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D.J. Mattingly

These pyramid tombs, found just to the west of Germa, date from the first century A.D. to the fourth century A.D. Ranging in height from 10 to 15 feet, they are part of an eclectic assortment of funerary architecture uncovered along the Wadi el-Agial. In a recent survey of the region, archaeologist David Mattingly discovered mausoleums in the Roman-African tradition, stepped tombs similar to the Egyptian mastaba and a massive cemetery with over 60,000 graves. This great diversity of tomb styles may indicate that the Garamantian kingdom was actually composed of a confederation of several culturally distinct African tribes.