The Bosnian pyramids are a pseudo-archaeological[1] claim promoted by author Semir Osmanagić, that a cluster of natural hills in central Bosnia and Herzegovina are the largest human-made ancient pyramids on Earth. The hills are located near the town of Visoko, northwest of Sarajevo. Visočica hill, where the old town of Visoki was once sited, came to international attention in October 2005, following a news-media campaign by Osmanagić and his supporters.
Osmanagić states that he has found tunnels, stone blocks and ancient mortar, which he has suggested once covered the Visočica structure. He opened excavations in 2006 which have reshaped the hill, making it look like a stepped pyramid.[2][3] Geologists, archeologists and other scientists have however concluded, after analysis of the site, its known history, and the excavations, that the hills are natural formations known as flatirons[4] and that there are no signs of human construction involved.[5][6][7] The European Association of Archaeologists released a statement calling the pyramid hypothesis a "cruel hoax".[8]
Osmanagić's claims
Osmanagić has dubbed the Visočica hill the "Pyramid of the Sun", and two nearby hills, identified from satellite and aerial photography, the "Pyramid of the Moon" (Plješevica hill) and the "Pyramid of the (Bosnian) Dragon" (another two, "Pyramid of the Earth" and "Pyramid of Love" have been mentioned in reports). Newspaper reports have quoted Osmanagić as stating that they were constructed by ancient Illyrian inhabitants of the Balkans as early as 12,000 BC. In an interview with Philip Coppens in Nexus (April–May 2006), Osmanagić attempted to clarify his previous statements, stating he was misquoted, and that they were most likely constructed by the Illyrians, who, according to Osmanagić, lived in the area from 12,000 BC to 500 BC, and that the pyramid was therefore most likely constructed between those two dates.
According to Osmanagić, the excavation has produced evidence of building blocks as well as tunnels. Additionally, Osmanagić states that he has found tunnels in the hillside which he interprets as ventilation shafts.
He believes the Mesoamerican pyramids and Egyptian pyramids are built by the same people as the Visočica hill, with the hill built last. However, upon further thought he has decided that this dating mechanism may not be reliable and has now announced Visočica hill could be "The mother of all Pyramids", which he says would be corroborated by the existence of sacred geometry and further numerological study of messages left in the pyramid for future generations.[9]
Osmanagić wishes to excavate in order to "break a cloud of negative energy, allowing the Earth to receive cosmic energy from the centre of the galaxy" according to Osmanagić,[10] who also hopes that it will be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.[11] In October 2011 a Sarajevo court ended a four-year court case by giving permission for further investigation of Visočica hill.[12]
According to Osmanagić, the dig involved an international team of archaeologists from Australia, Austria, Ireland, United Kingdom and Slovenia.[13] However, many archaeologists he named have stated they had not agreed to participate and were never at the site.[14] He also claimed the support of an "Oxford archaeologist" who was actually an unqualified undergraduate, and his foundation's web site claimed support of a British Member of Parliament but the name given did not match any sitting member.[15]
Scholarly reception
Seven leading European archaeologists have issued a European Association of Archaeologists Declaration stating:
- We, the undersigned professional archaeologists from all parts of Europe, wish to protest strongly at the continuing support by the Bosnian authorities for the so-called "pyramid" project being conducted on hills at and near Visoko. This scheme is a cruel hoax on an unsuspecting public and has no place in the world of genuine science. It is a waste of scarce resources that would be much better used in protecting the genuine archaeological heritage and is diverting attention from the pressing problems that are affecting professional archaeologists in Bosnia-Herzegovina on a daily basis.[16]
The Declaration was signed by Hermann Parzinger, President of German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, Willem Willems, Inspector General of Rijksinspectie Archeologie in The Hague, Jean-Paul Demoule, President of the Institut nationale de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP) in Paris, Romuald Schild, Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Vassil Nikolov, Director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciencesin Sofia, Anthony Harding, President of the European Association of Archaeologists, Mike Heyworth, Director of the Council for British Archaeology in York.[16]
Osmanagić's assertions, widely reported in the mass media, have been categorically refuted by a number of experts, who have accused him of promoting pseudo-scientificnotions and damaging archaeological sites with his excavations. Amar Karapuš, a curator at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, said "When I first read about the pyramids I thought it was a very funny joke. I just couldn't believe that anyone in the world could believe this."[4] Garrett Fagan of Penn State Universityis quoted as saying "They should not be allowed to destroy genuine sites in the pursuit of these delusions[...] It’s as if someone were given permission to bulldozeStonehenge to find secret chambers of lost ancient wisdom underneath."[17]
Enver Imamović of the University of Sarajevo, a former director of the National Museum of Sarajevo, concerned that the excavations will damage historic sites such as the medieval royal capital Visoki, said that the excavations would "irreversibly destroy a national treasure".[18] Excavations by archaeologists not related to the Foundation in the summer of 2008 uncovered medieval artefacts and led to renewed calls for the government to cancel Osmanagić's digging permits.[19]
One of his former employees, Nadija Nukic, told a Bosnian newspaper that carvings on stones that Osmanagić characterizes as dating from ancient times were not present when the stones were first uncovered but were later inscribed by his team, an accusation that Osmanagić denies.[4]
Despite being completely disowned by the scientific community, Semir Osmanagić was still pursuing his project in 2011. His excavations were still funded by local authorities, and the "pyramids" were visited by school children and passed off to them as being part of their Bosnian heritage.[1]
Prehistory
Boston University's Curtis Runnels, an expert in prehistoric Greece and the Balkans states that, "Between 27,000 and 12,000 years ago, the Balkans were locked in thelast Glacial maximum, a period of very cold and dry climate with glaciers in some of the Dinaric Alps. The only occupants were Upper Paleolithic hunters and gatherers who left behind open-air camp sites and traces of occupation in caves. These remains consist of simple stone tools, hearths, and remains of animals and plants that were consumed for food. These people did not have the tools or skills to engage in the construction of monumental architecture."[20]
Archaeology
In a letter to the editor of The Times on 25 April 2006, Professor Anthony Harding, president of the European Association of Archaeologists, visited the site and reported: "We saw areas of natural stone (a breccia), with fissures and cracks; but no sign of anything that looked like archaeology".[6] Harding referred to Osmanagić's theories as "wacky" and "absurd" and expressed concern that insufficient safeguards were in place to protect Bosnia's "rich heritage" from "looting and unmonitored or unauthorised development".[21]
Geology and paleogeology
On 8 May 2006, members of the Geological team investigating Visočica on behalf of the Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation held a press conference in Tuzla to present the results of their research. The academics, from the Faculty of Mining and Geology at the University of Tuzla and led by Professor Dr. Sejfudin Vrabac, concluded that the hill is a natural geological formation, made of clastic sediments of layered composition and varying thickness, and that its shape is a consequence of endodynamical and exodynamical processes in the post-Miocene era.[22][23]
According to Professor Vrabac, who specializes in paleogeology, there are dozens of similar morphological formations in the Sarajevo-Zenica mining basin alone. The Geological team report on Visočica, based on the data collected in six drill holes at 3 to 17 metre depths, is supported by the Research and Teaching Council of the Faculty of Mining and Geology, as well as the Association of Geologists of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[23][citation needed]
In June 2006, Zahi Hawass's name became linked to the excavations[24] as recommending a supposed expert, Ali Abdullah Barakat, to investigate the hills. Barakat is affiliated to the Egyptian Mineral Resources Agency, and has co-authored an article in the prestigious scientific journal Science.[25] Upon being contacted Hawass denied any involvement, accusing Osmanagić of "giving out false information", and clarifying that Barakat "knows nothing about Egyptian pyramids".[26]
The Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation has said that Barakat inspected the hills and stated, "My opinion is that this is a type of pyramid, probably a primitive pyramid."[14][27] In November 2007 an English version of a 2006 report by Barakat was posted on the foundation site.[28] In the report, Barakat states that Visoko is located at an important intersection of ancient roads; that the age of the tunnel might be dated from karstification features;
On the Sun pyramid, Barakat writes, "The possibility that natural processes created this shape is very weak. Natural processes can create hazards, but not such pyramidal forms as these. (...) One may conclude that the human hands modified this hill to give it a more regular/geometrical shape (artificial pyramid) (...) The nature of this pyramid indicates that human hands sculptured the body of the pyramid from top to bottom. (...) This model of construction can be easily destroyed by natural processes, leaving the natural hill, thus only the traces of the covering stones may remain". Barakat suggests that reason for the sculpting of this pyramid may have been to protect it from natural processes, as the pyramidal form is a more resistant shape. His conclusion is as follows:
Osmanagić also invited geologist and geophysicist Robert Schoch to visit the site. In a preliminary report Schoch concluded that there were natural geological explanations for all the features asserted to be artificial by Osmanagić. In the case of the tunnels he further added: 'The much-touted “ancient inscriptions” seem not to be ancient at all. I was told by a reliable source that the inscriptions were not there when members of the “pyramid team” initially entered the tunnels less than two years ago. The “ancient inscriptions” had been added since, perhaps non-maliciously, or perhaps as a downright hoax.'[29] Schoch's website documents "extreme damage being done by the way the excavations are being performed," and accuses Osmanagić of launching "a deliberate smear campaign."[30]
Egyptology
In 2007 a report by Egyptologist Nabil Mohamed Swelim was publicised by the Archaeological Park which said that the Pyramid of the Sun was the world's largest pyramid.[31] After two visits to Visoko, Swelim released a report in 2007 in which he concluded, 'Arguments in favour or in disfavour have no effect on the fact that the pyramid concept and the properties are there for everyone to see.'[32] In 2010, however, Swelim released a report in which he clarified that he does not support the claim that the site is a man-made pyramid, but rather that he uses the term for any feature, natural or artificial, which is a geometric pyramid. He does not exclude the possibility it is man-made.[33]
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