Archaeology

Let’s learn about ancient pyramids

People around the world have built pyramids throughout history

Ancient Egyptians aren't the only people to have built pyramids. An ancient Mesoamerican culture built the Pyramid of the Moon in the city of Teotihuacán, located in present-day Mexico.

Anuska Sampedro/Getty Images

By Maria Temming

November 19, 2024 at 6:30 am

When you think of ancient pyramids, your mind probably goes to Egypt. Ancient Egyptians built these monuments as tombs for their kings, starting around 2700 B.C. Perhaps the most famous of these are the three Pyramids of Giza near Cairo.

But people all over the globe have built pyramids throughout history. And some were just as magnificent as ancient Egypt’s.

People in the Kingdom of Kush, in what is now Sudan, built pyramids between about 700 B.C. and 300 B.C. These Nubian pyramids were generally smaller and pointier than those in Egypt. But like those in Egypt, these structures were used as royal tombs.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula, meanwhile, dwarfs even the Great Pyramid of Giza — the largest of the Giza trio. In the modern Mexican state of Puebla, it stands some 450 meters (nearly 1,500 feet) wide. (The Great Pyramid of Giza is about 230 meters, or 750 feet, wide.) In fact, the Great Pyramid of Cholula is several mud pyramids stacked on top of each other. Little is known about its early history. But construction is thought to have started around 300 B.C. By the time Spanish invaders arrived in the 1500s, the pyramid was overgrown by grass.

Residents of the holy city of Teotihuacán built their own impressive pyramids. The city is located in present-day Mexico. Structures there include the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl (Feathered Serpent) pyramid. All were built there within the first few hundred years A.D. Not much is known about the people who constructed them. But the pyramids appear to have been used for rituals and burials.

People in multiple ancient Maya cities likewise built pyramids. Take the ancient Maya city of Tikal in modern-day Guatemala. This was a thriving urban center until around 900 A.D., and is where several pyramid temples were built. Pyramids are also found at the ancient Maya city of Caracol, in what is now Belize. And there are temple pyramids at a Maya city only recently uncovered in southern Mexico, named Valeriana.

More ancient pyramids are found elsewhere in Africa, Europe, Asia and South America.

Want to know more? We’ve got some stories to get you started:

Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator? Controlling the flow of water might have hoisted huge stone blocks, a new study suggests. (9/3/2024) Readability: 7.2

Scientists detect mystery void in Great Pyramid of Giza Particles from space point to unknown chamber in the 4,500-year-old Egyptian monument. (11/28/2017) Readability: 7.9

Laser vision reveals hidden worlds Ancient people built pyramids and many other structures in the sprawling Maya city of Caracol, in modern-day Belize. (5/1/2015) Readability: 7.5

Archaeologists recently uncovered a huge ancient Maya city in Mexico. Check out BBC’s visuals of this lost city’s pyramids, houses, amphitheaters and other structures.