Newly Discovered 4600-Year-Old Egyptian Stepped Pyramid Predates The Great Pyramid Of Giza

If you think of pyramids, your mind most likely goes to the three major pyramids that are in Egypt. That trio of pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, aren't the only pyramids that hide in the deserts around Egypt and nearby countries. There are several earlier pyramids out there.

A group of archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a new stepped pyramid that predates the Great Pyramid of Giza. The team says that when the stepped pyramid was first built it would have stood 43-feet tall. The blocks that made up the pyramid were looted at some time and as it is now, it stands 16-feet tall.

The team also believes that the shorter current stature was contributed to by erosion and weathering. The team believes that the builder of the pyramid is likely to be Snofru or Huni. The team is unsure which pharaoh might be the builder. The reign of Snofru was 2610 BC to 2590 BC. Huni reigned from 2635 BC to 2610 BC.

The researchers say that the pyramid has some cult installations and a pair of stelae that mention the Snofru name, but it is unclear whether he built the pyramid or expanded on the work started by his father during his reign. The pyramid is at a site that was once a settlement called Edfu. The pyramid has no burial chamber and had hieroglyphs etched on the outer surface. The remains of children were found buried around the base of the pyramid. The researchers think that the hieroglyphs and remains were added to the pyramid sometime after it was built hinting that was not its original purpose.

SOURCE: Tasnimnews