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Archaeologists in the southern Egypt have uncovered a step pyramid built around 2600 BC. The newly discovered step pyramid is one the seven "provincial" pyramids scattered throughout central and southern Egypt. These pyramids have no internal chambers and hence researchers believe they were not intended for burial. 

However, the purpose of the these seven pyramids are still a mystery to archaeologists. One school of thought points its use as symbolic monuments dedicated to the royal cult. The royal cult was an affirmation of the power of the king in the southern provinces. 

"The similarities from one pyramid to the other are really amazing, and there is definitely a common plan," said Gregory Marouard, a research associate at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute who led the work at the Edfu pyramid, in the press release. "The construction itself reflects a certain care and a real expertise in the mastery of stone construction, especially for the adjustment of the most important blocks."

The pyramid, researchers said, appears to have been abandoned after soon after it was formed. It took place around the time Khufu, the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh who ruled Egypt during the 26th century B.C. 

"The location of small step pyramids in considerable distance to the established Old Kingdom royal cemeteries bestows upon these structures the character of non-funerary monuments that did not nor were intended to serve as a burial place of any kind," archaeologists noted in their report. "Using the symbolic form without any trace of a funeral chamber or underground structure, it appears to have acted as a monument dedicated to the worship of pharaoh."