Oldest European Pyramids? Archaeologists Find Two 5,500-Year-Old Structures In Poland | World News
New Delhi: Archaeologists in Poland have made a remarkable discovery, unearthing two massive prehistoric burial sites, now referred to as the “Polish pyramids.” These Neolithic tombs were uncovered in the General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park, located in the village of Wyskoc in the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. The discovery was officially announced on Facebook by the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Wielkopolska Region.
Researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University revealed that the megalithic structures date back over 5,500 years, to the 4th millennium BCE. This makes them contemporaneous with Stonehenge and significantly older than the Egyptian pyramids.
The tombs were constructed using huge stones, some weighing as much as 10 tonnes, moved using primitive tools and collective labor, according to Archaeology News. The structures are trapezoidal, measuring up to 200 meters long and 4 meters high.
Their precise alignment with cardinal directions suggests that the builders possessed advanced astronomical knowledge, uncommon for the era.
Each tomb likely held a single skeleton, positioned on its back with legs facing east, and was accompanied by various grave goods, including pottery, stone axes, and distinctive vessels that once contained opium.
Experts confirmed that the tombs were created by the Funnelbeaker Culture, a Neolithic society known for its monumental burial practices and early farming lifestyle.
“Although the Funnelbeaker people were relatively egalitarian, these tombs were reserved for key figures in the community—leaders, shamans, or spiritual elders,” said Artur Golis from the Regional Landscape Park Association, according to an NDTV report.
“Each generation of the community likely constructed its own megalith,” he told PAP, Poland’s national news agency.
This finding sheds new light on the religious, social, and architectural sophistication of Neolithic societies in Europe and challenges existing narratives about early European civilizations.
Many of these tombs have eroded or disappeared over time, with only those hidden in forested areas surviving to the present day.
“Findings could include items like stone tools, ceremonial hatchets, decorated pottery, or rare clay vessels once used to hold substances like opium,” Golis added in an interview with TVP World, the report concluded.
