14 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Palau’s green pyramids: could be a geo-archaeological project

Archaeologists from Kiel University’s Institute for Ecosystem Research (CAU) and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) studied the so-called “Pyramids of Palau” on the island nation of Palau, providing new information about the monuments’ building processes.

Oral traditions suggest that a huge serpent wound around the hills on the Palauan island and created the terraces with her body.

Monumental buildings from prehistoric times are widespread in Oceania, including the well-known stone figures and ceremonial platforms on Easter Island. The early cultures of Oceania often significantly transformed the landscapes of the islands. Around 500 BC, this development may have commenced in Palau.

Image Credit : Hartl-Reiter

An interdisciplinary team of soil scientists, paleoecologists, and archaeologists used geo-archaeological methods to determine that the builders used weathered volcanic rock interspersed with large amounts of ceramics to form a base for the mounds, raising upper layers into terraces applied with humus soils for extensive horticulture.

The effort involved in the creation of the earthworks there is certainly comparable with the pyramids in Egypt or South America,” said Dr. Andreas Mieth, who is one of the three project leaders.

“Over many generations, and with an almost unimaginable amount of work, millions of tons of soil must have been moved by workers. An achievement that could only be possible in a politically well-organized society,” explained Dr. Annette Kühlem, research coordinator and excavation leader.

“Presumably the builders had hardly any tools available for the work. And even if they did, they were made of stone or organic material.”

“So this was also technically very sustainable work,” stated Professor Hans-Rudolf Bork, project leader.

Image Credit : Hartl-Reiter

Whilst the summit on most of the earthworks was used for horticulture, some summits, such as in the south of Babeldaob were used as complex burial sites where the researchers found six skeletons.

“Due to the fairly well-preserved skulls, there is still hope of being able to carry out DNA analyses and thus relationship analyses, perhaps even in comparison with the population living in the area today. This may potentially also close a gap in tracing the settlement of Oceania,” explained Dr. Annette Kühlem.

Team for the first time, they are able to document the details of a prehistoric burial on Babeldaob and compare it with today’s traditional burial practices.

The project participants suspect that only members of the elite were buried on the intricately laid and shaped summits of the earthworks. Thus, even after their death, their social status was made clear in a prominent way, visible from afar.

The project was funded by the German Research Foundation.

Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Related Articles

Meaning of Agora Gate Found in Turkey’s Ancient City of Aizanoi

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

The good news continues to come from the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in Çavdarhisar district, 50 km from Kütahya....

Ancient Pottery Find at Megiddo May Corroborate Biblical Battle and Hint at “Gog and Magog” Narrative

27 April 2025

27 April 2025

Archaeological excavations at the ancient site of Megiddo in northern Israel, also known as “Armageddon,” have unearthed a significant amount...

A 7,500-year-old settlement has been discovered in Turkey’s Domuztepe Mound

11 September 2021

11 September 2021

During the most recent excavations at Domuztepe Mound in the Türkoğlu district of southern Turkey’s Kahramanmaraş province, a settlement and...

World’s Oldest Murder

14 February 2021

14 February 2021

Researchers found a mass grave in a cave in Spain, now known as Sima de los Huesos, or the Pit...

Alexander the Great’s Bathroom Discovered at Greece’s Aigai Palace

11 May 2024

11 May 2024

Archaeologists say to have unearthed Alexander the Great’s bathroom at the Aigai Palace in northern Greece. The vast Aigai palace,...

Bronze Age Treasure Found in Swedish Forests

30 April 2021

30 April 2021

A man who studied the forest to make a map for the orienteering club in western Sweden made an incredible...

King Stephen 12th Century rare penny hoard found near Wymondham

21 November 2023

21 November 2023

An unnamed metal detectorist recently discovered a scarce collection of 12th-century silver pennies near the village of Wymondham in the...

Archaeologists discovered on Tunisian coast three shipwrecks, one of which 2,000 years old

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A team of archaeologists from eight countries—Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia bordering the Mediterranean Sea has...

5500-year-old pentagon structure found in North China

13 November 2021

13 November 2021

Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a pentagonal structure going back 5,500 years in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, north China. According to...

Digitally Reconstructed: Roman Roads That Shaped 1,000 Years of Travel Across Medieval Britain

21 May 2025

21 May 2025

Researchers digitally reconstruct medieval England and Wales’ travel routes, revealing how Roman roads shaped post-Roman mobility over a thousand years....

Archaeologists Unveil Sanctuary of Odysseus on Ithaca: A Monumental Discovery Rooted in Myth and History

15 June 2025

15 June 2025

A major archaeological breakthrough on the Greek island of Ithaca has brought new clarity to the island’s legendary past. Researchers...

Archaeologists in northern Spanish have discovered what they believe to be the oldest Basque language text

15 November 2022

15 November 2022

Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the oldest Basque language text, on  Irulegi archaeological site, near the Aranguren...

Ancient Herpes DNA Points to Oral Herpes’ Beginnings: First kisses may have helped spread cold sore virus

28 July 2022

28 July 2022

The ancient genomes of the herpes virus, which commonly causes lip sores and currently infects about 3.7 billion people worldwide,...

Rare bronze hand discovered in Roman Vindolanda, England

11 July 2023

11 July 2023

One of Europe’s most important Roman archeological sites is the Fort of Vindolanda, one of the earliest Roman garrisons built...

Researcher found the head of the statue of Bacchus, inside a water channel near the ancient city of Cyrene in Libya

31 December 2023

31 December 2023

Libyan Archeology researcher, Issam Menfi found the head of the statue of Bacchus, which dates back to the Greek era,...