Nearly two hundred ancient pyramids are situated on the banks of the Nile River in the eastern Sudan desert. These pyramids housed the rulers of the Meroitic kingdom for over one thousand years. Nubia is a region of the Nile Valley located in the northern part of Sudan, and it was in this region that the ancient Kushite kings, known as the “black pharaohs,” constructed the Nubian pyramids. From around 760 BC to 650 BC, the five Kushite pharaohs governed Egypt from Nubia to the Mediterranean Sea.
To the east of Meroë, there is a royal cemetery that is replete with around 50 sandstone and red brick pyramids of varying heights; several have broken tops, which were caused by 19th-century European raiders. The royal city is located to the west of Meroe and has the remnants of a palace, a temple, and a royal bath. The architecture of each building in Meroë reflects its global connections, drawing inspiration from local, Egyptian, and Greco-Roman decorative styles.
The earliest settlements in northern Sudan date back 300,000 years. It is also the birthplace of the first kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa, the Kingdom of Kush (approximately 2500-1500 BC). This civilization produced some of the most splendid pottery in the Nile Valley, particularly the Kerma goblets.
Sudan was renowned for its affluence in natural resources, notably gold, ebony, and ivory. These raw materials were utilized in the creation of several relics that are presently in the possession of the British Museum. During the period of the Old Kingdom, which transpired between roughly 2686 to 2181 BC, the ancient Egyptians were enticed southward to the region in search of these resources, often culminating in hostilities as the Egyptian and Sudanese monarchs jostled for control of the trade.
Meroë is characterized by an excess of nearly 200 pyramids, many of which are in disrepair. These are the dimensions and proportions of the Nubian pyramids. Situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, adjacent to a collection of settlements known as Bagrawiyah, these pyramids are somewhat smaller in size but comparable in grandeur to the more renowned Egyptian pyramids. The pyramids are named after Meroë, the capital of the state of Kush, an ancient African kingdom located in what is presently the Republic of Sudan.
After the collapse of the 24th Dynasty of Egypt, around 1000 BCE, the Nubian Kingdom of Kush emerged as the preeminent power in the Middle Nile region. From 712 to 657 BCE, the Kushite monarchs overtook and governed the majority of Egypt. When the capital of the kingdom, along with the royal necropolis, was moved to the Meroë area in 300 BCE, the pharaonic tradition of building pyramids to encase the tombs of rulers endured here. The Nubian pyramids of Meroë are the best-preserved of more than 220 pyramids in Sudan, and they serve as the final resting place of over 40 Nubian monarchs of the Kingdom of Kush.
Enigmatic Nubian fresco depicting a giant carrying two elephants
Frédéric Cailliaud, a French mineralogist, first introduced Meroe’s location to European attention in 1821. The sepulchral chambers contained many enigmatic and perplexing artifacts, such as reliefs and paintings adorning their walls. Among these pieces, one particular artwork depicted an immense giant carrying two elephants, provoking wonder and curiosity.
Josephus Flavius, a historian from Rome, scribed in AD 79 that the Egyptian titans’ final remnants existed in the 13th century BC, under the rule of King Joshua. He expounded that these beings possessed prodigious physiques and countenances so aberrant from those of typical humans that their mere appearance was astonishing, and their vociferous utterances were akin to the bellowing of a lion, causing terror.
In addition, a multitude of primordial Egyptian wall paintings portray the builders of the pyramids as “colossal individuals,” measuring between 5 and 6 meters in height. According to specialists in the field, these mammoth beings possessed the capability to hoist blocks weighing between 4 and 5 tons apiece. Several of the dated murals illustrate monumental monarchs governing ancient Egypt, whilst others depict relatively diminutive subordinates serving under these gargantuan beings.
In 1988, Gregor Spoerri, a Swiss businessperson and avid student of Egyptian antiquity, made contact with a band of ancient grave robbers through one of Egypt’s non-governmental vendors. Spoerri convened with them in a small rural abode located in Bir Hooker, one hundred kilometers to the northeast of Cairo, where he laid eyes upon an immense mummified phalanx, enshrouded in tattered fabric.
Spoerri recounted an account of a malodorous elongated satchel, brimming with wondrous contents. After paying a fee of $300, Spoerri was granted permission to cradle the object and capture images of it. The item was juxtaposed against a 20 Egyptian pound banknote to facilitate comparison. The digit was rather insubstantial and dehydrated. Spoerri found the discovery astonishing due to the fact that the beast it belonged to should have towered at a height of no less than 5 meters, which is equivalent to almost 16.48 feet.
An illicit grave robber conveyed a snapshot of a radiograph of the desiccated digit taken in the 1960s to verify its genuineness. The certificate of the artifact’s legitimacy was also issued during that era. Spoerri expressed interest in procuring the item, but the offender declined, citing its significance to his family. The object had been handed down from one generation to the next, and as such, it had become a valuable heirloom. Consequently, Spoerri had to depart Egypt without the prized possession.
Spoerri presented these images to museum officials, who dismissed them, citing their inconsistency with current beliefs. In 2009, he returned to Bir Hooker in pursuit of the colossal mummified finger, but was unable to locate the tomb raider. Having researched information about the ancient titans for some time, Spoerri was profoundly affected by the discovery. He resigned from his position in 2008 to pen a book on the subject of giants, which he ultimately published as “God Lost: Judgment Day,” a fantastical historical thriller borne from his reveries. He did not approach the subject from a scientific perspective, preferring to leave readers to formulate their own conclusions.
