Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon
Kushite Period (900 BCE–350 CE)·Kushite (Napatan–Meroitic)·🇸🇩 Northern, Nuri, Sudan
About
About Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon
Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon in Northern, Nuri, Sudan is a Kushite Period (900 BCE–350 CE) pyramid attributed to Kushite (Napatan–Meroitic). Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal base 95 × 95 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 18.5620N 31.9190E controls access to Northern resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey pyramid for Northern, Nuri, illustrating Kushite (Napatan–Meroitic) construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Construction logistics and labour organisation
- 02Astronomical orientation method
Theories
- 01Royal tomb with cult temple axis
- 02Experimental step before true pyramid
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2600–2500 BCE
- Period
- Kushite Period (900 BCE–350 CE)
- Culture
- Kushite (Napatan–Meroitic)
- Purpose
- Royal tomb and ceremonial platform embodying cosmology
- Rediscovered
- 1983 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 2600–2500 BCE
Initial construction of Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon main structure
c. 1923
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1983–2013
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
18.5620° N · 31.9190° E · 241 m · 3 mapped features
- Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon — Main StructurestructurePrincipal pyramid — Base 95 × 95 m with diagnostic masonry/panel18.5628° N · 31.9199° E
- Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon — Ancillary ComplexcomplexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature18.5610° N · 31.9183° E
- Nuri Pyramid Nu 20 Pylon — Peripheral FeatureoutlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial18.5635° N · 31.9202° E
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