The excavation to evaluate the anomaly detected by the ground penetrating radar (GPR) in the Ravne Labyrinth

TAG: pyramids, Bosnia, Bosnian Pyramids, Visoko civilization, pyramids, archeology, artifact, grave, tomb, SBRG, SB Research Group

Unfortunately during this period, the brave volunteers inside the Ravne tunnels are struggling with this excavation. The excavation is being hampered by a constant flow of water from an underground source, which was diverted to the surface some time ago to maintain a constant supply to the fountain near the tunnel entrance.

Thanks to the excellent skills of documentary film maker, Richard Hoyle, who is involved in the excavation, we have some idea of the difficulties the whole team face.

 Fig. 1 - Some volunteers at work  including Justin F. Kerby (centre) and Rókus Ármin (on the left with the white helmet) our Hungarian collaborator (Photo R.Hoyle)

After digging a surface canal to pass over the assumed tomb (or other structure), the volunteers are trying to place a new tube that will not hinder the excavation. They are trying to expose one side of the structure within which they could then use optics fibers to explore the interior.

 Fig. 2 - The work to move the drain tube continues in the mud. Justin F. Kerby and Rókus Ármin (Photo R.Hoyle)

The drain tube, which at this point would pass over the grave for 50 cm, would prevent water damage to the artifact.

The archaeologist Acconci who heads the excavation, is anxious that water could penetrate inside the structure and ruin its contents.

  Fig.3  - Justin F. Kerby and Rókus Ármin at work. They are part of the team that is working to bring to light the structure located under floor level in the Ravne tunnels, they are working under the direct supervision of SBRG and  Foundation archaeologist, S.Acconci (Photo R. Hoyle)

So far, the very compact clay soil has protected the so-called "anomaly" from the filtration of liquids and it still does. It is very important to work in a dry environment in order to perform a proper stratigraphy that allows a dating of the structure.

If the “anomaly” turned out to be a tomb, it would be relatively easy to date the human remains found inside. If it was something else, then the stratigraphy becomes critical to understand how long the structure has been present inside the tunnels.

Paolo Debertolis - July 29, 2011

First preparations to begin the exploratory excavation of the “tomb” in Ravne Labyrinth

TAG: pyramids, Bosnia, Bosnian Pyramids, Visoko civilization, pyramids, archeology, artifact, grave, tomb, SBRG, SB Research Group

We received the first daily report by the archaeologist responsible for the excavation, Sara Acconci.
The area has been cordoned off and isolated from the rest of Ravne Labyrinth. Some members of  SBRG and the Foundation of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun are present day and night to protect the important structure below the soil.

 Fig. 1 - Photo made before excavations started. Above from left to right: Axel Drioli (assistant surveyor SBRG ), Justin F. Kerby (voluntary), Sara Acconci (SBRG and Foundation of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun archaeologist), Carmine Barisano (SBRG archaeologist), Paolo Debertolis (SBRG medical anthropologist), Richard Hoyle (geology student and independent documentary filmmaker), Rókus Ármin (SBRG collaborator). Below: Alfredo Bertan (worker and SBRG photographer)

A calculation of the size and characteristics of the excavation has been performed. Below is a draft of the project from the chief archaeologist, Sara Acconci.

 Fig. 2 - The draft of the excavation prepared by Sara Acconci

A wooden structure has been built to protect the “tomb” this has been placed over the excavation to prevent falling stones from the ceiling damaging the structure or affecting those who work in the excavation.

 Fig. 3 - The wooden structure built to protect the excavation

The space available for moving has been calculated and, provided they do not meet unforeseen obstacles, they should be able to proceed without any problems.

 

 Fig. 4 - Picture of the start of the excavation (photo Richard Hoyle)

For now they have found a very compact clay in the soil wanted so by the builder of the structure for the first 30 cm below the surface.

Paolo Debertolis - July 26, 2011

 

Video of the excavation project:here

New and important historical discovery by our research group in the Ravne Labyrinth

TAG: pyramids Bosnia, Bosnian Pyramids, Visoko civilization, pyramids, archeology, artifact, grave, tomb, SBRG, SB Research Group

In the last month our research group in collaboration with the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation, has focused on the labyrinth of tunnels on the side of the pyramids. We had been suspecting the tunnels had been reused by a civilization different to the original builders, with a time range and centered around a hypothetical 4,000-3,500 BC (this was based on the few wooden remains found).

The labyrinth was closed for approximately 350 meters, filled with soil from floor to ceiling. It took nearly four years to free a good section. We suspected if someone had gone to such great length to close all tunnels, it meant that there must have been something very important to hide.

We came up with the idea to dig even under the decking if something was found there, so we decided to carefully analyze the entire area with a ground penetrating radar (GPR). As everyone knows this is a wonderful machine, but if you pass with the device just a little out of the target you can loose a lot of  important "anomalies" below the subsurface.

After a detailed and minute work we found the resounding "anomaly" we had been looking for a long time. The anomaly found by GPR within the tunnels was a very ancient tomb with two chambers overlapping 2 meters long, well planted in the ground 4.5 meters for a width of one meter and a half.

After spending and rehearsed above, the echoes became more precise and finally we clarified the structure, with a morphology never seen before: two little chambers overlapped, entirely of stone with an appearance similar to two lozenges one below the other with the (hypothetical) remains suspended on a layer in the space in the middle of every chamber.

To the side of the structure was placed some filling material with pebbles for water drainage and there is a whole system of support which is surrounding the main structure holding together the stone sheets. It is clear that these chambers contain two important people. A king and his queen? But it is not right to jump to conclusions, even if we would like this idea.

We will soon see what the content because excavations under the direction of archaeologist of  SBRG and the Bosnian Foundation, dr. Sara Acconci started immediately.

It has been a year of hard work for us in the SBRG, but in the end we arrived at these results that cut cleanly the criticisms of those people who have always supported the futility of our presence in Bosnia. The Italian mission and our school, however, has always held high the name of our Country here and we are really proud of this. Our group has become a European research group with the more people added to the team.

Returning to the artifact, below is a picture of the GPR section of the anomaly, one of many obtained in the last days, which could serve as a two-dimensional diagram of ‘the tomb’.

 Fig. 1 - The image shown on the monitor of the GPR

Now a hypothetical three-dimensional reconstruction of the anomaly according to the different sections draw by the GPR operator.

 Fig. 2 - Three-dimensional reconstruction of the hypothetical double tomb (design by architect V. Di Gregorio)

An analysis of the subsoil by the ground penetrating radar, we discovered signs of an attempt to violate ‘the tomb’. Below is a 10 meters long picture by GPR, you can see the pit made by the robbers and the appearance of different soil, maybe gravel. The robbers dug up to 2.5 meters deep, but they were un able to find ‘the tomb’.

This attempt to violate the tomb was a vain attempt because the builders of the tomb, placed the tomb very wisely on the side of the excavation carried out. Probably these ancient tomb raiders were not aware of this fact and assumed that their target stood at the center of the trench where they made a central hole which totally missed their target. Consequently, the tomb is still untouched with its contents. This appears to have a large amount of metal, as this appeared in the upper chamber by discriminative metal detector owned by the GPR operator, arch. Di Gregorio.

 Fig. 3 - The pit dug by the ancient robbers is indicated by the red arrow

 Fig. 4 - Some pictures of the GPR analysis performed on the structure below the floor level of Ravne Labyrinth

We thought it was a tomb, but of course our hypothesis needs to be confirmed when we manage to penetrate the structure with fiber optics. The excavation team led by the lead archaeologist of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation is now working slowly but surely to create a space on the side of the structure, without compromising its safety.

We think in a couple of months we will have a definite answer. But now you can say it is a great discovery that erases the criticisms of the Bosnian pyramids.

We came up with the idea to search for a important grave when we saw the scratch marks on the walls in the tunnel further along the sealed portion of the labyrinth.

If someone was burried alive inside the tunnel the motivation could only have been for a very important reason. No thought was possible that someone had bothered to move tons and tons of earth just to punish someone. On the other hand we also know other historical episodes of this terrible habit to bury alive people next to the body of important people in other civilizations.

We were sure we would have found the reason for so much cruelty and this episode has so impressed us that those scratches were included in the logo of our research group, SBRG, as seen in the corner of all our photos of this article.

As you can see from the images of this artifact, the image of the pyramid continues to recur, this time in an upright position or inverted .

It is a symbol that we found very often in the artifacts of civilization Visoko: pyramids and equilateral triangles (see here).

Paolo Debertolis for the research group SBRG - July 25, 2011

Video with details of the discovery here

We thank arch. Vincenzo Di Gregorio for granting the use of  photographs of his GPR.

We also thank the extremely professional consulting of  arch. Gregory that led to the achievement of excellent results discussed in this article.
Thanks also to the editors of the magazine Runa Bianca who helped in the spread of this research.

Still checking on the "voice" of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun

TAG: pyramids Bosnia, Bosnian Pyramids, archaeoacoustics, Visoko civilization, pyramids, archaeology, ultrasounds, SBRG, SB Research Group

Introduction - It is difficult to imagine a more ill-fated mission than this. After our meting in Trieste, home of our group, we began to travel with uncertain weather, but on our first day in Visoko we immediately encountered a snowstorm. Snow in the Balkans is always abundant and this situation lasted throughout our stay.
It was very difficult to re-register the "voice" of the pyramid that comes from the apex of the Pyramid of the Sun. After reaching the top in the middle of the storm, we were met with an unwelcome surprise: the ultrasonic frequency appeared very faint, almost stentorian.

This time the group of researchers, aimed to trying to solve the mysteries of the Pyramid, had five members: the expedition leader, medical anthropologist, prof.agg. Paolo Debertolis, the scientific assistant, dr. Valeria Hocza and our photographer, mr. Andrea Venturini. Two medical students about to graduate also joined us: Vittoria Barbieri and Giovanni Chiriacò, that next summer will follow the physical examinations on volunteers who will participate in the excavations to assess their functionality before and after the stay of the Ravne tunnels and collaborating to assess whether there is really a change in vital signs in a positive way after a long stay in the vicinity of the megaliths.

For the latter line of research we are still developing a valid protocol that simultaneously possesses the characteristics of simplicity of implementation and reliability.
Unfortunately during our stay, our activities have been confined to areas such as the Ravne tunnel and the KTK tunnels, the latter with any excavation activities suspended, despite the considerable interest for its clear function of rapid transition to the pyramids.

Fig. 1 - The research team came from Trieste inside the tunnel Ravne, at the center, Dr. Sara Acconci, archaeologist, from time on site

But even in the Ravne tunnels our research attempts didn’t go so well. For a wrong initiative from the workers of  the Foundation, ie the attempt to expand a tunnel over the normal conformation for safety reasons, caused on the contrary a small collapse that has precluded momentarily the entry of the new section of the tunnels. Tunnels just recently explored as far as possible by archaeologist Sara Acconci together with an Italian archaeological caver, Marco.

We therefore had to focus on a careful study on megaliths found in Ravne tunnels achieving somewhat conspicuous results. So far there has never been an organic study done on these stones, but only “light” uncoordinated research. We will publish the preliminary results soon.

But coming back to our adventure on the Pyramid of the Sun in February 2011, we agreed that after we slipped on the ice with our jeep, suffered a severe cold and acquired several bruises by snow falls, the life of the researcher outside of the laboratory is certainly much more interesting than in the company of mice for clinical trials in front of a microscope.

Fig. 2 - Start the lift with a time that is coming increasingly to the worst (but for the next day was not much better). Missing of course our photographer who has done this and subsequent images

Of course in this case we also risked ending frozen.


 

Fig. 3 - As we were trying to trace the wind increased, the cloud layer and did not stop snowing

But there were also disappointments. In this case we were looking in spite of the storm, to maintain a certain rigor in the collection of records, but this time the results were much more modest than the last time in January.
For these measurements we tried to follow the instructions developed by our consultant for instrumentation, eng. Battistoni. But it was practically impossible to place the "marker" to delimit the area of observation and write in detail on a sheet constantly wet.

Fig. 4 - This is the situation that presented itself when we reached the top of the pyramid: the medieval town nestled in a picturesque, grim haziness

However, we tried to collect the sound after making sure that the cables were well placed, there was silence and the absence of spurious noises, there were no sources of anomalous transmission (mobile phones switched on), measured the time and place of registration, used three different operators placed in the same working conditions. Everything noted in the register compiled ad hoc.

Fig. 5 - In those moments when the snow decreased we tried to collect as much data as possible 

With regret we have found that while finding ourselves in adverse weather conditions not less than one month ago this time the pyramid did not want to sing for us and launched only soft noises like the sound of a distant train.

 
Fig. 6 - We tried to alternate ourselves as operators so as not to affect the search results. Here I begin collecting data followed by Giovanni Chiriacò

How to interpret these unsatisfactory results?
First, one can say that the phenomenon is not constant over time, but varies depending on some parameters unknown to us, perhaps the weather, even though there was snow in January 2011 and there was snow in February.

Fig. 7 - Here is Vittoria listening to the "voice" and I try to listen to other points in an enchanted landscape

Secondly, in view of the inconstancy of the emission of ultrasound, there is the need to observe the phenomenon for a longer period of time, without running the risk of operators and tools freezing, with repeated recording, at different hours of the day and under conditions of presence or absence of wind that might electrostatically charging the pyramid in a totally natural way.
All this tells us that you can not store the phenomenon of ultrasonic frequency emitted by the pyramid as an accepted fact, but as something in the making.

Fig. 8 - Despite our obstinacy at some point we had to retreat. With the fog and without seeing anything the risk of putting a foot wrong and injuring ourselves was very high

For making a serious scientific study, we therefore decided to return to the place in spring with the same instrumentation, which had already passed the stage of testing and for demonstrating some operational reliability. We have to repeat listening at different times of the day so as to create a table that generates a trend graph of the phenomenon, its possible rhythmicity or inconstancy.

In the appendix we should be noted we also tried to venture on Sonda Deset (probe n.5), located on the North side of the Pyramid of the Sun at an altitude much lower than the top. In January this location revealed a significant activity in the emission of ultrasounds, but after passing in front of Sonda Ćeteri and Pet (probe excavation number 4 and 5), proved inactive, we were unable to reach it due to difficult climatic conditions encountered, we therefore had to retreat to avoid the risk of  pneumonia.
But we could not notice that, perhaps for the characteristics of the material constitution (conglomerate), the snow took root with great difficulty on the surface of Sonda Pet (probe n.5).

Fig. 9 - We also tried to measure the ultrasonic emission in the various excavation probes of the Pyramid of the Sun, but the ice place just below the snow prevented a rise to the probe n.10,  which previously had proved much more interesting

So we decided that our next mission will be in April 2011, with the hope that at that time the climate would be much more forgiving.

Paolo Debertolis, Valeria M. Hocza – February 25, 2011

Bibliography

Paolo Debertolis, Giorgio A. Battistoni, Valeria M. Hocza: "We have recorded the 'voice' of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun", SBRG 2011
 

Note: the original recordings (treated) of the Voice of the Pyramid of the Sun are in menu "Documents" of this web site, which is reserved for registered users.

You can find the video of the experiment of January 2011 and the subsequent verification of February 2011, here