There is a fascinating architectural work that came to us from the distant past. It is found almost everywhere on Earth, and many independent researchers propose a unique cultural origin for its presence over millennia: this is the iconic and mysterious pyramid. hidden. Here we will focus on the amazing examples of pyramids in Sicily and the people who may have created them.
There are many different styles in the world: stepped, diamond-shaped, pointed, elongated or even conical – but all are called pyramids or pyramidal temples.
Although differing in geographical location, size or design, many pyramids have one or more things in common: orientation to the cardinal directions, astronomical association with Sirius or the three stars of Orion’s belt (note especially the pyramids on the Giza plain in Egypt) and/or other star alignments consistent with the gods worshiped by the people who built them.
Different styles of pyramids. (Designed by Simon E Davis, provided by the author)
Pyramids in Italy and pyramids in Bosnia
Although not very famous, even in Italy we have pyramids. Thanks to satellite observations, architect Vincenzo Di Gregorio discovered three hill forms in 2001; they were modeled and used by humans as astronomical and sacred sites. Known as the Pyramids of Montevecchia, they are located in Val Curone, Lombardy and are similar, if not in size then at least in position and astronomical orientation, with the more famous examples found in Giza.
Unfortunately, little work has been done regarding the analysis or dating of these structures. Di Gregorio recalls that the Celts of Northern Italy were present around the seventh century BC and that the first forms of agriculture date back to about 11,000 years ago. This suggests that these northern Italian pyramids may have been built between 10,000 and 3,000 years ago.
Pyramid of Sant’Agata dei Goti (BN). (Provided by author)
Viennese archaeologist Gabriella Lukacs, an associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Anthropology, has performed alignment and triangulation between the pyramids in Italy and the pyramids in Bosnia. The layout shows the Pyramid of Vesallo (Reggio Emilia) aligned with Sant’Agata dei Goti, Pontassieve, Vesallo-Montevecchia, Curone. It should be noted that Vesallo is located at the height of the Motuvun Pyramid (Istria), while Sant’Agata dei Goti is located directly on the perpendicular of Visoko (Bosnia).
The connection between the Italian and Bosnian pyramids. (Supplied by Gabriella Lukacs, author)
The pyramids in Sicily need more attention
Hypotheses and theories were also wasted on the mysterious pyramids discovered about 10 years ago in Sicily. They are about 40 years old and one of them is located right in the center of Sicily, near Enna, and is called the Pyramid of Pietraperzia. Lacking certain data and references, such as provenance and chronology, the heated discussions were pragmatic. Most of these pyramids are located in a semicircle around the slopes of the Etna volcano in the Catania plain – the largest Sicilian plain planted with olive and citrus groves.
Up to 40 meters (131.23 ft.) high, stepped or conical, on a circular or square base, intact or partially destroyed, and sometimes topped with an altar, these pyramids were created using the dry-stone technique, using blocks of volcanic rock neatly arranged in a particularly precise pattern. One of the popular building features in Sicily is the dry stone walls. There are many scattered throughout the countryside and on the outskirts of cities to delineate roads and farms, especially because they have excellent anti-seismic functions.
For a long time, local people did not pay much attention to these structures; they are often considered simple old structures used by landowners to control the work of farmers. Some are difficult to identify because they are located on private land and are partly covered by vegetation or are even incorporated in the construction of private houses. Furthermore, the reluctance of landowners, who feared that these pyramids would turn into monuments requiring decree and legal binding, prevented archaeologists or researchers from studying and analyze these works.
However, research should continue as the recent discovery of ancient waterways and canals suggests the presence of an ancient civilization on the slopes of Etna. The pyramids may date before the Greeks landed in Sicily.
Pyramid of Etna. (Provided by author)
According to some Italian historians, the buildings of the Alcantara Valley (facing the cardinal points) were just simple observation posts built between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Similarities between the Pyramids in Sicily and Tenerife
The Sicilian pyramid has constructional similarities with the astronomical mound of Barnenez (“Cairn”) (70 meters long, 26 meters wide and 8 meters high (229.66 ft. x 85.3 ft. x 26.25 ft.)) in Brittany, which archaeologists date between 5000 and 4400 BC. They also share some similarities with the famous Güímar Pyramids in the Canaries on the Island of Tenerife.
These similarities raise the question of the dating of the Sicilian pyramids and pique the hearts of independent researchers as well as more conservative/mainstream archaeologists to learn more about these people. build their mystery.
Like the Sicilian pyramids, the Güímar Pyramid is also considered only a product of peasant labor. In fact, they demonstrate special astronomical significance discovered by explorer Thor Heyerdahl, a famous Norwegian scholar who visited the Canaries in the 1960s.
Left: Güímar Pyramid, Tenerife, Canary Islands ( Mathias / Adobe Stock ) Right: Etna Pyramid in Sicily (author provided).
Antoine Gigal, founder of Giza for Humanity, French independent researcher, expert in Egyptology and author of many articles published in many different languages, discovered the Sicilian pyramid thanks to some Italian photographers.
“I knew about the existence of dozens of pyramids from some Italian photographers, but during the discovery mission we found about forty pyramids,” the French archaeologist explained. . “All the pyramids, although of different shapes, had a system of ramps or stairs leading to the summit [sic] with a privileged view of the summit of Etna, an element that may suggest veneration volcano worshiper.”
Who built the Sicilian pyramid?
These buildings have similar architectural features to the Güímar pyramid and this indicates a very ancient origin of their construction. According to scholars, the Sicans may have been, before the arrival of the Sicani (and thus before the 15th century BC), the same people who built several pyramidal structures in central Sicily.
According to a more compelling argument, the pyramids at Etna were built by the Šekeleš (or Shekelesh), a tribe of Sea Peoples from the Aegean Sea region, and whom some archaeologists claim were their ancestors. of the Sicans (or the Sicans themselves).
‘Sican Pyramid.’ ( Marconi Hotel )
According to British archaeologist Nancy K. Sandars, the Shekelesh people built the pyramids. Originating from southeastern Sicily, these people were experts in navigation. And many discoveries, such as amphorae in Monte Dessueri (near Gela, Sicily), are completely similar to those found in Azor, near Jaffa (Israel). Thanks to their mastery of navigation, they reached Tenerife and the island of Mauritius, building pyramids identical to those found in Sicily.
In the Odyssey, Homer calls Sicily Sikania and in classical texts it is called Sikelia – this is the origin of the name Sicans. These people were probably there from 3000 to 1600 BC, after which they merged with the Neolithic population.
Evidence for the existence of another culture comes from the Bronze Age and antiquity: the Elysani (or Elymians, who are said to have built the Temple of Segesta and to have created a language that still undeciphered) migrated from Anatolia and may have been descended from the famous Sea Peoples. Thucydides reported that they were refugees fleeing Troy.
The survivors may have been a group of Trojans who fled by sea and settled in Sicily and mixed with the Sicans. Virgil writes that they were led by the hero Aceste, king of Segesta in Sicily, who helped Priam during the war and welcomed the fleeing Aeneas, assisting him in burying his father Anchise in Erice (Erix).
To confirm various hypotheses and the origin of Troy, it is enough to carry out DNA analysis on the bones that have been found. As always, economic and bureaucratic problems prevent quick solutions that could clear up doubts and mysteries.
Elymian Temple in Segesta, Sicily. (Oliver Taylor/Adobe Stock)
Move to ancient Sicily
It is not easy to determine which of the listed peoples built the pyramids in Sicily. Much of our knowledge about the island’s ancient inhabitants comes from authors such as the historian Diodorus Siculus (90-27 BC), who actually said very little about it, and Thucydides (460- 394 BC, Athenian historian and soldier, one of the main exponents of ancient Greek literature) who considered the Sicans to be a tribe south of the Iberians. According to Thucydides, it was the Sicans who defeated the giant Cyclops.
It is known that the Sicans lived in autonomous confederations and had close connections with the Minoan civilization in Crete (4000 – 1200 BC) and with the Mycenaeans (1450 – 1100 BC). It is also known that the Minoan civilization with which the Sicans were closely associated made a sudden leap around 2000 BC and was unsurpassed among the cultures of the Mediterranean basin.
One theory is that this was due to contact with the ancient Egyptians, who revealed their techniques and shared trade links with Mesopotamia. In fact, during the same period, the Minoans invented a form of writing based on a hieroglyphic system.
Around 1400 BC there was a large migration of the Sicels (Si’keloi) from the Calabrian coast to Sicily and they mainly settled in the eastern part of the island, thus denying the Sicani the west. The Greek historian Philistus of Syracuse (fourth century BC), author of the History of Sicily (Sikelikà), said that this invasion originated from Basilicata and was led by Siculus, son of King Italo, His people were forced to move away from the Sabines and the Umbrian Tribes. In more ancient times, this culture dominated the entire Tyrrhenian region, from Liguria to Calabria.
More recently, other researchers have proposed that Siculus and his people originated in the east. Professor Enrico Caltagirone and Professor Alfredo Rizza have calculated that in the modern Sicilian language there are more than 200 words that come directly from Sanskrit.
Influence of mysterious sea peoples?
The origins and history of the Sea Peoples, a supposed maritime confederation, can only be seen from seven ancient Egyptian written sources. According to these documents, in the eighth year of the reign of Ramses III, of the Twentieth Dynasty, the Sea Peoples attempted to conquer Egyptian territory. In the Karnak Inscription, the Egyptian pharaoh defines them as “foreign nations or peoples from the sea”.
They probably came from the Aegean and sailed towards the eastern Mediterranean in the late Bronze Age, they invaded Anatolia (causing the fall of the Hittite Empire), Syria, Palestine, Cyprus and the New Kingdom of Egypt – This last one was less successful.
The attack of the sea people on the Syrian fortress. Historical illustration. ( Lunstream / Adobe Stock)
Although disputed by many scholars, the Shekelesh were only one of nine people who made up the ancient Sea Peoples. In general, they are: Deneyen, Ekwesh, Lukka, Peleset, Sherden, Shekelesh, Teresh, Tjeker, Weshesh.
Champollion’s depiction of the peoples, including the Sea Peoples, is named on the Second Tower at Medinet Habu. (Public domain)
Work to solve a complex mystery
The mystery of the pyramids in Italy and Sicily is not easy to solve because it lacks reliable data, a tangle of known historical data, and myths and legends that overlap with accepted historical events. get more.
Unconfirmed news suggests that collaboration has been formed between European Union and Tenerife academics (including Vicente Valensia Alfonso, who worked with the University of Maine on the Spanish site of Güimar ) to carry out an in-depth study of the entire region.
Meanwhile, there is a need for in-depth research, studies, research and… well-intentioned scholars….
