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Newly Discovered Step Pyramid, (photo via Tell Edfu Project)

Mysterious Pyramids that Predate the Great Pyramid Were Not Constructed For Burials

As mentioned in Tuesday’s news briefs, there’s an interesting story doing the rounds today about (the ruins of) a newly discovered step pyramid that predates the construction of the Great Pyramid. What I found particularly interesting is that the pyramid was one of seven pyramids scattered around Egypt, all of which did not have a funerary purpose:

Scattered throughout central and southern Egypt, the provincial pyramids are located near major settlements, have no internal chambers and were not intended for burial. Six of the seven pyramids have almost identical dimensions, including the newly uncovered one at Edfu, which is about 60 x 61 feet (18.4 x 18.6 m).

The purpose of these seven pyramids is a mystery. They may have been used as symbolic monuments dedicated to the royal cult that affirmed the power of the king in the southern provinces.

“The similarities from one pyramid to the other are really amazing, and there is definitely a common plan,” said Gregory Marouard, a research associate at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute who led the work at the Edfu pyramid. On the east side of the newly uncovered pyramid, his team found the remains of an installation where food offerings appear to have been made — a discovery that is important for understanding this kind of pyramid since it provides clues as to what they were used for.

Link: 4,600-Year-Old Step Pyramid Uncovered in Egypt

Editor
  1. Human Sacrifice?

    The team also found hieroglyphic graffiti incised on the outer faces of the pyramid. The inscriptions are located beside the remains of babies and children who were buried at the foot of the pyramid. The researchers think the inscriptions and burials date to long after the pyramid was built and that the structure was not originally intended as a burial place.

    Hmm. That reminds me a lot of the most recent findings in Teotihuacan, where human & animal remains have been found at the base of the Pyramid of the Sun.

    Could it be those babies were sacrificed to commemorate the construction of the pyramid?

  2. Who’s the pyramidiot now, Zahi?
    The LiveScience headline is a bit misleading, the pyramid’s been known for quite a few years now. Robert Bauval wrote about it in 2010. What’s new is it’s the first time the pyramid has been excavated. Until recently, tourists visiting the site were told “under that unsightly pile of rubble is a pyramid.”

    [quote=Greg]What I found particularly interesting is that the pyramid was one of seven pyramids scattered around Egypt, all of which did not have a funerary purpose.[/quote]

    Yeah, this quote jumped out at me too. These pyramids predate the main pyramid of Khufu at Giza by only a mere few decades. Yet the mafia of Egyptology still boorishly insist Khufu’s pyramid is a tomb, and nothing but a tomb. They’re looking more and more foolish.

    Hmm, seven pyramids… one for each of the Pleiades.

  3. McPyramids
    Maybe the earlier Pharaoh thought his symbol of power needed to be omnipresent throughout Egypt. A giant stamp that says “this land is mine”. Later, more confident rulers decided bigger was better and concentrated their efforts on one pyramid. A simple case of making it up as you go along.

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