Bosnian Pyramid Update

Archaeology has another Bosnian Pyramid update. UNESCO is planning to send a team of archaeology experts to the location to investigate Mr. Osmanagic's claims that it is the site of the world's earliest pyramid. A number of European and American archaeologists (including myself) were signatories to a letter just sent to UNESCO that discusses Mr. Osmanagic's lack of professional credentials, the lack of evidence for any of his claims, the fact that no professionals familiar with the region's archaeology and history have been allowed to investigate the site, and that Mr. Osmanagic may suppressing legitimate archaeological discoveries that do not fit his theories. You can find the letter here.

Over the last several weeks I have been in touch with a number of concerned Bosnian citizens and experts who helped draft the UNESCO letter. There is clearly international concern here, and many Bosnians are fearful that Mr. Osmanagic's team is destroying Bosnian cultural history in an effort to prove a preconceived idea, rather than test the idea against evidence gathered with professional integrity.

I signed the letter largely to protest the fact that Mr. Osmanagic has no professional qualifications and should not be directing scientific excavations. As a professional in historic preservation I also share the concern of my Bosnian and other European colleagues who legitimately fear for the loss of important archaeological data: 1) because Osmanagic is not a professional and probably overlooks far more than he catalogs simply because he lacks professional training and experience in archaeology, and 2) like most amateurs out to prove something, he's undoubtedly destroying evidence that doesn't support his view. (By the way, I have the same concerns about "biblical archaeology" being conducted in the Mideast and being increasingly financed by biblical literalists - but that's a post for another time).