Pyramids Galore!

The rulers of the ancient world dispersed across a vast region that extended from central Africa to Southern Europe and China. These rulers are called "the mighty men of old" in Genesis 6:4. They are described as heroes and men of renown. They constructed temples, palaces, fortified shrine cities, and pyramids. The best known pyramids are those at Giza in Egypt. South of these are other pyramids at Abusir and Saqqara.

Pyramid of Neferirkare at Abusir

The Pyramid of Neferirkare is the tallest of all pyramids constructed in ancient Egypt during its Fifth Dynasty.

Here are some of the other pyramids that have been discovered.

In Zinder Province, Niger

Read more about this pyramid here.


Pyramid of the Sun, Visoko, Bosnia

Photo credit: Jock William Doubleday

4,600-year-old step pyramid discovered near the modern town of Edfu, Egypt.

Image credit: Oriental Institute

The pyramid belongs to a series of almost identical small pyramids that have been discovered near several provincial centers in Egypt such as Elephantine, Hierakonpolis, Naqada, Abydos, Zawiet el-Meitin near Minya, and Seila in the Fayum. The whole group dates to the reign of Pharaoh Huni (around 2600 BC), the last ruler of the 3rd Dynasty.

Xian Pyramids in the Tarum Valley, China

Pyramids of Xian in the Tarum Basin, China

In the pyramids of China's Tarim Basin researchers have found well-preserved mummies. The so-called "Ur-David" mummy  was found here. He was tall and had red hair. This mummy dates to about 3900 B.C. Y chromosomal DNA analysis revealed that the men buried in this region are mainly in the haplogroup R1a1a.

The Xiaohe cemetery is the oldest archaeological site with human remains
discovered in the Tarim Basin to date.

In 2000, the Xinjiang Archaeological Institute rediscovered the Bronze Age Xiaohe cemetery in the Taklamakan Desert by using a global positioning device. The Xiaohe cemetery was first explored in 1934 by Folke Bergman, a Swedish archaeologist, but the cemetery was lost sight of until the Xinjiang Archaeological Institute rediscovered it. The burial site comprises a total of 167 graves. Here archaeologists have found well-preserved boat coffins, reminiscent of the solar (funerary) boats believed to carry the souls of the dead pharaohs.

Genetic analyses revealed that the maternal lineages of the Xiaohe people were originated from both the East and the West, whereas the paternal lineages found in the Xiaohe people all originated from the West, likely part of the north-eastward movement of the R1 rulers.

Note the dark red spot in Central Africa. 

This is the region of Lake Chad and Noah's homeland.

Related reading:  The Kushite-Kushan Connection; 4600 Year Step Pyramid in Egypt; Pyramids Seen From Space; More Pyramids in Sudan; Introduction to Nile Pyramids