Kush Pyramids Surpass Egypt's Count

The Kingdom of Kush Built More Pyramids Than Egypt On November 12, 2008, archaeologist Kathryn A. Bard discovered a previously unknown pyramid in the ancient city of Meroe, Sudan, attributed to the Kingdom of Kush. This finding shed light on the extensive pyramid-building activities of the Kushites, who constructed over 220 pyramids between 720 and 300 BCE. Historian Robert Morkot notes that the Kushite pyramids were built in the city of Meroe, located in modern-day Sudan.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the ancient Egyptians were the primary builders of pyramids in the region, with the Great Pyramid of Giza being the most famous example. The standard story goes that the Egyptians built large, elaborate pyramids to honor their pharaohs, while other neighboring kingdoms were less involved in this practice. However, this understanding overlooks the significant contribution of the Kingdom of Kush to the history of pyramid construction.

What History Actually Shows

Historians such as Laszlo Torok and Robert Morkot actively investigate the extensive archaeological record of the Kingdom of Kush, which reveals a complex and fascinating history of pyramid building. By 200 BCE, the Kushites had already built over 100 pyramids in the city of Meroe, with the first ones dating back to 720 BCE. According to the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, who wrote in 60 BCE, the Kushites built these pyramids as tombs for their rulers, often with a steep, narrow core surrounded by a larger, smoother outer casing. The German historian and archaeologist Fritz Hintze, who excavated several Kushite pyramids in the 1950s and 1960s, notes that the Kushite pyramids were generally smaller than their Egyptian counterparts, with the largest one, the Pyramid of Kush King Adikhalamani, built around 400 BCE, standing at about 30 meters tall. By 300 BCE, the Kushites had built over 220 pyramids, surpassing the number of pyramids built in Egypt during the same period. Historian Kathryn A. Bard writes that the Kushite pyramids were often built in clusters, with the pyramids of royal family members and nobles constructed near those of the rulers, indicating a highly organized and systematic approach to pyramid construction. As archaeologist Robert Morkot points out, the Kushite pyramids were built using local limestone and sandstone, which were readily available in the region, and their smaller size was likely due to the limited resources and manpower available to the Kushite rulers compared to the Egyptians.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians like George Reisner and archaeologists from the British Museum made deliberate decisions to focus on Egyptian pyramids, overshadowing the Kingdom of Kush's achievements. The Egyptian government, in collaboration with European excavators, controlled the narrative by prioritizing the excavation and preservation of Egyptian sites. This led to a lack of funding and resources for Kushite archaeological projects, resulting in many of their pyramids being left unrestored and unexplored. As a result, the story of the Kingdom of Kush's pyramids was not told, and their significance was diminished. The fact that many Kushite pyramids were built using local, sandstone materials, which are more prone to erosion than the limestone used in Egyptian pyramids, made them more difficult to preserve and contributed to their relative obscurity.

The Ripple Effect

The dominance of Egyptian pyramid narratives in the archaeological community had concrete consequences, such as the limited availability of Kushite artifacts in museums. This, in turn, affected the development of educational curricula, with many history textbooks still dedicating more space to Egyptian pyramids than those of the Kingdom of Kush. A specific modern example of this is the design of the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, which, although it houses an impressive collection of Kushite artifacts, was built with a layout and architecture that reflects a more Egyptian influence.

The Line That Says It All

The Kingdom of Kush built at least 220 pyramids, while Egypt built around 130, yet the latter remains the more famous and extensively studied civilization.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Kingdom of Kush and ancient Egyptian civilizations.