🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Zaachila
Postclassic (Militaristic) 1100–1521 CE · Zapotec-Mixtec (Late Zapotec)
Final Zapotec capital with two Mixtec polychrome tombs and unfinished pyramid, 1100–1521.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Pyramid
Ziggurat of Nimrud (Kalhu)
Neo-Assyrian (883–612 BCE imperial capital; ziggurat 883 BCE) · Assyrian (Neo-Assyrian)
Assyrian imperial second capital Kalhu/Nimrud (Assurnasirpal II 883–859 BCE): mudbrick ziggurat crowning citadel mound adjacent to Northwest Palace with famous Nimrud ivories, throne room and lamassu.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Pyramid
Ziggurat of Nippur (E-kur)
Early Dynastic to Parthian (3000 BCE–250 CE; ziggurat Ur III – Kassite layers) · Sumerian → Old Babylonian → Kassite → Assyrian
Religious capital of Sumer: never politically capital but seat of Enlil, father of gods, whose temple E-kur (Mountain House) dominated canal holy city Nippur.
🇪🇨 Ecuador · Pyramid
Cochasqui Northern Pyramids
Late Intermediate Caranqui 950–1470 CE to Inca 1470–1534 CE · Caranqui (Quitu-Cara, Cayambe) Cayambi-Inca
Northern cluster of Cochasqui Archaeological Park 28 miles north of Quito at 3100 m on Mojanda slopes: truncated earthen pyramids 20–24 m high on cangahua (volcanic) rock core, with ramps up to 290…
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
Eastern Deffufa at Kerma — Funerary Chapel
Classic Kerma to New Kingdom, c.1750-1500 BCE · Kerma (Kushite)
Eastern Deffufa 600 m east of Western Deffufa at Kerma: smaller solid mudbrick massif 24×24 m, 11 m high, with chapel and enclosure. Excavated by Reisner and Bonnet.
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Archaeological wonder
Takalik Abaj
Preclassic to Classic Olmec–Maya transition 800 BCE–900 CE · Olmec to Maya (K'iche' Pacific)
Olmec-Maya transition site with earliest Long Count stela 126 CE.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Pyramid
Ziggurat of Borsippa (Biris Nimrud)
Old Babylonian to Neo-Babylonian (Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzar II peak 605–562 BCE) · Babylonian (Borsippa)
Mighty 7-stage ziggurat dedicated to Nabu (god of writing, son of Marduk), rival to Babylon's Etemenanki as 'Temple that Exalts Nabu' E-zida.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
Pyramid of Ankhenespepi III — Queen of Merenre/Pepi II
Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty · Ancient Egyptian
Small queens pyramid south of Pepi I complex, built for Ankhenespepi III, daughter of Merenre Nemtyemsaf I and granddaughter of Pepi I/Ankhenespepi I, who married Pepi II.
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Pyramid
Yaxhá Pyramids
Preclassic 1000 BCE – Late Classic 900 CE; peak 600–900 CE · Maya (Yaxhá kingdom)
Major Late Classic lakeside Maya city 237 structures and 40 stelae on Yaxhá Lake isthmus: Twin North Acropolis, East Acropolis triadic Temple 216 (26 m high, painted red, largest in Yaxhá, second…
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
Pyramid of Wedjebten — Queen of Pepi II
Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty · Ancient Egyptian
Southernmost queens pyramid of Pepi II, belonging to Queen Wedjebten, likely mother of a late Pepi II prince.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
El-Kurru Pyramids
Early Kushite (El-Kurru phase 860–310 BCE; Piye 747–716 BCE) · Kushite (early Napatan)
Earliest Kushite royal necropolis (860–310 BCE) with 22 pyramids for Napatan kings including Piye (Piankhi), founder of Egypt's 25th Dynasty, Taharqa, and early ancestors.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Temple complex
Saqqara – Serapeum and Step Pyramid Complex
Early Dynastic to Greco-Roman (Djoser 2670 BCE; Apis catacombs New Kingdom to Ptolemaic, 1400–30 BCE) · Egyptian Pharaonic (Memphite)
Great necropolis of Memphis: Step Pyramid of Djoser (Imhotep, 2670 BCE) – world's oldest large stone structure – plus 17 pyramids including Teti, Unas (Pyramid Texts), underground galleries, and the…
🇮🇶 Iraq · Pyramid
Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar Quf)
Kassite (Middle Babylonian) c. 1375–1155 BCE · Kassite Babylonian
Kassite capital Dur-Kurigalzu built by Kurigalzu I (c. 1375 BCE): enormous ziggurat to Enlil, still 57 m high (originally ~69 m) with rope reinforcement layers (reed mats) visible, highest surviving…
🇲🇽 Mexico · Temple complex
El Palmar — Second Temple Plaza (Jimbal–Palmar)
Late Classic 550–850 CE · Maya (Río Bec–Chenes–Central Petén blend)
Secondary plaza 600 m from hieroglyphic stairway: 15 m pyramid with Wak alliance altar, marsh causeway.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Archaeological wonder
Huntichmul
Maya Late to Terminal Classic 600–1000 CE · Maya (Cehpech–Sotuta transitional / Itzá frontier)
Ditched enclosure frontier city, 600–1000 CE, Petén corridor.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Pyramid
La Venta Pyramid (Complex C)
Middle Formative Olmec 1000–400 BCE (pyramid c. 1000–600 BCE) · Olmec
Olmec capital La Venta (1000–400 BCE) great pyramid Complex C: 31–33 m high clay mound (150 × 130 m base, volume 100,000 m³), earliest known intentional pyramid in Mesoamerica (1000 BCE) – uniquely…
🇺🇸 United States · Earthwork
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
Mississippian Early 900–1200 CE atop Woodland-Archaic · Mississippian (Lamar and Etowah)
17,000-year occupation culminating in 17 m Temple Mound, 900–1200 CE.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Necropolis
Aphroditopolis (Atfih) Pyramid Field
Predynastic to Late Antique (3500 BCE–7th c. CE) · Egyptian (22nd Upper nome)
Nome capital at Nile bend with cow necropolis and small cenotaph pyramid.
🇮🇷 Iran · Temple complex
Choqa Zanbil (Dur Untash)
Middle Elamite (c.1250–640 BCE) · Elamite
Elamite holy city built by King Untash-Napirisha (1250 BCE) to honor god Inshushinak: immense 105×105 m square ziggurat (originally 53 m high, 5 storeys) at center of three concentric walls with…
🇨🇳 China · Pyramid
Han Yangling Mausoleum
Western Han Wen-Jing 157–141 BCE · Western Han imperial
Mausoleum complex of Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi, r.157–141 BCE) and Empress Wang Zhi on Wei River terrace north of Xi'an, core of Western Han imperial necropolis (11 tombs).
🇵🇪 Peru · Pyramid
Cahuachi Adobe Pyramids
Early Nazca / Protopalpa 400 BCE–450 CE (peak 100 BCE–300 CE) · Nazca (Paracas → Nazca)
Ceremonial capital of Nazca culture (400 BCE–450 CE) with 40 adobe mounds over 150 ha, including Great Pyramid 28 m high (150 × 100 m base, 3 platforms) and Temple Hill pyramid 20 m.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
Pyramid of Neferefre (Raneferef)
Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty · Ancient Egyptian
Unfinished pyramid of ephemeral 5th Dynasty king Neferefre (Raneferef) at Abusir: square base 65 m, only first step completed to ~7 m (planned 52 m).
🇮🇶 Iraq · Pyramid
Tell Yelkhi — Diyala Census Mound
Early Dynastic III to Akkadian (2600–2200 BCE) · Sumerian–Akkadian, Eshnunna sphere
Small but archive-rich Hamrin tell salvaged before dam, excavated by Japanese Mission (Fujii).
🇲🇽 Mexico · Pyramid
Huapalcalco
Late Formative–Epiclassic 450 BCE–900 CE (Tula antecedent) · Toltec-Chichimec / Teotihuacano
Transition pyramid with Archaic cave paintings and early Toltec atlante precursors between Teotihuacan and Tula.