• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Archaeologists make unnerving 2,400-year-old discovery at top of ancient pyramid

Home> News

Published 11:39 5 Mar 2025 GMT

Archaeologists make unnerving 2,400-year-old discovery at top of ancient pyramid

I'll be seeing these in my nightmares tonight...

James Moorhouse

James Moorhouse

Archaeologists excavating in Central America have made a rare discovery dating from over 2,000 years ago, and it's not something you'd want to see next to you in a dark room.

The unexpected find was courtesy of University of Warsaw archaeologist Jan Szymański and his colleagues. Szymański was the lead on the project, having spent much of the last 15 years researching and writing papers on Mayan culture.

His latest discovery might just be his most eye-catching yet, as he and his colleagues stumbled upon five pretty creepy looking puppets on top of the ancient pyramid at the site of San Isidro in El Salvador.

The clay figures, known as Bolinas, are thought to be dated from around 400BC, making them over 2,400 years old.

Advert

It is the first discovery of still-intact Bolinas figures since 2012, when several - including one with a head that could turn - were discovered as offerings in a lavish burial at the Maya site of Tak’alik Ab’aj in Guatemala.

The 'creepy' figurines were discovered on top of an ancient pyramid at the site of San Isidro in El Salvador (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI)
The 'creepy' figurines were discovered on top of an ancient pyramid at the site of San Isidro in El Salvador (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI)

The figurines depict four females and one male, and were discovered atop a pyramid back in 2022, with the research findings published on Wednesday 5 March 2025.

In his published findings, Szymański suggests that the puppets may well have featured in some 'public ritual' in ancient times.

Fortunately, for any of you have watched too many horror films and are imagining these figures coming to life, they range from just 10cm to 30cm tall, so they wouldn't pose much threat. However, they were mysteriously found in exact height order.

Advert

In an interview with Science magazine, Szymański said: "One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from."

At eye-level, the puppets appear angry; from above, they appear to be grinning; and from below, they look scared.

The male figurine showing tattoos or scarification (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI)
The male figurine showing tattoos or scarification (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI)

Szymański added: "This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in. They are clay actors... When you hold them in your hand, sometimes they even look creepy because of their vivid expressions."

Each of the puppets also had a removable head, drawing comparisons with modern day dolls, but the clay material that was used suggests that they were more likely used to re-enact religious scenes.

Advert

The archaeologist also suggests that the male figure they discovered may be 'the first complete example found to date' and is distinguished from the female figurines by 'a delicately incised linear design that covers the face, depicting either a tattoo or scarification, a more elongated torso and shorter, thinner hips'.

Archaeologists continue to discover more and more historical sites, with a 4,000-year-old ‘Stonehenge-like’ discovery being found under a housing estate in Denmark recently.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

Topics: World News, History

James Moorhouse
James Moorhouse

James is a NCTJ Gold Standard journalist covering a wide range of topics and news stories for LADbible. After two years in football writing, James switched to covering news with Newsquest in Cumbria, before joining the LAD team in 2025. In his spare time, James is a long-suffering Rochdale fan and loves reading, running and music. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@JimmyMoorhouse

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    Man horrified to discover his new home is actually someone else's Airbnb

    Ben Echianu, from Manchester, branded the woman whom he believes posed as a landlord as 'heartless'

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Christian Horner releases statement after being sacked by Red Bull after 20 years

    Horner shared a lengthy statement on social media

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Donald Trump shuts down reporter who asked Jeffrey Epstein question following release of CCTV footage

    It seems the US President deems the topic to be no longer up for discussion

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Cardiologist who had heart attack warns people to not 'make same mistake' over little-known warning sign

    The irony isn't lost on Dr William Wilson

    News
  • Archaeologists make 90 metre long Ancient Roman discovery buried on the ocean floor
  • Archaeologists make incredible 7,000-year-old discovery at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea
  • Archaeologists make 2,000-year-old Pompeii discovery linked to secretive cult and rituals
  • Archaeologists make incredible discovery finding first remains of person from ‘year 0’