Archaeologists recently discovered two megalithic tombs built 5,500 years ago in Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park in west-central Poland.
The tombs are considered among the largest sepulchral structures built in prehistoric Poland and commonly known as “Polish pyramids”, “giants’ graves” or “Kujawian mounds” due to their elongated triangular shape and use of massive stones.
The name “Kujawian mounds” refers to the area in northwestern Poland the ancient formations were first identified in the mid-1930s, according to Artnet.
Archaeologists recently verified two earthen tombs after excavating one of them. Researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University discovered the neolithic earthworks in the village of Wyskoć using “advanced remote sensing technology during routine field work” and aerial laser scanning.
An announcement about the discovery was posted on Facebook on July 9.
The oversized graves feature earthen mounds in a trapezoidal shape, some stretching 656 feet in length, and were constructed during the Funnelbeaker culture of the Neolithic age, according to Popular Mechanics.
During that time period, Funnelbeakers were a semi-agrarian people which emerged in north-central Europe, according to Artnet.
The tombs were used for the burial of prominent community members, with each oversized tomb often only contained a single body, placed in an upright position and surrounded by grave gifts, according to Popular Mechanics.
The two most recently discovered tombs did not have human remains inside, but archaeologists are hopeful that funerary items may still be buried nearby.
“Potentially, these could include stone axes, hatchets, pottery, or characteristic clay vessels,” Artur Golis, a specialist at the national park told the Polish Press Agency.
The first discovery of pyramids at the site of Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park were discovered in 2019. The monumental structures are constructed of stones weight 10 tons, up to the height of a one-story house, and more than 600 feet wide.
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