Featured Image Credit: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego/Facebook
Topics: Archaeology, History
Emma Rosemurgey
Topics: Archaeology, History
Archaeologists have uncovered two Polish pyramids dating back to the New Stone Age in the village of Wyskoć, Poland.
Despite their moniker, the findings are more accurately described as megalithic tombs, also known as giants' graves, thanks to their monumental triangular shape.
The fascinating tombs, which stretch to around 200 metres in length and four metres high, were discovered General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park, by archaeologists from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
The findings, which are only the second of their kind in central Poland, were found using remote sensing technology, which was used to scan the area. During the field surveys, the team located five potential areas, which were then excavated, leading to the discovery of two of the tombs.
Advert
Dating back around 5,500 years, the pyramids were constructed by the Funnelbaker Culture, a Neolithic society formed in north-central Europe when different groups of people using pottery began combining their ways of life.
It's believed the tombs carry significant social and spiritual importance, with important community figures, such as priests, shamans and tribal leaders, being buried within them.
The Funnealbeaker culture gets its name from the pottery they made, which tended to have a unique funnel shape, and it's believed individuals were buried in the Polish pyramids with their pottery, as well as other items such as stone axes, opium vessels and copper ornaments.
The tombs themselves were built with ginormous stones weighing up to 10 tonnes each, which were transported by builders using nothing but sledges and man power. Sadly, the majority of these stones have since been lost or potentially repurposed over the years.
Advert
"Humans have needed stones for thousands of years, so naturally they took them and split them," Artur Golis, Wielkopolska Province Landscape Parks Complex head specialist for nature and landscape conservation, said, as per Archaeology News.
These particular tombs are incredibly unique as they're the only of their kind to have been discovered in this area of Poland. They are also among the largest prehistoric burial structures to have been found in Poland and go a long way to building our understanding of what life was like for the Funnelbeaker people in the New Stone Age.
Excavations are still ongoing, so the site is currently still closed to the public and it remains unclear whether the area will open back up to the public, depending on preservation assessments and any future archaeological discoveries.