<![CDATA[Archaeologists from the Kansai University Archaeological Institute and the Municipal Education Board in Japan studying a large rectangular tomb believe that it may have been part of a larger pyramid structure. The tomb was found in the village of Asuka in Nar Prefecture. The archaeologists made the announcement in a press release last Wednesday, where they stated that while work is ongoing, they have already dated the tomb back to the latter half of the sixth century. They deduced that the tomb could have been pyramid-shaped when they observed that three other similar locations around the tomb had layers that formed stair-like structures. They think this tomb could have been built in a similar way. It has been called the Miyakozuka tomb. The tomb is thought to have belonged to a Yamato Dynasty leader named Soga no Iname. He died in 570 and is thought to have had close ties with Korean and Chinese immigrants. The immigrant’s cultures may have influenced the structure of the tomb. There is evidence of tumuli, which were earthen mounds built over graves much like Iname's tomb, near the border of China and North Korea. At this time the area was ruled by the kingdom of Koguryo, which began in the 3rd century B.C. and ended in the 7th century A.D. Soga no Iname had very strong ties to this Kingdom to the extent that historians think two of his wives came from there. Researchers digging at the three other locations surrounding the Miyakozuka tomb found that four layers of stones covered one, while one layer was on each of the the remaining two. From this they reached the assumption that the Miyakozuka tomb had up to eight stone layers. The mound's sides are thought to have been at least 40 meters in length, with the east side being 7 meters tall and the west side 4.5 meters. The sides form a terraced pyramid that was made up of multiple stone layers. The new Asuka discovery is just one of several huge discoveries made in the area in recent years. Numerous megalithic discoveries have been made in the village of Asuka, including the Ishibutai tomb, which was actually for the son of Soga no Iname. There is also the mysterious and puzzling Rock Ship of Masuda, which is an 800 ton rock situated on top of a hill. What makes this rock so fascinating is that it almost looks like a spaceship. The top has been completely flattened, and two square openings one-meter in length are carved into the top, making it seem plausible that it could house a person. No one knows why this structure was built, but some speculate that it was a special tomb for a king that was never finished. Others suggest that it served astronomical purposes, because the ridge at the top of the rock lines up with the sunset at certain times of the year. The Miyajozuka tomb was first discovered in the 1960s, but not much was known about it at that time. The only other artefacts taken from the area and analyzed were clay pots and iron utensils. ]]>
Japanese Tomb May Have Been Pyramid-Shaped
