The Osiris Shaft and the Khafre Causeway (Giza Plateau): Archaeological Context, Second-Level Sarcophagi, and Limited Tomographic Correlation
Abstract
The Osiris Shaft, located in the central sector of the Giza Plateau in proximity to the Khafre Causeway, is among the best-documented hypogeal structures at Giza in terms of multi-level architecture and chamber organization. Archaeological literature consistently reports two distinct chambers at the second level containing sarcophagi, establishing a fixed reference point for any spatial assessment of the shaft’s internal layout[1]. This study provides an archaeology-centered synthesis of the historical and scholarly record on the Osiris Shaft and its relationship to the Causeway area, with particular attention to the second-level chambers and their documented contents. A strictly limited set of tomographic sections, produced within the technical framework developed by Prof. Corrado Malanga and Eng. Filippo Biondi, is introduced solely as an independent spatial check[2]. The tomographic response at the depth corresponding to the second level shows volumetric anomalies whose position and geometry are consistent with the archaeologically documented location of the two sarcophagus-bearing chambers. The analysis does not propose new archaeological hypotheses; rather, it demonstrates that, in this sector, tomographic imaging can provide a coherent correlation with established archaeological observations when constrained by clear methodological limits. The paper concludes by outlining the evidential thresholds required for broader subsurface claims and by emphasizing the primacy of archaeological context in interpreting non-invasive imaging data.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Ancient Egypt and Archaeology
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History
Archaeology and Historical Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 8 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint