Deep in the jungles of Indonesia there is a hill covered in a mess of stone-age columns, but what lies beneath is possibly one of the oldest structures known to humankind.
In 2011, geologist Dr. Danny Hilman Natawidjaja noticed something peculiar about Gunung Padang, which translates to “Mountain of Enlightenment” in the Sundanese language. The hill isn’t an actual hill, it’s a buried pyramid that may have been built between 9,000 and 20,000 years ago! There’s even evidence of human-made chambers that show carbon-dating as far back as 26,000 years. If proven true, this claim could rewrite history as we know it and expose a forgotten civilization.
The predominant understanding among historians is that all human civilization began after the last major Ice Age that covered the Earth back in 11,500 BC. If this pyramid-like structure dates further than 11,500 BC, then it could prove that Plato’s account of a sunken civilization in Timaeus and Critias was not merely Ancient Greek legend. What secrets lie deep inside Gunung Padang? Only further excavation will tell. Let’s hope the Indonesian government allows Dr. Natawidjaja to continue his research in spite of the outrage and protest to stop any further research from Indonesia’s archaeological establishment.
Gunung Padang might join the ranks of Gobekli Tepe, another megalith in Turkey, as one of most important archaeological discoveries in recent history.
Orginally posted to Atlas Obscura
