Scientists have questioned whether the Gunung Padang Pyramid in Indonesia is the oldest in the world, as there is no evidence that humans built it.
December 1
2023
– 8:31 pm
(Updated on 2/12/2023 at 1:16 pm)
Recently, the archaeological world was rocked by news of the possible existence of the world’s oldest pyramid, which, at 25,000 years old, would far surpass the world’s largest pyramid. Egyptian Antiquities. The problem is that many scholars are reviewing research on the Indonesian structure, called Gunung Padang (“Mountain of Enlightenment”), and questioning the role of man in its construction, the history of its creation and the conclusions regarding its creation.
Photo: Ari Basuki/CC-BY-4.0 / FreeGameGuide
It is said in the study that instead of arising naturally, The pyramid could have been built In parts between 25,000 years ago and 14,000 years ago, even before agriculture was invented in the region. The researchers also state that the site still contains hidden rooms or cavities, and that the work has likely been buried several times to conceal its identity, in an attempt to preserve it.
Who built the Indonesian pyramid?
Criticisms surrounding the allegations are based primarily on the concept that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, which in this case would not exist. Experts such as archaeologist Lutfi Yundari recall that Indonesians lived in caves between 12,000 and 6,000 years ago, leaving no signs of noticeable stone-handling skills, which are necessary for… A job of this size.
Flint Dibble, another archaeologist, points out that the article does use legitimate data, but makes unwarranted conclusions about it. a RadiocarbonFor example, they have been carried out in organic remains around excavated structures, indicating their age thousands of years BC, at the beginning of the Paleolithic.
The oldest samples may be up to 27,000 years old, but the ancient soil shows no signs of human activity, such as bone fragments or charcoal, making soil dating merely an indication that the local land is very old. Our ancestors visited it in such distant times.
Even a dagger-shaped piece of rock found by scientists was questionable, as despite its shape, it did not bear indubitable evidence that it had been carved by humans, which calls into question its authenticity as evidence.
Currently, the scientific journal that published the article in question is investigating this work, and until then, we are left with only the simplest explanation – that of natural formation. In Dibble’s words, “material rolling down the hill will generally orient itself,” that is, pile up in a pyramidal shape. Until further notice, the oldest known pyramid remains the Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt, which is 4,700 years old.
source: nature, Archaeological excavation
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