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Archeologists Uncover 5,500 Year Old Pyramids In Poland That May Change History
Ancient pyramids in desert under cloudy sky, illustrating pyramids in Poland older than Egypt pyramids according to scientists.
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Archeologists Uncover 5,500 Year Old Pyramids In Poland That May Change History

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Every country has historical monuments that it is incredibly proud of. The Egyptians have the pyramids and the Sphinx, the Greeks have the Acropolis and Olympia, the Italians have the Colosseum, the Chinese have the Great Wall of China… the list goes on and on. So today, we’ll talk about the Poles and their historical finds.

A whole group of large burial mounds was recently discovered in Poland, which sensation-hungry journalists have already dubbed the “Polish Pyramids.” How true is this – and isn’t it time for all lovers of antiquity to book tickets to Warsaw? Let’s figure it out together.

More info: Facebook

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    Archaeologists recently unearthed huge prehistoric burials in Poland, immediately dubbed “the Polish Pyramids”

    Archaeologists excavating an ancient pyramid site in Poland, uncovering structures older than Egyptian pyramids.

    Image credits: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego / Facebook

    In fact, there were no classic pyramids, just big earthen mounds belonging to neolithic culture

    Of course, these are not pyramids in the classical sense of the word – they are not as majestic as the colossal burial structures of ancient Egypt or Mexico. They are not even pyramids from a geometric point of view – since they’re more like trapezoids. But the burials found in Poland are actually much older than any pyramids.

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    Yes, that’s right. The find, made by a team from Adam Mickiewicz University on the territory of General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park in the central part of the country, includes large (around 650 feet long and 13 feet high) trapezoidal earthen structures in front of the entrance to which there are several stone monoliths – apparently, thousands of years ago, they served as an entrance.

    Ancient pyramids under cloudy sky, showcasing famous Egyptian pyramid structures in a desert setting.

    Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    However, the age of these mounds is way more than that of any Egyptian pyramids as they date back to 5.5 thousand years ago

    According to archaeologists, these burials date back to the late Stone Age, that is, about 5.5 thousand years ago – so, nearly a thousand years earlier than the oldest of the Egyptian ones – the Djoser pyramid. If we compare the Polish finds in size to that pyramid, the Egyptian one is more than ten times higher, but the size of the base of the Polish mounds is larger.

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    Archaeologists working at a pyramid site in Poland during sunset, exploring structures older than Egypt pyramids.

    Image credits: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego / Facebook

    Of course, the level of cultural development in Egypt and Europe at that time was incomparable – simply due to the fact that the climatic conditions in the south were way more favorable for agriculture. After all, Ancient Egypt is part of the so-called “Fertile Crescent” – the lands around the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, considered one of the cradles of modern civilization.

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    Archaeologist excavating at a site in Poland linked to ancient pyramids older than Egypt’s, surrounded by soil and stones.

    Image credits: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego / Facebook

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    So, when the state was already emerging in Ancient Egypt, just a megalithic culture was widespread in the territory of modern Poland and neighboring countries, known today as the “Funnelbeaker culture.” Similar megalithic burials are found in many European countries, but in Poland – until the recent discovery – only one such location was known of. Well, now there are two – and, sooner or later, tourists will take the place of scientists.

    Archaeological excavation of ancient pyramids in Poland, showing earth layers and large stones under cloudy sky.

    Image credits: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego / Facebook

    The discovery was made using the remote sensing technology before actually doing the earthwork

    Interestingly, the study was conducted using the latest technology – that is, scientists used advanced remote sensing technology during the earthwork. Having discovered the first traces of the burial, they specified the location of the upcoming excavations using aerial laser scanning – and only then did the good old spades come into play.

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    3D terrain map showing pyramids in Poland, revealed by scientists as older than Egypt pyramids in archaeological study.

    Image credits: Zespół Parków Krajobrazowych Województwa Wielkopolskiego / Facebook

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    Probably the “Polish pyramids” were the final resting place of some of the civil or religious leaders of prehistoric society

    Now it remains to be seen who exactly found their final resting place in the “Polish Pyramids.” And it’s quite possible that the main finds at the excavation site are still to come. At least, based on the results of excavations of similar burial mounds in other countries, we can expect interesting finds to shed light on the lives of the people of prehistoric Europe.

    ”Although Funnelbeaker cultures were quite egalitarian societies, the tombs held important figures for the community – leaders, priests, and shamans,” Polish media Nauka w Polsce quotes Artur Golis as saying, a chief specialist for nature and landscape protection from the Landscape Parks Complex of the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. “Each generation of a given community built its own megalith.”

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    Be that as it may, the Polish find is a completely truthful, though not sensational, discovery, which can in no way be compared to the notorious “Bosnian pyramids” – a well-known falsification of the mid-’00s, when a local archaeologist passed off ordinary natural flatiron hills as the monuments of an ancient civilization. Here, everything is much simpler, but that’s all the better.

    However, people in the comments couldn’t resist using sarcasm, recalling, of course, both the “Bosnian pyramids” and the desperate attempts of many nations to give their own historical monuments global significance, inflating artificial sensations. “Hey Bosnians have the oldest pyramids in the world!” someone “reminded” wittily.

    But there were also sensible comments, reminding us how much we still don’t know about the lives of our distant ancestors of prehistoric times. So if the Polish archaeological find can add a couple more grains of knowledge – then all this was not in vain. By the way, what do you, our dear readers, think about this whole story? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Many people in the comments were quite skeptical anyway, reciting some of the notorious “finds” of the past

    Screenshot of an online comment discussing the claim that Poland has pyramids older than Egypt's pyramids.

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    Ancient pyramids in Poland surrounded by forest, revealed as older than Egyptian pyramids by scientists.

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    Ancient pyramids in Poland shown from an aerial view, discovered to be older than Egypt's by scientists.

    Comment discussing Poland going the Bosnian pyramid route, referencing pyramids in Poland older than Egypt’s according to scientists.

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    Ancient pyramids in Poland shown in a forest clearing, believed to be older than Egypt pyramids by scientists

    Ancient pyramids in Poland with surrounding trees, believed to be older than Egyptian pyramids by scientists.

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    Ancient pyramids in Poland surrounded by greenery, believed to be older than Egypt’s pyramids according to scientists.

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    Comment on Reddit post about pyramids in Poland, humorously mentioning pierogy and vodka, referencing tomb discoveries.

    Comment text on a white background, reading: Definitely aliens, related to pyramids in Poland older than Egypts.

    Ancient pyramids in Poland, older than Egypt’s, archaeological site with earth mounds and trees in the background.

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    Ancient pyramids in Poland under forest greenery with scientific research interest, older than Egyptian pyramids according to experts.

    Comment about conspiracy theories related to ancient civilizations and Polish clergy building a church near pyramids in Poland.

    Comment text on a white background discussing ancient curses related to pyramids in Poland older than Egypt’s, shared by a millennial user.

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    Comment text in black font on white background stating that Bosnians have the oldest pyramids in the world.

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    Comment discussing limited knowledge of ancient times due to reliance on archaeology and medieval manuscripts.

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    Oleg Tarasenko

    Oleg Tarasenko

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    After many years of working as sports journalist and trivia game author and host in Ukraine I joined Bored Panda as a content creator. I do love writing stories and I sincerely believe - there's no dull plots at all. Like a great Italian composer Joaquino Rossini once told: "Give me a police protocol - and I'll make an opera out of it!"

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    Oleg Tarasenko

    Oleg Tarasenko

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    After many years of working as sports journalist and trivia game author and host in Ukraine I joined Bored Panda as a content creator. I do love writing stories and I sincerely believe - there's no dull plots at all. Like a great Italian composer Joaquino Rossini once told: "Give me a police protocol - and I'll make an opera out of it!"

    Rūta Zumbrickaitė

    Rūta Zumbrickaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    Hi! Here at Panda's I'm responsible for Photo Editing and all of the things surrounding it. I love finding great, moody or even dramatic photos to fit the story. Besides that, I'm a proud owner of 3 cats with the silliest names and a bazillion plants<3You can find me at a makeup counter with headphones swatching all of the sparkly eyeshadows

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    Rūta Zumbrickaitė

    Rūta Zumbrickaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hi! Here at Panda's I'm responsible for Photo Editing and all of the things surrounding it. I love finding great, moody or even dramatic photos to fit the story. Besides that, I'm a proud owner of 3 cats with the silliest names and a bazillion plants<3You can find me at a makeup counter with headphones swatching all of the sparkly eyeshadows

    What do you think ?
    Plinkety
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I mean, it won't 'change' history. It'll add to it.

    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pyramids are all over the world for the same reasons mounds and cones are - they're easy for primitive people without much engineering to build. There was no mega-civilization, just lots of different peoples learning the same lessons from the ground up in disparate areas. Some people choose not to think logically.

    Mabelbabel
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It sounds very similar to neolithic long barrows, or Silbury Hill in the UK. More like mounds of earth than stone.

    Nils Skirnir
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And US Mound Builder, and Japanese Jomon cultures. Not diminishing Polish pre-history, but building mounds seems pretty common in ancient human cultures

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    Plinkety
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I mean, it won't 'change' history. It'll add to it.

    Lee Gilliland
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Pyramids are all over the world for the same reasons mounds and cones are - they're easy for primitive people without much engineering to build. There was no mega-civilization, just lots of different peoples learning the same lessons from the ground up in disparate areas. Some people choose not to think logically.

    Mabelbabel
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It sounds very similar to neolithic long barrows, or Silbury Hill in the UK. More like mounds of earth than stone.

    Nils Skirnir
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And US Mound Builder, and Japanese Jomon cultures. Not diminishing Polish pre-history, but building mounds seems pretty common in ancient human cultures

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