Archaeologists in Ukraine have unearthed the remains of an ancient pyramidal structure that pre-dates those in Egypt by at least 300 years. The stone foundations of the structure, which probably resembled Aztec and Mayan ziggurats in South America, were discovered near the eastern city of Lugansk. It is thought they were laid about five millennia ago during the early Bronze Age by animists who worshipped a sun god. The "pyramid" is in fact a complex of temples and sacrificial altars topping a sculpted hillside with steps on its sides.Viktor Klochko, head of theexcavation, said the discovery was of international significance.
"This is the first monument of its age and kind found in eastern Europe," he told the Guardian. "It changes our whole conception of the social structure and the level of development of the cattle breeders and farmers who were the direct ancestors of most European peoples." There are about 100 pyramids in Egypt, and the remains of Mesopotamian pyramids are preserved in Iraq and Iran. Ziggurats are also found in Mexico, and the Nubians built pyramids as burial sites for monarchs in the Nile valley. But pyramid structures are rare in Europe. One of the few is a Roman-era pyramid near Nice, France, that may havebeen built by legionnaires involved in an Egyptian cult. Although graves have been found at the Lugansk site, archaeologists think it was used for sacrifice by burning, rather than as a burial ground. "People lived in the surrounding valleys and climbed up it to carry out their ceremonies," said Mr Klochko. "They had a pagan cult that bowed down to the sun, as did the ancestors of the Slavs."
Summer excavations at Bosnia and Herzegovina's Mt. Visocica yielded results, but not the kind an entrepreneur turned amateur archaeologist was looking for. Semir Osmanagic, a US businessman of BiH origin, has invested large amounts of his own money in a personal quest to unearth what he says are Europe's first pyramids. His claims have not yet been corroborated. Instead, an archeological team said over the summer that it has unearthed significant artefacts from a more recent era. These i...Mystery Surrounds Leavenworth's Underground City
A number of rare relics have been unearthed in the Gobi Desert including statues, art, manuscripts and the personal belongings of a Buddhist master. The artefacts date back to the 1930"s when many monasteries were looted and destroyed."Rare Buddhist treasures, not seen formore than 70 years, have been unearthed in the Gobi Desert.The historic artefacts were buried in the 1930s during Mongolia"s Communist purge, when hundre...The Stone Pyramids of Prehistoric Japan
In Japan one can find an
ancient stone pyramid. It is a beautifully shaped monolith, about six and a half
feet tall and twelve feet at the base, practically lost in the thick forest
growth on the slope of a hill near the town of Ena, in central Honsu, largest of
the Japanese islands. Cut from a single, massive block of gray granite, the
object was a pyramidian, a smaller version of the Great Pyramid and its
full-size cousins. This trignon, as they call it, might have passed for the...Ancient Rainforest Revealed in Coal Mine
Scientists exploring a mine have uncovered a natural Sistine chapel showing not religious paintings, but incredibly well preserved images of sprawling tree trunks and fallen leaves that once breathed life into an ancient rainforest. Replete with a diverse mix of extinct plants, the 300-million-year-old fossilized forest is revealing clues about the ecology of Earth’s first rainforests . The discovery and details of the forest are published in the May issue of the journal Geology. “We’re...Mysteries of Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury Tor is a place of legend, intrigue and mystery; a conical hill in the Somerset landscape it has been the subject of many tales ranging from it being the entrance to the Underworld to a global energy point ofcrossing ley lines."The Tor at Glastonbury is a natural 520’ conical hill set in the Somersetlandscape, its legends and accolades are many ranging from a faerie hill, the Entrance to the Underworld of King Gwyn A...Gold coin horde found in Jerusalem
A hoard of more than 250 gold coins -- believed to be 1,300-year-old Chanukah money -- was exposed December 11 in Jerusalem as part of excavations that the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the Giv‘ati car park in the City of David, in the walls Around Jerusalem National Park.The excavations at the site are being carriedout on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and are underwritten by the ‘Ir DavidFoundation. View: Full Arti...4,000-year-old flowers found at grave site
Proof has been found for the first time ever that pre-historic people would have placed flowers at the graves of their deceased. A bronze age dig site near Perth yielded a bunch of meadowsweet blossoms placed at one such grave."For thefirst time ever there is proof that pre-historic people placed bunches of flowers in thegrave when they buried their dead, experts have said. . Archaeologists have discovered a bunch of meadowswee...Ancient Mediterranean flood mystery solved
Research has revealed details of the catastrophic Zanclean flood that refilled the Mediterranean Sea more than five million years ago. The flood occurred when Atlantic waters found their way into the cut-off and desiccated Mediterranean basin. The researchers say that a 200km channel across the Gibraltar strait was carved out by the floodwaters. Their findings, published in Nature, show that the resulting flood could have filled the basin within two years. The team was led by Daniel Ga..."Jesus-era" burial shroud found
A burial shroud from the time of Jesus has been found in a tomb in Jerusalem. The man wrapped in the shroud is believed to have been either a high priest or a member of the aristocracy and was buried in the "Field of Blood"cemetery."A team of archaeologists and scientists says it has, for the firsttime, found pieces of a burial shroud from the time of Jesus in a tomb in Jerusalem. . The researchers, from Hebrew University and i...
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Archaeologists in Ukraine have unearthed the remains of an ancient pyramidal structure that pre-dates those in Egypt by at least 300 years. The stone foundations of the structure, which probably resembled Aztec and Mayan ziggurats in South America, were discovered near the eastern city of Lugansk. It is thought they were laid about five millennia ago during the early Bronze Age by animists who worshipped a sun god. The "pyramid" is in fact a complex of temples and sacrificial altars topping a sculpted hillside with steps on its sides.Viktor Klochko, head of theexcavation, said the discovery was of international significance. 
View: Full Article | Source: Guardian Unlimited 
Archaeological finds at Bosnian Pyramid site
Mystery Surrounds Leavenworth's Underground City
Hidden Gobi Desert relics found
The Stone Pyramids of Prehistoric Japan
Ancient Rainforest Revealed in Coal Mine
Mysteries of Glastonbury Tor
Gold coin horde found in Jerusalem
4,000-year-old flowers found at grave site
Ancient Mediterranean flood mystery solved
