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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Bosnian explorer finds 'Europe's first pryramids |
| 2005-11-07 |
| Bosnian explorer Semir Osmanagic is convinced that he has found Europe's first pyramids, which he says are a new world wonder dating back to ancient times. "I was amazed when I first saw them. I'm deeply convinced now that this is the work of an ancient The 45-year-old is so certain that two pyramids are hidden in Visoko valley that he has spent some 16,000 euros ($20,000) researching the area, located either side of a river about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Bosnian capital. Residents of the nearby town of Visoko have long known about the presence of the two structures that they always referred to as 'pyramids' but none of them was ever intrigued enough to investigate further. Not as enlightend as folks in Roswell, eh? But Osmanagic, who says that he sharpened his eye for archaeology on numerous trips around the world to study ancient civilizations, insists that the structures "cannot be the art of nature". The self-styled explorer with an Indiana Jones-like hat and clothes began his Bosnian pyramid crusade in April this year after visiting the remnants of a medieval royal palace at the top of the hill. Hat and photo vest is a must. Osmanagic, a businessman and author of several books on other civilizations, says that the two "constructions" are precisely aligned with the compass to the four corners of the world. He says that he sees astonishing similarities between them and Mexican pyramids dating back to about AD 200, which also come in pairs, one representing the sun and the other the moon. This is why he calls Visocica hill "The Bosnian pyramid of the sun". Osmanagic says that he believes that builders from an unknown civilization shaped the hill into a 'step pyramid' then coated it with a kind of primitive concrete. The structure now stands some 70 meters (230 feet) high, with a square base that is 220 by 220 meters. After conducting initial probes about 17 meters into the earth that revealed "numerous anomalies in the soil", Osmanagic says that he returned to the site with a team of people to start his initial excavation work. Nadja Nukic, a geologist at the site, said that she was most puzzled by three layers of brown polished stone that lie an equal distance from each other underground. The team began excavating a few spots at the site this week, with the work expected to be completed in two weeks. They hope to be able to uncover one of the pyramid steps and larger pieces of the mysterious brown stone for further analysis. To back his insistence that the two structures are ancient pyramids, Osmanagic says that his diggers uncovered slabs of polished sandstone that formed the "paved entrance" to the structures. The director of the Visoko Historic Heritage museum, Senad Hodovic, admits that he is no skeptic. "The pyramids are obviously the work of man. But we need proper and serious analysis to show who built them and when." Hodovic says that he has spent years urging authorities to support archaeological research of the plateau of the hill, which is recorded in historic annals as the site of a medieval Bosnian town. He says that the shape and monumentality of the pyramids is not typical for middle-ages Bosnian constructions. Osmanagic, who has lived in the United States for the past 15 years where he runs a metal workshop business, says that he has no ambitions of becoming famous. No worries. "I'm not doing this for my own glory. I just want to encourage local authorities to seriously deal with this site which could become Bosnia's most profitable product," Osmanagic said. Thinking of profit, a successful local businessman recently bought most of the area on the plateau where 'pyramid entrance' lies. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #4 The 23,473th holiest site in Islam. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-11-07 19:41 |
| #3 The entire assertion that there is some sort of link between the various pyramid building civilizations of the ancient world is patently absurd, not to mention a testament to our modern hubris. Ask yourself this simple question: what is the easiest way to construct a very large building using Stone Age technology? The simple answer is a step pyramid. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-11-07 17:16 |
| #2 The size is not remarkable. There are many pre-Roman hillforts in southern england that cover large areas, as much as a square mile. However, he claims this pyramid is 12,000 years old, which would make it remarkable. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-11-07 16:06 |
| #1 He says that he sees astonishing similarities between them and Mexican pyramids dating back to about AD 200 Johnny-come-latelies. Poverty Point dates to 2,000BC. There are older earthworks -- including "pyramids" all over Europe. Osmanagic says that he believes that builders from an unknown civilization shaped the hill See Emerald Mound for another example. into a 'step pyramid' Like Monk's Mound, but with more terraces. then coated it with a kind of primitive concrete Called "clay". For a reconstructed example, see Chucalissa. If this guy gets a prehistoric site the attention it deserves, and maybe generates a little tourism money for Bosnia, he's done a great job. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-11-07 11:32 |