A giant pyramid languishing beneath a hill in Indonesia appears to rival the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and may even rival the oldest megalithic structures ever built by man in terms of age.
A new study has suggested that the Gunung Padang Pyramid is the oldest pyramid structure in the world, as it was built on top of an extinct volcano before the dawn of agriculture or civilization as we know it.
According to new data provided by Indonesian scientists, its interior may hide large open rooms filled with the unknown, according to a report published by the website Science Alert.
An in-depth analysis of Gunung Padang, which means “Mountain of Enlightenment” in the local language, also indicated that it was carved out of lava at the heart of a pyramid-shaped structure long ago.
ice Age
The first radiocarbon dating of the site revealed that initial construction began during the last ice age, more than 16,000 years before the present and possibly dating back to 27,000 years ago.
This main part of the structure was probably built between 25,000 and 14,000 BC, but was then abandoned for several thousand years.
From Science Alert magazine
Construction began again between 7900 and 6100 BC, expanding the pyramid’s base mound with various rock columns and gravelly soil, with some additional construction work carried out between 6,000 and 5,500 BC
Interestingly, at this time the builders appear to have deliberately buried or built over some of the older parts of the site.
The last engineers arrived at the pyramid around 2000-1100 BC and added topsoil in addition to the characteristic stone terraces, and this is the most visible part today.
Alcoves and hidden rooms
Additionally, the researchers found evidence of cavities and hidden rooms, some of them up to 15 meters long with 10 meter high ceilings, when they examined the interior of the hills using seismic waves.
The team concluded that this study demonstrates how a comprehensive approach integrating archaeological, geological and geophysical methods can reveal hidden and extensive ancient structures.
Interestingly, the results of the current study on “Gunung Padang”, published in the journal “Archaeological Prospection”, come after many years of careful analysis.
Between 2011 and 2015, a team of archaeologists, geologists and geophysicists, led by geologist Danny Hillman Natawidjaya of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, used a variety of techniques, such as core drilling, ground penetrating radar and subsurface imaging , to explore the cultural heritage site.
Natawidjaja and his colleagues found that, like many past megaliths, Gunung Padang was built in complex and sophisticated stages, with the deepest part lying at a depth of 30 meters.