Bosnian pyramids

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Visoko Bosnia
View of the so-called "pyramid of the sun"
The view of the Visočica hill and the town of Visoko in 2007.

The so-called Bosnian pyramids are a pseudoscientific hypothesis by the American-Bosnian building contractor and esotericist Semir Osmanagić . He claims that there are several pyramids not far from the city of Visoko in Bosnia and Herzegovina , for which he assumes an age of around 12,000 or 30,000 years. The Visočica mountain is actually the “pyramid of the sun” and as such the first of its kind in Europe . The Plješevica is the "pyramid of the moon". There is also a third pyramid nearby, the "Pyramid of the Bosnian Dragon".

Osmanagić's statements are unanimously rejected by geologists , historians and archaeologists , insofar as they are received at all.

Origin of the hypothesis

The idea that an “ancient” building could be hidden under Mount Visočica was first published by the businessman Semir Osmanagić , who found stone blocks and “mortar” in the area that, in his opinion, used to cover the building. Osmanagić, who had made fortune as a contractor in Texas , announced in early 2006 that excavations would be carried out with an international team from Australia , Austria , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Scotland and Slovenia . The excavations began in April 2006. Many of the archaeologists allegedly involved stated that they had declined to participate and had never been on site.

Osmanagić's claims

Osmanagić referred to the Visočica as the "pyramid of the sun" and two nearby hills as the "pyramid of the moon" and the "pyramid of the (Bosnian) dragon". In some of his articles, two other pyramids are mentioned, one of which is the "pyramid of the earth". According to newspaper reports, Osmanagić believes that they were built by the Illyrian people , who did not live until the 6th century BC. Is documented in the Balkans, but in his opinion already since 12,000 BC. BC lived here, before the end of the last ice age .

In an interview with Philip Coppens for NEXUS magazine , Osmanagić stated that he had been misunderstood: He did not claim that the pyramids were built around 12,000 BC. Were built, but only that the Illyrians between 12,000 and 300 BC. Lived and the pyramids should have been built during this period. On the other hand, on the website of the Bosnian pyramids he is quoted as follows:

"The next year, 2007, will be marked by the astonishment of mankind, who wonders how such a colossal structure could be built before the end of the last ice age ."

such as

"When it comes to dating, there is growing evidence that the main pyramid complex was completed before the end of the last Ice Age - an indication that there was a worldwide plan to build these structures."

According to Osmanagić, his research has proven that there are hewn stones and tunnels under the mountain. Osmanagić repeatedly claimed that his discoveries at Visoko would have far-reaching implications for understanding human history. He compares the heights of the largest pyramids on earth in Mexico and Egypt with the Visočica and concludes that all these pyramids could have been built by the same people, with the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun being the last and largest. A little later he withdrew this statement and said that the Visočica was rather the "mother of all pyramids" with hidden messages for later generations.

Osmanagić assumes a height of 220 m for the "pyramid of the sun", other reports speak of 70 or 100 meters. If it is actually 220 meters, the pyramid of the sun would be a third higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza and therefore the largest in the world.

Rejection and criticism of the hypothesis

Breccia of Visoko
Breccia of Visoko

From a geological point of view, the rectangular shape of the hills is due to the properties of the breccia , the sedimentary rock that the mountains are made of. This rock is made up of plate-shaped, angular chunks, which on a cursory glance resemble artificially hewn stones. It therefore also forms conspicuously angular terrain. Tunnels discovered in the mountain were identified by John Bohannon in an article in the journal Science in 2006 as the remains of old mines and smaller walls as the ruins of medieval pools.

In June 2006, numerous well-known scholars wrote a protest letter entitled Bosnian Pyramids: A pseudoarchaeological myth and a threat to the existing cultural and historical heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Secretary General of UNESCO, in which they warned against Semir Osmanagić and his plans . In December 2006 a protest note against the support of the pyramid hypothesis and the related research by the Bosnian authorities was written. The researchers complain about the lack of support for serious archeology in Bosnia in favor of the pseudo-scientific pyramid theory. Furthermore, the destruction of real artifacts such as the Neolithic Butmir culture by the improper excavations by Osmanagić and his team was feared. Archaeologists at the University of Kiel even speak of a deliberate fraud, since the excavation attempts lack professionalism and Osmanagić publishes "pseudoscientific analyzes of the finds".

The archaeologist Silvana Cobanov, who led the excavations in Pljesevica in 2006, wrote to the members of the Osmanagic Foundation's supervisory board, among other things, that in retrospect she found it difficult to admit to herself and others that she was only in charge of the excavation field externally, and that it was she was unable to get an employee to professionally document his observations and conclusions, or to prevent someone else from digging a little here and there a little. The actual control, however, had Goran Cakic, who was not an archaeologist, but a mechanical engineer. With regard to the excavation of a rectangular object at the foot of one of the alleged pyramids, she informed Osmanagic that the “very unstable dry stone walls” were more recent. “I protested that one should not speak of a tomb or entrance to the pyramid or a prehistoric military post ... And it is, in my opinion, dishonest to express such unfounded assumptions to visitors. That means in conclusion: In Pljesevica we have not found a single archaeological artifact ... "

In 2012, the last investigation to date, carried out by English scientists Dougal Jerram (geologist) and Henry J. Chapman (archaeologist), was presented in a documentary by a team from National Geographic . The two researchers concluded that all they had seen was "the remains of lake and river sediments deposited millions of years ago." They would not have seen any traces of archaeological material; however, they witnessed "methodologically poor practice that would effectively destroy any archaeological remains that might be there."

Planned activities

The Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation issued a plan of its activities for 2006-2010 in 2005. For 2006 Osmanagić planned to restore the top of the "Pyramid of the Sun", to develop transport connections in the region and to start a marketing program. By 2010 he wanted to have the area recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The foundation had the names Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun , Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon , Pyramid of the Bosnian Dragon and Bosnian Valley of the Pyramids registered and protected. Despite the support of the Bosnian authorities, the plans failed.

Controversy over Izmo Guglić

The "Izmo Guglić Affair" is a hoax by a blogger known as Izmo Guglić. In February 2008, Guglić sent two content-wise, but scientific-sounding papers for publication on Semir Osmanagić's website. He had signed it with “Dr. phil. Amer Kovačević ”. On the personal recommendation of Osmanagić, both works were published immediately. One of the two works was translated into English by a member of his team. A similar article by Osmanagić's colleague Davorin Vrbančić was published shortly afterwards. This was obviously inspired by the publications of Dr. phil. Amer Kovačević.

Even after Izmo Guglić announced on his blog that both articles were a hoax and that “Dr. phil. Amer Kovacevic “is a made-up person, the article has not been removed from Semir Osmanagić's project website.

Guglić's project is similar to the “ Sokal Affair ” or the “ James Randi Project Alpha ”, which were invented to expose pseudo-scientific procedures.

Conceptual connection to Atlantis

Osmanagić, who also published under his American name "Sam Osmanagich", is the author of the book The World of the Maya , which claims that the Maya were related to Atlantis and Lemuria . His concept is similar to that of William James Perry and Grafton Elliot Smith (1871-1937) in Children of the Sun (1923), according to which all ancient civilizations had their roots in ancient Egypt. Osmanagić added the "vanished civilizations" of Atlantis and Lemuria to this concept.

In today's research, such hypotheses have long been disproved (see diffusionism ). The theses put forward by Smith and Perry were quickly rejected by the professional world due to methodological errors. History models dealing with Atlantis are considered pseudoscience by the majority of historians and archaeologists .

literature

Movie

  • People, myths and legends. The pyramids of Bosnia. Austria, 2014, 50:30 min., Camera: Rolando Menardi, Wolfgang Rauch, production: epo-film, mokino Filmproduktion, ServusTV , series: Menschen, Mythen und Legenden, first broadcast: October 10, 2014 on ServusTV. ( Article that, contrary to the current state of research, sticks to the pyramid theory. )
  • Finding the Truth - The Pyramids of Bosnia

Web links

Commons : Bosnian pyramids  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ BosnianPyramids.org , accessed November 18, 2015.
  2. ^ Administrator: Bosnian Pyramids - Updates by Sam Osmanagich - Fondacija "Arheološki park": Bosanska piramida Sunca, Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation. In: piramidasunca.ba. Retrieved July 22, 2016 .
  3. ^ Australian in Bosnia pyramid riddle . Sydney Morning Herald . January 20, 2006.
  4. ↑ Mark Rose: Bosnian "Pyramids" Update . Archeology Magazine Online. June 14, 2006.
  5. ↑ Exclusive interview with Semir Osmanagic - BosnianPyramids.org. December 2005, archived from the original on May 31, 2006 ; accessed on November 20, 2018 (questions 3 and 14).
  6. ^ First Building Blocks of the Pyramid See the Light of Day. In: BosnianPyramids.org. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012 ; accessed on November 21, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Visocica pyramid in central Bosnia is larger that the Great Pyramid in Egypt. In: BosnianPyramid.com. December 2, 2005, accessed November 21, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Osmanagic: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Candidate for “Mother” of all Pyramids. (No longer available online.) April 20, 2005, formerly in the original ; accessed on November 21, 2018 (English).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.fena.ba
  9. ^ A b John Bohannon: Archeology. Mad about Pyramids . In: American Association for the Advancement of Science (Ed.): Science . tape 313 , no. 5794 , September 22, 2006, ISSN  0036-8075 , p. 1718–1720 ( PDF, online [accessed November 25, 2011]).
  10. ↑ 'BOSNIAN PYRAMIDS': A PSEUDOARCHAEOLOGICAL MYTH AND A THREAT TO THE EXISTING CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINA. (PDF; 209 KB) Retrieved on November 21, 2018 (English).
  11. ^ Protest note ( memento of July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF file; 10 kB) of December 11, 2006, accessed on November 21, 2011
  12. ↑ MDR THÜRINGEN - The radio of December 4, 2013: “What is it with the Bosnian pyramids?” Archived from the original on May 3, 2014 ; Retrieved May 3, 2014 .
  13. ↑ Heavy Futz , at Blogspot: “It is difficult to admit, first for myself and then to the others, that I have been doing the figure head on the terrain. The works on Pljesevica were conducted by Goran Cakic (a graduate mechanical engineer). My efforts to change this have been unsuccessful. To my regret, I have contacted orally several times the project manager, discussed with Goran Cakic, cautioned him that he should write his observations and conclusions in his private diary, categorically protested that Amir Susa Zombi [a man employed by the Foundation who seems to be more or less in charge of everything, and particularly the security] may not and should not plot, dig and excavate a little bit here and a little bit there (and this literally as it seems) ... ”, December 2, 2008 , accessed on February 18, 2016.
  14. ↑ Heavy Futz , December 2, 2008, accessed February 18, 2016.
  15. ^ Irna Osmanovic: There and Back Again . November 26, 2012, accessed February 18, 2016
  16. ^ 5-year Plan of Research on Visoko's Visočica, Archaeological Park. In: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation. 2006, archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; accessed on November 21, 2018 .
  17. ^ The 5-year Plan of Research Jan 1, 2006 - Dec 31, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2015 .
  18. ↑ Copyright ( memento of September 29, 2007 in the web archive archive.today ), Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation, 2006
  19. ↑ Izmo Guglić - Ekspert. Retrieved November 21, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Home - Fondacija “Arheološki park: Bosanska piramida Sunca, Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation. Retrieved on November 21, 2018 (German).
  21. ↑ Bosnian Lilly: One Opinion in Support to Semir Osmanagic's Theses (translation of the Bosnian title), Bosanski Ljiljan: Jedno Razmišljanje u Prilog Tezama Semira Osmanagića BOSANSKI ljiljan: JEDNO RAZMIŠLJANJE U PRILOG TEZAMA SEMIRA OSMANAGIĆA ( Memento of 15 July 2015, Internet Archive )
  22. ↑ Bosnian Medieval Tombstones: Guide to the Reading of Bosnian Pyramids (translation of the Bosnian title)
  23. ↑ Amer Kovačević: Bosnian Stecci: The Reference to Bosnian Pyramids . February 19, 2008. (DOC file)
  24. ↑ Amer Kovačević: Bosnian Stecci: The Reference to Bosnian Pyramids . February 19, 2008.
  25. ^ Semir Osmanagic: The World of the Maya .
  26. ↑ Bosnian pyramids in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Coordinates: 43 ° 59 ′ 19 ″  N , 18 ° 10 ′ 18 ″  E