Pyramids may be synonymous with Egypt, but an incredible set of triangular burial mounds believed to be 5,500 years old has been uncovered near the village of Wyskoć in the Chłapowski Landscape Park, in central Poland. Dubbed the “Polish pyramids”, the structures are reported to contain ancient tombs tied to one of the region’s earliest farming communities.
Each of the five mounds is shaped like an elongated triangle and stretches up to 656 feet (200 metres) in length. Impressively, the broad front of the structure rises nearly 13 feet (four metres) high and faces east. From there, the mound tapers gradually into a narrow tail pointing west. Excavations at two of the sites revealed that the tombs date back to the late Stone Age – around 500 years older than the Giza pyramids – built by the Funnelbeaker culture, an early Neolithic society known for establishing the region’s first permanent settlements.
“Although the Funnelbeaker cultures were fairly egalitarian communities, individuals important to the population—a leader, a priest, a shaman—were buried in tombs,” said Artur Golis, a senior official with the Wielkopolska Province Landscape Parks Complex, in a statement to the Polish Press Agency.
Researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań came across the site during a routine field survey.
Each tomb is thought to have been intended to hold one person. The body was placed on its back with legs pointing east toward the front of the mound. The grave was often enclosed with stones and included personal items.
“In the case of this megalith, the skeleton probably no longer survives, but the burial offerings might,” Mr Golis added.
While no burial goods, which could include stone axes, copper ornaments or pottery, have been discovered so far, they may still be found.
This is only the second time such tombs, locally known as “Polish pyramids” or “giants’ beds”, have been identified in Wielkopolska, the first discovery taking place in 2019.
Large boulders weighing several tons would be placed upright at the front of each mound. However, many have shifted or disappeared due to natural erosion and human activity over the last several thousand years.
The site is currently closed to the public. After excavation and preservation work is complete, officials will decide whether to open it for tourists to see for themselves.