17 Pyramids Discovered in Egypt

The revolutionary discovery, found entirely through infrared satellite imaging, could be a major tourism boon for Egypt.

Satellite images helped archeologists locate 17 pyramids in Egypt, one of the biggest discoveries in decades. Buried by sand deposited by the flooding of the Nile River, the 3,000-year-old pyramids were uncovered in addition to 1,000 tombs and 3,000 settlements in the ancient city of Tanis, which was once the capital of ancient Egypt. A research team from the University of Alabama used the infrared images to locate the sites, which were completely invisible to the naked eye. They then dug out the tops of two of the pyramids near the city of Saqqara, convincing the Egyptian government to let them continue unearthing the others. The discoveries will be featured in a BBC documentary set to air next week.