Most people have heard about the pyramids of Egypt. Many are also aware of the stepped pyramids of Central and South America. But what about pyramids in Eastern Europe?
Last year Semir Osmanagic, a Bosnian-American businessman and amateur archaeologist, announced to the world that he had discovered pyramids near the town of Visoko, 30km northeast of Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Where locals had seen unusually-shaped hills, he claimed to see five pyramids. The biggest, Visocica Hill, renamed the "Pyramid of the Sun" by Mr Osmanagic, when viewed from the right angle, looks much like a square-based pyramid. It reportedly rises somewhere between 70 and 220 metres high – taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt.
Evidence?
Initial investigations at the base of the Sun pyramid, said Mr Osmanagic, found proof in the presence of "man-made" blocks and "polished slabs" forming terraces and stairways.
The peaks of other nearby hills, named the "Pyramid of the Moon" and "Pyramid of the Dragon", are said to form the corners of an equilateral triangle.
Two further "pyramids" within the same area were named "Pyramid of Love" and "Temple of Earth" earlier this year. All are reported to have their sides aligned with the points of the compass.
In April this year his team of volunteers started official excavations in the "Bosnian Valley of Pyramids". In addition to more blocks, by sinking shafts they have investigated a network of "tunnels" or caves, which he says connect the pyramids. The dig has been largely funded by Osmanagic, who is now seeking investors.
Controversy
This discovery has met with fierce opposition from the academic community, not least because of Osmanagic's bold claim that the pyramids are 12,000 years old and evidence of a previously unknown advanced civilisation – a claim for which he currently has insufficient proof.
Traditional research says that during this time Europeans were living in huts or caves in a very primitive society and would be unable to build such grand structures. So far no artefacts associated with the "pyramid builders" have been found.
The president of the European Association of Archaeologists, Prof. Anthony Harding, in a letter to the UK newspaper The Times described the theories as "absurd".
Bosnian geologists from the University of Tuzla investigated the site and concluded it was a completely natural geological formation, with similar landforms common in the region.
Even some alternative historians who have visited the site, such as Dr Robert Schoch, famous for re-dating the Sphinx, are sceptical.
There are even rumours of foul-play – fabrication of evidence and the promotion of the interest of international experts in the project.
The area is rich in archaeological relicts from the Stone age, Roman and mediaeval times. The ancient capital of Bosnia is located on the top of Visocica Hill, but remains un-explored.
Many scientists are concerned that the rather heavy-handed "pyramid" excavations and planned restorations may destroy much of this important cultural history.
Tourism
While there is at present no scientific evidence that there are pyramids in Bosnia, it has at least had a positive impact on the local economy.
Tourism has massively increased and the locals have opened new hotels, cafes and souvenir stalls to cash in on the attraction. The Bosnian government and local council have openly supported the project.
Despite the criticism, Mr Osmanagic seems unperturbed. He plans to continue excavations and open the area as the "Bosnian Valley of Pyramids Archaeological Park" in 2008, with the ambition of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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