'We kept finding large, circular mass graves' in the Sahara predating the ancient Egyptians, archaeologists report
Archaeologists have discovered 260 previously unknown circular mass graves in the Atbai Desert of Eastern Sudan, predating ancient Egyptian civilization. These burial sites, dating to the fourth and third millennia BCE, contain humans and animals arranged around a central individual. The findings were made using satellite imagery and remote sensing without excavation.
- ▪The burial sites are large circular enclosures, some up to 80 meters in diameter, containing humans and domesticated animals.
- ▪These enclosure burials were found across nearly 1,000 kilometers of desert east of the Nile River.
- ▪The research was conducted by a team from Macquarie University, France's HiSoMA, and the Polish Academy of Sciences using satellite imagery.
- ▪The study was published in the journal African Archaeological Review.
- ▪The monuments likely date to the fourth and third millennia BCE and predate ancient Egyptian burial practices.
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Archaeology 'We kept finding large, circular mass graves' in the Sahara predating the ancient Egyptians, archaeologists report Archaeologists have found 260 burials in the Sahara that predate ancient Egypt. By Marie Bourgeois, Maël Crépy, Julien Cooper published 17 May 2026 in Opinion When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The Sahara desert holds many mysteries, including recently found mass graves. (Image credit: Ignacio Palacios/Getty Images) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter We have been on a years-long campaign of satellite remote sensing of the vast desert landscapes in Eastern…
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