What if the world’s oldest pyramid wasn’t in Egypt, but in Indonesia? Gunung Padang, a mysterious site in West Java, could be just that. Although it looks like a simple hill covered in dense vegetation, beneath its surface lies a massive ancient structure—one that could rewrite human history.

Recent studies using ground penetrating radar (GPR), seismic tomography and archaeological excavations suggest that Gunung Padang is a multi-layered pyramid, built over thousands of years. The topmost layer, visible today, consists of stone columns, walls, pathways and open spaces, dating back to around 3,000 to 3,500 years ago (1000 BC). But deeper layers reveal even more surprising discoveries.

At a depth of 3 meters, a second layer of columnar basalt blocks has been dated to between 7,500 and 8,300 years ago (about 6,000 BC) — predating the earliest known civilizations. Below that, a third layer extends 15 meters deep and is estimated to be about 9,000 years old. Even more surprising, a fourth layer, according to C14 radiocarbon dating, may be as old as 28,000 years — pushing human civilization back much further than recorded history.

The discovery challenges conventional archaeology, which has traditionally held that humans were primitive hunter-gatherers at the time. Gunung Padang suggests that advanced societies may have existed much earlier than we thought. Researchers believe that before the end of the last Ice Age, a vast landmass called Sundaland stretched across present-day Indonesia. As sea levels rose 14,000 years ago, much of it was submerged—potentially hiding hundreds of lost civilizations beneath the waves.

Could Gunung Padang hold the key to unlocking our forgotten past? With three underground chambers yet to be explored, the secrets of this ancient pyramid are still waiting to be revealed.