9 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New evidence suggests Indonesia’s Gunung Padang could be world’s oldest known pyramid

Gunung Padang, a  colossal megalithic structure nestled in the lush landscapes of West Java, Indonesia, could be the world’s oldest pyramid. Recent research suggests that this ancient site may predate Egypt’s famous pyramids and is even older than the stone wonders of Türkiye’s Göbekli Tepe.

A team of archaeologists, geophysicists, geologists, and paleontologists affiliated with multiple institutions in Indonesia has found evidence showing that Gunung Padang is the oldest known pyramid in the world.

The group describes their multi-year study of the cultural heritage site in their article published in the interdisciplinary archeology journal Archaeological Prospection in October.

Gunung Padang, also known as the “mountain of enlightenment”, sits at the top of an extinct volcano and is considered a sacred site by locals. In 1998, Gunung Padang was declared a national cultural heritage site.

Led by geologist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja and his team at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, the new research suggests that Gunung Padang dates back to the last Ice Age, around 25,000 to 14,000 years ago.

Gunung Padang sits at the top of an extinct volcano and is considered a sacred site by locals. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM JATILUHURONLINE
Gunung Padang sits at the top of an extinct volcano and is considered a sacred site by locals. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM JATILUHURONLINE

The oldest construction of the pyramid likely “originated as a natural lava hill before being sculpted and then architecturally enveloped”, according to the team. This makes Gunung Padang at least 16,000 years old.

The pyramid was finished between 2,000 BC and 1,100 BC, according to the study.

More specifically, the researchers discovered evidence of several efforts that, when combined over time, resulted in a completed structure. The first was sculpted lava, in which builders carved shapes into the top of a small, dead volcano. Another group added a layer of bricks and rock columns several thousand years later, sometime between 7900 and 6100 BCE. Another group later added a dirt layer to part of the hill, covering some of the earlier work. Then, between 2000 and 1100 BCE, another group added additional topsoil, stone terracing, and other elements.

The study challenges conventional beliefs by highlighting the advanced masonry capabilities exhibited by the builders of Gunung Padang. Contrary to expectations based on traditional hunter-gatherer cultures, the research reveals the existence of advanced construction practices during the last glacial period.

(a) Aerial view of Gunung Padang taken from a helicopter. (b) Topography and site map generated from a detailed geodetic survey. (c) Geology map of the Gunung Padang region (Sudjatmiko, 1972). (d) Orthophoto map obtained from a drone survey conducted in 2014, indicating the locations of trenching sites (white rectangles) and core-drilling sites (red dots). T1, Terrace 1; T2, Terrace 2; T3, Terrace 3; T4, Terrace 4; T5, Terrace 5. Credit: Archaeological Prospection (2023). DOI: 10.1002/arp.1912
(a) Aerial view of Gunung Padang taken from a helicopter. (b) Topography and site map generated from a detailed geodetic survey. (c) Geology map of the Gunung Padang region (Sudjatmiko, 1972). (d) Orthophoto map obtained from a drone survey conducted in 2014, indicating the locations of trenching sites (white rectangles) and core-drilling sites (red dots). T1, Terrace 1; T2, Terrace 2; T3, Terrace 3; T4, Terrace 4; T5, Terrace 5. Credit: Archaeological Prospection (2023). DOI: 10.1002/arp.1912

The research team conducted a long-term, scientific study of the structure for this new study. They studied the structure using seismic tomography, electrical resistivity tomography, and ground-penetrating radar from 2011 to 2015. They also drilled down into the hill and collected core samples, which allowed them to use radiocarbon dating techniques to determine the ages of the hill’s layers.

The research team has also found some evidence suggesting there might be some hollow parts inside the structure, suggesting possible hidden chambers. They plan to drill down to them and then lower a camera to see what might be in these areas.

“Gunung Padang stands as a remarkable testament, potentially being the oldest pyramid in the world,” said the researchers in the paper.

DOI: 10.1002/arp.1912

Related Articles

Hidden past of Ani ruins in eastern Turkey to be uncovered by excavations

31 May 2021

31 May 2021

Archaeological excavations will reveal the historical mystery behind the ruins of Ani on the present-day Turkey-Armenia border. The Ani archaeological...

Rare Indian Jital Coin Found in Elite Female “Princely” Grave Near Suzdal

3 September 2025

3 September 2025

Archaeologists working in the medieval necropolis of Gnezdilovo, near Suzdal — a historic town in today’s Vladimir Oblast, Russia —...

Game Bone Stones from a Roman Military Strategy Game Found in Hadrianopolis Ancient City, Türkiye

10 January 2025

10 January 2025

During the excavations in Hadrianopolis Ancient City in Eskipazar district of Karabük, 2 bone game stones belonging to the military...

A woman in Norway found Viking-age 1000-year-old hoard in basement

20 April 2023

20 April 2023

A woman in Norway cleaned her parents’ home, she found 32 iron ingots dating to the Viking or early Middle...

Sicilian Seas Yield Rare Roman Helmet from 241 BC Naval Clash

5 September 2025

5 September 2025

In a remarkable underwater archaeological recovery that highlights Sicily’s rich cultural heritage, a bronze Montefortino‐type helmet was retrieved from the...

Time Team Cracks Sutton Hoo Mystery: ‘Master Count’ Bucket Was a Burial Urn

20 May 2025

20 May 2025

In a remarkable breakthrough at the historic Sutton Hoo site in Suffolk, England, archaeologists have revealed that a 6th-century Byzantine...

Japan Researchers Uncover Lost Villa Believed to Belong to First Roman Emperor

19 April 2024

19 April 2024

Researchers from the University of Tokyo have discovered a nearly 2,000-year-old building at a site with ancient Roman ruins buried...

Medieval Mummy Seized in Niğde, Türkiye, Amidst Smuggling Crackdown

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Authorities in Türkiye have detained six individuals in the Bor district of Niğde, who were allegedly attempting to sell an...

A 1,300-year-old necklace is the ‘richest of its type ever uncovered in Britain’

6 December 2022

6 December 2022

Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) archaeologists have found a “once-in-a-lifetime” 1,300-year-old gold and gemstone necklace dating back to 630-670 AD...

2,000-Year-Old Iron Age and Roman Treasures Found in Wales Could Point to an Unknown Roman Settlement

12 May 2023

12 May 2023

A metal detectorist found a pile of exceptionally preserved Roman and Iron Age objects buried 2,000 years ago in a...

Early humans appreciated geometry and symmetry and were intentionally crafting spherical shapes 1.4 million years ago, according to a new study

7 September 2023

7 September 2023

An examination of 150 round, baseball-sized stones discovered at a site where early humans lived 1.4 million years ago shows...

13,000-year-old Clovis campsite discovered in Michigan

10 September 2021

10 September 2021

In St. Joseph County, independent researcher Thomas Talbot and University of Michigan scholars uncovered a 13,000-year-old Clovis campsite, which is...

Gold coin hoard discovered in a cup beneath a North Yorkshire kitchen floor is being auctioned off

7 September 2022

7 September 2022

A couple in North Yorkshire found an early 18th-century gold coin hoard buried under the floorboards of their kitchen. The...

The oldest trace of human activity discovered in North America dates back 23,000 years

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

A recent fossil footprint found in New Mexico, the United States, indicates that humans existed in North America about 23,000...

Researchers reveal the 4,500-year-old network of funerary avenues in Arabian Peninsula

15 January 2022

15 January 2022

Archaeologists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) have determined that people living in ancient northwest Arabia built long-distance “funerary...