Draft:Gunung Padang Pyramid Claims

Gunung Padang, a megalithic site in the West Java area of Indonesia, is rumored to be proof of an ancient pyramid. The site covers an extinct volcano and a hill alongisde a series of multiple terraces. Archaeologists struggle to date the exact age of the site and while constructions are rumored to be anywhere from the 2nd to 8th centuries CE, pottery fragments found at the site were dated between 45 BCE - 22CE. The site is considered sacred by the Sundanese people who believe it was an attempt at building a palace overnight.

Gunung Padang is composed of five artificial terraces that occur at successively higher elevations, while becoming smaller with elevation, giving the appearance of a pyramid. The terraces are covered in basalt columns. The terrace complex is made accessible by a central stairway.

The site was originally described as early as 1915 by N.J. Krom and was described as a collection of terraces containing tombs, but the tombs were called into question. There have been no graves, human remains, or interments found at the sites.

The site was rediscovered and reported to Indonesian officials in 1979 by locals, which led to an investigation and some restorative work being done. The site was declared a heritage site in 1998, and in 2014 was declared a national cultural site following interpretations presented by Danny Hilman Natawidjaja.

Connections to Pseudo-archaeology

The theory that Gunung Padang is evidence of an ancient pyramid is considered pseudo-archaeology. The site was featured in an episode of "Ancient Apocalypse". a Netflix series by well-known journalist and pseudo-archaeologist Graham Hancock. The purpose of "Ancient Apocalypse" is to prove Hancock's theory of ancient civilizations dating back to the last Ice Age.

Hancock asserts that Gunung Padang is evidence of a lost civilization dating anywhere from 22,000 BCE - 9,000 BCE. Hancock does not consult an archaeologist in gathering evidence, rather citing Natawidjaja, a geologist and earthquake researcher. Hancock and Natawidjaja fail to report that most organic material could return a radiocarbon date, and datable material is not necessarily evidence of human culture. If they had found evidence of older human habitation, there would be no proof of the creation of megalithic structures.

Debunking

It is common for archeological sites to draw tourists to the country of origin, leading to financial gain being a possible cause of falsified and inconsistent data reporting.

Natawidjaja's research was not peer-reviewed and none of the radiocarbon dates or their stratigraphic context have been formally published. The estimated age of this site differs greatly between consulted publications, even though the publications are using the same data collection. His analysis has been questioned by other scientists and archeologists. It was suggested by Sutikno Bronto, a vulcanologist, that the carbon dating result was affected by weathering, and the revelation is the neck of a volcano.

It is widely accepted that the hexagonal or basalt columns were moved by man but were not man-made. Basalt columns are formed by cooling lava, undergoing a process called "columnar jointing".