Tiny ‘pyramid island’ may be origin of Ancient Greek civilisation – who once covered it in 10,000 TONS of white marble
ARCHAEOLOGISTS think they may have discovered the origin of the Ancient Greek Empire and it's a tiny pyramid shaped island off the coast of Keros in Greece.
Excavations on the islet of Daskalio have revealed the earliest Ancient Greek monumental buildings ever unearthed, dating back 4,600 years.
The pyramid island is only 150 metres in diameter and may also have inspired the concept in the ancient Greek religion that mountain tops are where gods lived.
The discovery of the vast monumental complex on the tiny island is now totally changing what archaeologists thought they knew about this time period.
Research is being carried out there by a multinational team, supported by the Greek government and the British School in Athens as well as many other international institutions.
They have found evidence of metal shops, indoor plumbing and marble buildings on the island, all indicating that this is where the sophisticated society could have started.
The island could have been the start of the major trend of pyramid building across the world as it's a similar age to Stonehenge and earliest pyramids in Egypt.
Archaeologists have also found lots of knives, tools and small sculptures on the island and will be doing more investigating.
A brief history of Ancient Greece
Here's what you need to know...
- Ancient Greek civilisation is generally regarded as emerging into the world in the 8th century BC
- The Ancient Greeks ruled over a vast part of the world for centuries and this only ended when Greece fell to the Romans in 146 BC
- The Ancient Greek Empire is well known for being sophisticated and for its connection to philosophers, artists, poets and other geniuses that still impact the world today
- It is also regarded as the time in which the concept of a city-state was officially established
- The Ancient Greeks invented the Olympics and their gods and impressive architecture are widely discussed and studied throughout the world
In other archaeology news, a mystery sealed tunnel has been found inside ‘tower tomb’ revealing lost treasures and an ‘ancient looting operation’.
And, we've rounded up some of the most bizarre maps of Earth from history that reveal ancient geography blunders like missing continents and phantom islands.
What do you make of this tiny island that might have led to a global empire? Let us know in the comments...
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