Comprehension: Monitoring Using the INSERT Technique (3–5), students learn about the Great Pyramid and other information about ancient Egypt, as they use the INSERT technique, which teaches them to monitor their thinking and comprehension using a coding system.