The Enigmatic Pyramid Age

The Great Pyramid is the pinnacle of the Age of Pyramids and it represents that era’s greatest enigma. However, there are more than 100 pyramids in Egypt to ponder. Some of them -- the 2nd pyramid next to it on Giza -- and the Red Pyramid of Abusir are nearly as large.

However, the other great mystery of the age of pyramids, in general, is the fact that they appear worldwide. Why would disparate, ancient cultures think to build this unusual form of architecture around the globe?

Historians opine that it was some unconscious, collective impulse or that they were simply reflecting the shape of mountains. Those proposals hardly account for the identical phenomenon appearing in cultures worldwide.

We find these unique structures in such far flung countries as Mexico, Peru, SE Asia, Spain and China. In recent decades people around the world have become more aware of them, largely because of the Internet.

They stand like beacons quietly broadcasting messages embedded within them during that lost and forgotten epoch of history. Are we ready to decipher them?

Mexico

Like Egypt, ancient Mexico guards the secrets of that remote era we seek to penetrate. Unlike Egypt there were many early civilizations that built stone pyramids and temples in this mysterious land.

Those include the oldest, the Olmecs, Maya, and the last pyramid culture, the Aztecs. Also the majority of the pyramids in Mexico were built on a human scale.

Chichen Itza

The El Castillo pyramid is located in the Yucatan region of southeastern Mexico. This area was part of the Maya domain. Many sacred sites can be found throughout the Yucatan. Its physical presence does not overwhelm as does the Great Pyramid, El Castillo was built on a human scale. Its dimensions harmonize with our senses and minds.

Though the pyramid itself does not overpower us, one feature built into the pyramid does inspire awe and wonder. The mystery here is, partially revealed and partially concealed, or embedded is perhaps a better term to describe the phenomenon.

If one goes beyond the obvious design of the pyramid one finds that it was built to be a calendar set in stone. How was this affect achieved and how is it observed?

 First, like almost all pyramids, El Castillo has four sides which represent the seasons and directions. However, this pyramid makes the passage of each very clear by including a stairway on each side. Counting the number of steps we discover that each has exactly 91.

That is the number of days in each season. Adding them together we find the sum is 364; then the final step onto the platform that held the solar temple equals the number of days in a year, 365.

The Maya were astute mathematicians and astronomers they knew a year was a bit more and calculated it to two places, 364.24.  Another way to derive the year, from the pyramid, is to multiply the 4 sides by 13, the latter being the number of weeks in a season. That yields 52 obviously the number of weeks in a year. (female year)

The Maya did not build this pyramid to symbolize a mountain they built it to reflect the passage of time. However, they also went far beyond simply embodying a calendar in the El Castillo pyramid.

Their architects and engineers, embedded a specific feature, a natural phenomenon that only occurs twice a year in the architecture of the pyramid.

On Sept. 21 and again on March 21, the spring and fall equinox, people arrive at the site in large numbers to witness a spectacular display. It is exactly on these two days every year that a riveting interplay of light and shadow ripple up or down the pyramid. (Insert)

The display is stunning but the amount of knowledge required to create it far exceeds that superlative. In order to achieve that effect one would have to know what the dimensions the pyramid would need to be to intercept the sunlight.  

Moreover, to intercept a ray of sunlight so that it hit the pyramid in one specific place. Clearly, the angle of the slope had to be predetermined as well as did the exact length of the staircase and body of the serpent.  

The sheer number of calculations needed to build the pyramid to the exact specifications required to produce this display are mind- boggling!

Without a doubt El Castillo was built to be a calendar set in stone. It embodies an enormous amount of sophisticated mathematical, astronomical, architectural and engineering knowledge.

The question is when and from where did the Maya obtain it? Why did they and the Olmecs and others build pyramids?  

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Peru, El Caral

Tourists flock to the Peruvian highlands to see the majestic sites of Sacsayhuaman and Machhu Picchu. However, coastal Peru perhaps holds the keys that could help unlock the deepest mysteries of the ancient past.

Caral is is the oldest known city in the Americas. It was developed at the same time as the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt, about 5000 years ago. The ruins are among Peru’s most impressive. The site was discovered in 1948, fairly recently, in the archaeological time frame.  

Excavations subsequently revealed an elaborate complex of temples, sunken plazas and some of the largest terraced pyramids in the world. The center of the complex consists of a main public area with six large, step-pyramids arranged around a huge plaza.

The largest of the pyramids was located in the central position of the precinct. It is 60 feet high, the base measures 450 x 500 feet, covering an area nearly the size of four football fields.

From the top of the great pyramid, the rulers of Caral would have been able to monitor the entire city.  A 29-foot wide staircase opens into a series of small rooms, which include an atrium and a sacred altar. The altar room has a small hole in the floor, in which it appears that offerings were once burned.

Some features of the Caral society that were passed on to later Peruvian peoples include the quipu, a series of knotted strings used for keeping records in the absence of any written language.

Caral itself is just one of some 18 ancient settlements in Peru’s Supe Valley.  

Nazca

.Largely known for its enigmatic Nazca Lines, the culture that etched them into the ground also built a pyramid complex. Lying south of Caral in the arid, coastal desert we find the ruins of Cahuachi.

The site contains over 40 mounds topped with adobe structures. The huge architectural complex covers 0.6 sq. miles (1.5 km2). Cahuachi, exhibits mounds and room constructions, a structure called the “Great Temple”,

The most important and most magnificent city of this civilisation was Cahuachi located on the west of Nasca valley, 24 km (15 miles) way from modern city of Nasca. It is still undergoing excavations. Today the remaining buildings of the city consist of:

· Grand Pyramid, which measures 28 meters (92 feet) in height and 100 meters (328 feet) in width. It includes seven levels and was used for religious ceremonies

· Temple of Stairs (Templo del Escalonado), which measures  5 meters (16 feet) in height and 25 meters (82 feet) in width

· 40 adobe mounds and structures

There was a necropolis near the city where the scientists discovered intact burials, mummies with red hair, and various items that were usually put into the graves (pottery, cloths, ornamentals, etc.). All discoveries are displayed in the Archaeological Museum Antonini (Museo Arqueológico Antonini) in Nasca.

While the geoglyphs the get the lion’s share of attention, the Nazca people created a much more mysterious phenomenon. I am referring to their water management system and especially to the spiral wells.

Nazca engineers designed an ingenious way to overcome the extremely dry conditions of the desert. In fact, so advanced was it that it still exists and works to this day.

Spiral Wells

These spiral holes were long a source of mystery to archaeologists. Their function has only been discovered in recent years via research aided by satellite imagery. The researchers found that the puquios served as part of a vast hydraulic system that carried water in underground canals to wherever it was needed.

Apparently, the puquios worked by causing air to be pulled down into an underground canal system—the wind helped to push the water through the system - which meant they served as passive pumps.

The team noted that this meant that the underground water system allowed the people access to water year-round. It also showed that the Nazca were technically advanced engineers and extremely well organized.

Indonesia

This archipelago island-nation of over 17,000 islands boasts a rich megalithic past. Nonetheless, we are going to focus on several notable pyramids here in this section.

In recent years Gunang Padang has taken the anthropological world by storm.

It all began in 2011 when Geologist Danny Hilman Natwidjaj took a second look at the pyramidal-shaped hill rising up from the mists of the surrounding, tropical jungle.

It suddenly looked different, not like the familiar hill he knew.

In fact it was an in ancient mystery hiding in plain sight. Gunang Padang looked like a natural formation in one moment; then like a pyramid in the next. That instant set the geologists life on a new course. He decided the ‘hill’ needed to be scientifically evaluated using state-of-the-art geological equipment.  

What Hilman found first shocked him, and then the staid world of archaeology, when he made his findings public. Quite innocently, the geologist set off a firestorm of controversy that is still reverberating throughout the historical community six years later.  

Using ground penetrating radar, seismic tomography, resistivity survey and other remote sensing techniques -- as well as some direct excavations and deep core drilling -- Hilman’s equipment returned surprising results:

Gunang Padang turned out to be a buried pyramid that was built between 9,000 and even up to 20,000 years ago. That would make if far older than the pyramids of Egypt, a stunning revelation indeed.

The preliminary results unnerved historians because they would have to rewrite history once again. Just at the time they were assimilating the new chronology forced upon them by Gobleki Tepi.

The site is located on the Indonesian island of Java, about 120 kilometers from the main city, Jakarta. However, the modern geologist’s advanced technologies showed evidence of human-made chambers that returned carbon-dating results extending as far back as 26,000 years.

If verified, this claim would force another ancient history rethink.

A two-year excavation project followed Hilman’s initial study. It uncovered a network of halls, gateways, stairs and corridors. According to him, Gunung Padang is “a masterpiece of architecture, and proof of an intelligent and extremely advanced civilization.”

As the Chinese would say we live in exciting times…

Located at an elevation of 885 meters (2903’), above sea level. The site is comprised of a series of terraces bordered by stone retaining walls. Access is made possible by 400 granite (andesite) steps rising about 95 meters (311’).  

Geologist, Robert Schoch (of Sphinx re-dating fame) visited the site at Danny Hilman’s request in 2014.  Schoch later wrote,

“The mountain is composed of igneous andesite lava rocks, which formed some millions to tens of millions of years ago. As the lava cooled, it created structures known as columnar joints, and this is the key to understanding Gunung Padang.” (Atlantis Rising magazine, March/April 2014.)

Why did the famous, and controversial geologist, make this important claim? Columnar joints form as lava cools and contracts, they naturally do so organizing in a variety of geometrical shapes.

However, the main point Schoch made was that the naturally formed columns stand upright in a vertical formation.  This is shown in the following insert.

The columnar joints remain in this vertical formation unless disturbed by an earthquake or human rearrangement. However, at Gunang we find the granite columns lying horizontally on the ground or in horizontal stacks.  

In his article, Schoch added,

“At Gunung Padang I observed the same building techniques. Rock columns had been carefully separated from each other and used to build a structure that overall appears to be a rough, step-pyramid.”

The argument is a strong rebuttal against the assertions of critics who claim that Gunang is nothing more than a natural formation.

Then as the intriguing 2-year excavation story was unfolding the plug was pulled in 2014. The reasons given for why the investigation was abruptly halted seemed more like vague evasions.

Rumors began to circulate which claimed that a member of the research team, Andi Arief and a former official Bambang Yudhono, had mentioned something about an important discovery.

The story alluded to a ‘one of a kind in the world; find that involved very “advanced technology.” As the rumor circulated an article titled ‘Archaeologists Slam Excavation of Gunang Padang Site’ was published in the Jakarta Post on Sept. 24, 2014. It contained the following quotes:

“Based on observations by The Jakarta Post, a number of Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers had used hoes in the excavation at eastern and western parts of Gunung Padang, until the inner part of the site appeared.  A member of the National Team for the Preservation and Management of the Gunung Padang Site, Danny Hilman, said the excavation had revealed an underground room built by humans in the prehistoric era. Underneath, sand as thick as two meters was found between andesite rocks. The sand should have turned into fossil rock,' said Danny, who is also a researcher from the Geotechnology Research Center at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).”

The newspaper, on site investigation and subsequent article, had been prompted by criticisms of the excavation. The negative comments came from archaeologists. The timing seemed not only curious but suspicious.

As Hilman told the reporter, the team had come across a room that he claimed was built by humans in prehistory. At the time he also wrote the following description of the team’s progress:  

“We have excavated three more spots right on top of the megalithic site in the past couple weeks, which give more evidence and details about the buried structures.  We have uncovered lots more stone artifacts from the excavations. 

The existence of the pyramid-like structure beneath the megalithic site is now loud and clear; even for non-specialists, it is not too difficult to understand if they come and see for themselves. 

We have found some kind of open hall buried by soil 5-7 meters thick; however we have not yet got into the main chamber.  We are now drilling to the suspected location of the chamber (based on subsurface geophysic) in the middle of the megalithic site.”

All of the above takes place in 2014, then the excavation is brought to a full stop. That state of affairs has persisted to this point in time, the winter of 2017. Of course, this twist has added a new level of mystery and intrigue to the Gunang Padang pyramid site.

What exactly did the team encounter during their underground excavations?

According to head researcher Arief, “Now we have proof of an inner chamber in Terrace 5, but there are still many more chambers to be discovered.”  

The public statements by Hilman and Arief’s, taken from twitter, are intriguing to say the least. However, they begin and end there, like a cliffhanger to be continued…but we know not when.

The published results of the early survey conducted in 2012 showed the following:

1) The site was dated 6,500 years BP (before present) by carbon radiometric dating at 3–4 meters below the surface (12,500 years at 8 to 10 meters below the surface), and the artifacts at the surface date to about 4,800 years BP.

2) Based on geoelectric, georadar, and geomagnetic testing, at least up to 15 meters from the surface there is construction with large chambers.

3) Unlike the south side with its 5 stone terraces, the east side has 100 stone terraces with width and height of 2x2 meters. The west side also has stone terraces but is still covered by soil and bush, and the north side has, in addition to a 1.5 meter-wide stair, terraces also.

4) The site area is approximately 25 hectares, in contrast for example to Borobudur Temple, which occupies only 1.5 hectares.

Wall-side construction of the terraces is similar to that of Machu Picchu in Peru. Gunang Padang may yet reveal more of our planets ancient past.

Candi Sukh

The Cani Sukoh temple complex is also located on Mount Lawu, on the border between the proveinces of Central and Eastern Java. The main structure of Sukuh temple is like no other ancient edifice in Indonesia.

We find a truncated pyramid that bears an uncanny resemblance to Maya pyramids. The monument is surrounded by monoliths and very well-crafted carved, life-sized statues.

The Sukuh complex stands out because it does not follow the elements of typical Hindu (Wsstua Vidya) architecture.

Those temples usually have a rectangular or square shape. However this temple was laid out in the shape of a trapezium with three terraces, one elevated above the others.

A stone stairway rises through the front side of the pyramid to its summit. The only object recovered from the summit was a 1.82-meter linga (Hindu) statue bearing an inscription.

Among others, one relief portraying a Kris blade, an eight-pointed sun, and a crescent moon was found decorating the statue. The blade referred to is a dagger found in Malaysia and Indonesia. That is of some interest, however it is the eight 8-rayed sun and crescent moon that are of much greater interest to us here.

The eight-point sun symbol represented the goddess Inanna, Sumerian queen of the heavens. In an earlier chapter, we found that Sumer was the founder civilization and therefore the origin of that symbol. The Hindus adopted it later and obviously transmitted it to Indonesia during the period it embraced Hinduism,

In addition it is obviously not by any happenstance that the pyramid of Candi Sukoh and its Mayan counterpart are nearly identical. We are looking at a shape that was employed worldwide.

However, historians cannot really account for this fact in any convincing way.

In part, because they deny that there was contact between such remote cultures,

separated by and ocean, in ancient times. Also because they reject the idea that there may have been a unified, ancient global civilization in fact.

However, once again the evidence suggests otherwise as does common sense. It is all but impossible to explain how human cultures worldwide came up with this geometrical shape independently. Yet explaining that they simply adopted it from a source culture seems logical.  

Finally, it would appear that we have long been fixated on the geometry of the pyramidal shape. Due to that overriding focus we may have missed the key piece of information that it conveys, the trapezoid.

Each face of a step-pyramid forms a trapezium from the truncated top to the ground. That was the form of the ziggurat of Anu the platform of the temple, also the shape of the Great Pyramid….