- A recent study asserts that the Gunung Padang site in Indonesia is an ancient pyramid-like structure dating back as far as 27,000 years ago.
- The study authors attribute the main source of the result to ground-penetrating technologies.
- The archaeological community, however, is scrutinising the conclusions and the publication is currently being subjected to inquiry.
The Djoser pyramid in Egypt holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest pyramid, with an age of 4,700 years. A recent publication in Archaeological Prospection challenges the validity of the existing record by presenting compelling evidence of a “prehistoric pyramid” in Indonesia dating back as far as 27,000 years. Nevertheless, there are sceptics who are not convinced by the research, prompting the journal to initiate an investigation into the study.
“I find it astonishing that the paper was published without any changes,” remarked Flint Dibble, an archaeologist at Cardiff University, in response to the research revealed by Nature. Dibble’s inquiries primarily concern the authors’ interpretations rather than the data obtained from the Gunung Padang location.
According to the authors of the report, they have discovered strong evidence of an intricate and advanced megalithic site. Seismic tomography has led the researchers to conclude that concealed voids or chambers are present, indicating the existence of complex layered structures.
Alternative reasons are possible.
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The Gunung Padang site in West Java, Indonesia, features an elevated earthen structure. If there are human-made caves and chambers beneath the ground, it would present not just the most ancient pyramid known by thousands of years, but also the earliest recorded instance of stone masonry. This would entirely reverse prior conceptions regarding the progress of civilization throughout the Palaeolithic era.
“The authors stated in the paper that these findings provide valuable insights into the construction history of Gunung Padang, revealing the engineering capabilities of ancient civilizations during the Palaeolithic era.”
The authors employed ground-penetrating technologies to reveal what they consider to be four strata of construction, comprising chambers from various stages of development. The initial stratum is estimated to have formed between 27,000 and 16,000 years ago, and its age was determined by the process of carbon dating the soil extracted from the location. Additionally, they hold the belief that the technology exhibits intricately carved masonry, characterised by great attention to detail, as well as the deliberate arrangement of rocks in a methodical manner.
However, there are two significant uncertainties. Can the absence of visual evidence and the presence of advanced technology definitively demonstrate the involvement of human or hominin hands in this task, or is it possible that the ground has undergone gradual shifts over thousands of years, resulting in the formation of strata that created gaps in the soil? What is the significance of the absence of any documented human activity or established communities in that region, particularly from such a distant time period?
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According to Nature, Dibble asserts that the inherent motion and erosion of rocks can shape stone and cause it to descend slopes, creating the illusion of deliberate design. However, according to Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, a geologist at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia and co-author of the paper, the stones were meticulously organised, sculpted, and too massive to be easily moved by natural means. Dibble refutes the notion that there is any empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis that the rocks were manipulated by human beings.
Next, the dating phase follows. According to Bill Farley, an archaeologist from southern Connecticut State University, there is little evidence to suggest the presence of a sophisticated society at that particular location during the last ice age. Although the soil samples could potentially date back to 27,000 years ago, the absence of distinct indications of human activity, such as charcoal or bone pieces, provides no basis to conclude the presence of any significant human settlement at that period, particularly in Indonesia. The most ancient documented advanced civilizations that possessed the necessary settlements to construct pyramid-like edifices are approximately 9,000 years old and situated in present-day Turkey.
The publisher has decided to reexamine the paper due to the significant uncertainties it presents. Further examination of the study may potentially prompt a more rigorous analysis of Gunung Padang.
