There's a crazy man in Bosnia!! Can
someone please institutionalize him before he does any more harm?
 |
| Dr. Semir Osmanagich |
Fortunately, this deranged individual has
succeeded in bringing only 450,000
tourists (not millions) to Visoko in the ten years since he boasted to have
discovered ancient pyramids there in April 2005.
Perhaps you've heard of this madman: the
man who "discovered pyramids" in the small town of Visoko, Bosnia,
only a short distance from Zenica -- the town of his birth -- this Bosnian
native who loves his country so much he has been willing to lie to an
international audience for ten years and to try to fool a perspicacious international
scientific community into believing that there are ancient pyramids in Europe .
. .
Yes, I'm talking about Dr. Semir
Osmanagich, the Crazy Man of Bosnia.
Look at how one man has distorted a
country's entire real estate market. Here's an interview
with Amir Hota, owner of Cicko Nekretnine
(an agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina that deals with property transactions):
"'There is a big interest among
foreign citizens and governments to buy land near Visoko' . . . explained Hota. 'Visoko has become a tourist center due
to the pyramids, so foreigners are interested in buying land, houses in
Visoko and in the areas around it . . .'"
Madness!!
My friends, if you don't believe that Dr.
Osmanagich is crazy, perhaps you'll
believe the European Association of Archaeologists.
This venerable organization, full of
trustworthy academics, signed a
declaration on December 11, 2006 to have Dr. Osmanagich's archaeological excavations
in Visoko stopped, declaring:
 |
| Anthony Harding former president of the EAA |
"We, the undersigned professional
archaeologists from all parts of Europe, wish to protest strongly at the
continuing support by the Bosnian authorities for the so-called “pyramid”
project being conducted on hills at and near Visoko. This scheme is a cruel
hoax on an unsuspecting public and has no place in the world of genuine science."
My friends, if a notable organization
like the European Association of Archaeologists, whose membership extends into
the previous century -- yes, all the way back to 1994 -- with 11,000 members from 60 countries -- if this honorable Association
says that Semir Osmanagich is off his archaeological rocker, how much more evidence
does any of us need? Clearly, this man is crazy. Right?
Well, oddly, there are some questions. And
more than questions. The strange facts of the matter are these.
It turns out that the man who wrote this
libelous Declaration, Anthony
Harding, then President of the European Association of Archaeologists, spent 15
minutes looking at the geology of Visoko before holding a press conference offering
his unequivocal conclusion that there are no pyramids in Bosnia.
What did Harding's scientific team consist
of for that 15-minute local survey? Geologists? Archaeologists? Anthropologists?
No. A secretary and an administrator.
Hmm. Could it be that something is amiss
in Archaeology Land?
The below is excerpted from an article
titled, "The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch: Part 1
- The
Bosnian Pyramid Complex":
Interestingly,
before signing the above Declaration, none
of the archaeologists except for Harding visited the site.
Concerning his visit to the site, Anthony Harding himself stated that 1) he did not contact the archaeological team before his arrival, 2) he did not ask anyone on the Foundation's archaeological team to be shown the relevant digs and/or artifacts, and 3) he did not meet with anyone who could have shown him the relevant digs and/or artifacts.
To this date, Harding has provided no photographic evidence to back up his claim that he visited the site, and Harding has provided no photos or data to support his public conclusion on the pyramids hypothesis in Bosnia, a conclusion which, very oddly, he asks us to believe is "scientific." . . .
In the January/February 2007 issue of British Archaeology, a publication of the educational charity called The Council for British Archaeology, Professor Harding amplified his detraction in "The great Bosnian pyramid scheme," stating that any claims of pyramids in Bosnia "belonged to a fantasy world" and adding that "a manned landing on the (non-) planet Pluto in the next 20 years is more likely" than ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Harding admits that he drew his negative conclusion about ancient pyramids in Bosnia the first time he read about Dr. Osmanagich's archaeological project. It's true: Harding admits, in print, in his own article, that he dismissed the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia before looking at any data, before weighing any new evidence whatsoever on the Bosnian pyramids hypothesis. This is a startling admission for a scientist to make. Shocking.
We also know, without question, that Harding's visit to Visoko was meant solely to forestall criticism that he hadn't visited the project. We know this without question because he states it himself in his own article. Anthony Harding writes:
"In the days following my letter [to the London Times], I was bombarded with requests for information. As a result, I decided that I would take advantage of a visit to Zadar, Croatia, in early June to drive on to Sarajevo to discuss the situation with professional colleagues there. On our way down, Predrag Novakovic (EAA secretary), Sylvie Kvetinová (administrator) and I called in at the hill of Visocica, on the edge of the town of Visoko, and looked at the excavation trenches that had been opened. We did this solely in order to avoid the charge, already laid at our door, that we had condemned the project without seeing it for ourselves. [Bolding mine.] As we expected, we saw areas of natural stone (a breccia), with fissures and cracks; but no sign of anything that looked like archaeology. The cracking in the rock was similar to many exposures we had seen in the past on natural rock formations, and did not look anything like a human construction. Geologists who have seen the site have said the same; the hill is similar in formation to many others in the Sarajevo-Zenica mining basin."
Notice that Harding doesn't name these "trenches" that he tells us he has studied with his two colleagues (a secretary and an administrator – hey, that's better than nothing). How could he tell us the names of the trenches, when he never met with, or spoke with, the archaeologist who named them? And because he never told us the names of these trenches, scientists cannot be sure to which trenches he is referring. This is the opposite of science, which leaves a trail as plain as day.
Harding's admission of conclusion before study is absolutely shocking. And it leads us to wonder if he was able, in fact, to "study" any archaeological evidence at all in Visoko. Can a person study something about which he has already made a conclusion?
Imagine the hubris of a man who believes that his position as president of the European Association of Archaeologists obviates him from weighing evidence in making a scientific conclusion. Imagine what a man must think of himself to believe that his opinion should be taken as scientific conclusion and scientific fact. You have just imagined Anthony Harding. This is a man whom Robert Schoch, anti-science to his core, might idolize.
Oddly, Harding is still around. He is no longer president of the E.A.A., but he is still a professor of archaeology, influencing students year after year. Professor Harding's continuing belief (confirmed Friday, January 4, 2013 by his email response to my email query) from the pedestal of his academic position, is that there are no ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Can scientists have differing opinions about the Bosnian pyramids? Of course they can. Scientists are entitled to their opinions about anything and everything under the sun.
But science is a harsh mistress. She makes heavy and specific demands. None of the seven archaeologists listed above, including Anthony Harding, have complied with a single one of the many rigorous demands of science in the case of the Bosnian pyramids hypothesis. Not a single one of these scientists ever properly visited any of the Foundation's excavation sites. What does "properly visited" mean? It means "visited the sites with an open mind" and with an intent to gather and critique data.
What, then, are the views of these seven archaeological professionals, in early January of 2013, on the subject of ancient pyramids in Bosnia? What do these seven scientists have to say six years after trying very, very hard to take down an archaeological project that would in the end brilliantly survive their attacks and forever change human history?
From Anthony Harding and his six Declaration-signing colleagues, we have the following replies to my January 3, 2013 email request for a quote on the subject of pyramids in Bosnia. (Please note that none of the replies below are quotes but simply brief summaries of respondents' replies.)
1. Anthony Harding - Replied on January 4, 2013 to say that his views on the subject of pyramids in Bosnia have not changed and that he declines to be quoted in this article.
2. Romuald Schild - Replied on January 4, 2013 to say he has not followed the archaeological work on the Bosnian pyramids.
3. Jean-Paul Demoule - Replied on January 9, 2013 to give me the text of his 2007 article, "Les pyramides bosniaques" (Encyclopaedia Universalis, pp. 298-299). . . . He also replied to my further inquiry and gave me permission to quote his January 10, 2013 views on ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Demoule writes on January 10, 2013: "The [Archaeological Park] excavations have only found geological features and mining tunnels from the Middle Age. It is clear that it was never any prehistoric 'pyramid' in Visoko. [Bolding mine.] Bosnian prehistory is perfectly known as are known the paleolithic societies there 15.000 years ago. The expertise of the European Association of Archaeologists and of all the Bosnian professional archaeologists was perfectly clear and unanimous. The only interesting point in Visoko is the invention of a new national myth based on natural curiosities. The reason for my interest on this problem is my more general interest about the connexion and interrelations between archaeology and the actual societies, and the role, use and abuse of archaeology in national identities. Sincerely Jean-Paul Demoule"
4. Willem Willems - Has not replied.
5. Hermann Parzinger - Has not replied.
6. Vassil Nikolov - Has not replied.
7. Mike Heyworth - Has not replied.
Thus the majority – five out of seven – of the men who sought to shut down the Archaeological Park's work in Bosnia in 2006 have nothing to say on the subject six years and one month later. No shouts of victory, no satisfying list of concrete evidence that the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia was nothing more than myth, no scientific consensus that the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia was always just a fantasy. Nothing. Only silence.
From the other two, Harding and Demoule, we have categorical denials of pyramids in Bosnia, 1) without evidence and 2) without citation.
These seven men, remember, are the men who were so certain that there were no pyramids in Bosnia that they were willing to advise, in fact implore, Bosnian state and local governmental agencies to halt financial and promotional support for the Archaeological Park nonprofit foundation.
Concerning his visit to the site, Anthony Harding himself stated that 1) he did not contact the archaeological team before his arrival, 2) he did not ask anyone on the Foundation's archaeological team to be shown the relevant digs and/or artifacts, and 3) he did not meet with anyone who could have shown him the relevant digs and/or artifacts.
To this date, Harding has provided no photographic evidence to back up his claim that he visited the site, and Harding has provided no photos or data to support his public conclusion on the pyramids hypothesis in Bosnia, a conclusion which, very oddly, he asks us to believe is "scientific." . . .
In the January/February 2007 issue of British Archaeology, a publication of the educational charity called The Council for British Archaeology, Professor Harding amplified his detraction in "The great Bosnian pyramid scheme," stating that any claims of pyramids in Bosnia "belonged to a fantasy world" and adding that "a manned landing on the (non-) planet Pluto in the next 20 years is more likely" than ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Harding admits that he drew his negative conclusion about ancient pyramids in Bosnia the first time he read about Dr. Osmanagich's archaeological project. It's true: Harding admits, in print, in his own article, that he dismissed the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia before looking at any data, before weighing any new evidence whatsoever on the Bosnian pyramids hypothesis. This is a startling admission for a scientist to make. Shocking.
We also know, without question, that Harding's visit to Visoko was meant solely to forestall criticism that he hadn't visited the project. We know this without question because he states it himself in his own article. Anthony Harding writes:
"In the days following my letter [to the London Times], I was bombarded with requests for information. As a result, I decided that I would take advantage of a visit to Zadar, Croatia, in early June to drive on to Sarajevo to discuss the situation with professional colleagues there. On our way down, Predrag Novakovic (EAA secretary), Sylvie Kvetinová (administrator) and I called in at the hill of Visocica, on the edge of the town of Visoko, and looked at the excavation trenches that had been opened. We did this solely in order to avoid the charge, already laid at our door, that we had condemned the project without seeing it for ourselves. [Bolding mine.] As we expected, we saw areas of natural stone (a breccia), with fissures and cracks; but no sign of anything that looked like archaeology. The cracking in the rock was similar to many exposures we had seen in the past on natural rock formations, and did not look anything like a human construction. Geologists who have seen the site have said the same; the hill is similar in formation to many others in the Sarajevo-Zenica mining basin."
Notice that Harding doesn't name these "trenches" that he tells us he has studied with his two colleagues (a secretary and an administrator – hey, that's better than nothing). How could he tell us the names of the trenches, when he never met with, or spoke with, the archaeologist who named them? And because he never told us the names of these trenches, scientists cannot be sure to which trenches he is referring. This is the opposite of science, which leaves a trail as plain as day.
Harding's admission of conclusion before study is absolutely shocking. And it leads us to wonder if he was able, in fact, to "study" any archaeological evidence at all in Visoko. Can a person study something about which he has already made a conclusion?
Imagine the hubris of a man who believes that his position as president of the European Association of Archaeologists obviates him from weighing evidence in making a scientific conclusion. Imagine what a man must think of himself to believe that his opinion should be taken as scientific conclusion and scientific fact. You have just imagined Anthony Harding. This is a man whom Robert Schoch, anti-science to his core, might idolize.
Oddly, Harding is still around. He is no longer president of the E.A.A., but he is still a professor of archaeology, influencing students year after year. Professor Harding's continuing belief (confirmed Friday, January 4, 2013 by his email response to my email query) from the pedestal of his academic position, is that there are no ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Can scientists have differing opinions about the Bosnian pyramids? Of course they can. Scientists are entitled to their opinions about anything and everything under the sun.
But science is a harsh mistress. She makes heavy and specific demands. None of the seven archaeologists listed above, including Anthony Harding, have complied with a single one of the many rigorous demands of science in the case of the Bosnian pyramids hypothesis. Not a single one of these scientists ever properly visited any of the Foundation's excavation sites. What does "properly visited" mean? It means "visited the sites with an open mind" and with an intent to gather and critique data.
What, then, are the views of these seven archaeological professionals, in early January of 2013, on the subject of ancient pyramids in Bosnia? What do these seven scientists have to say six years after trying very, very hard to take down an archaeological project that would in the end brilliantly survive their attacks and forever change human history?
From Anthony Harding and his six Declaration-signing colleagues, we have the following replies to my January 3, 2013 email request for a quote on the subject of pyramids in Bosnia. (Please note that none of the replies below are quotes but simply brief summaries of respondents' replies.)
1. Anthony Harding - Replied on January 4, 2013 to say that his views on the subject of pyramids in Bosnia have not changed and that he declines to be quoted in this article.
2. Romuald Schild - Replied on January 4, 2013 to say he has not followed the archaeological work on the Bosnian pyramids.
3. Jean-Paul Demoule - Replied on January 9, 2013 to give me the text of his 2007 article, "Les pyramides bosniaques" (Encyclopaedia Universalis, pp. 298-299). . . . He also replied to my further inquiry and gave me permission to quote his January 10, 2013 views on ancient pyramids in Bosnia.
Demoule writes on January 10, 2013: "The [Archaeological Park] excavations have only found geological features and mining tunnels from the Middle Age. It is clear that it was never any prehistoric 'pyramid' in Visoko. [Bolding mine.] Bosnian prehistory is perfectly known as are known the paleolithic societies there 15.000 years ago. The expertise of the European Association of Archaeologists and of all the Bosnian professional archaeologists was perfectly clear and unanimous. The only interesting point in Visoko is the invention of a new national myth based on natural curiosities. The reason for my interest on this problem is my more general interest about the connexion and interrelations between archaeology and the actual societies, and the role, use and abuse of archaeology in national identities. Sincerely Jean-Paul Demoule"
4. Willem Willems - Has not replied.
5. Hermann Parzinger - Has not replied.
6. Vassil Nikolov - Has not replied.
7. Mike Heyworth - Has not replied.
Thus the majority – five out of seven – of the men who sought to shut down the Archaeological Park's work in Bosnia in 2006 have nothing to say on the subject six years and one month later. No shouts of victory, no satisfying list of concrete evidence that the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia was nothing more than myth, no scientific consensus that the idea of ancient pyramids in Bosnia was always just a fantasy. Nothing. Only silence.
From the other two, Harding and Demoule, we have categorical denials of pyramids in Bosnia, 1) without evidence and 2) without citation.
These seven men, remember, are the men who were so certain that there were no pyramids in Bosnia that they were willing to advise, in fact implore, Bosnian state and local governmental agencies to halt financial and promotional support for the Archaeological Park nonprofit foundation.
Ignoring Anthony Harding's excoriating
and defaming Declaration, 450,000
tourists have visited the Bosnian Pyramid Complex since Dr. Osmanagich
discovered the ancient complex in April 2005.
Here is a short excerpt about tourist visits, from a January 2015 interview with Dr. Osmanagich titled, "Archaeology by the Numbers":
Here is a short excerpt about tourist visits, from a January 2015 interview with Dr. Osmanagich titled, "Archaeology by the Numbers":
"Jock
Doubleday: Two Wikipedia pages claim that
the Bosnian pyramids are 'natural hills,' and Yale geologist Dr. Robert Schoch agrees.
Have any of the estimated 450,000 tourists who have visited the Foundation's
archaeological sites in the Bosnian Pyramid Complex asked for their money back,
saying that these archaeological sites are not pyramids but simply natural
hills?
"Dr. Osmanagić: I
haven’t heard of cases of visitors asking for their money back. However, I’ve
heard so many times people congratulating us, supporting us, and wishing all
the best in our project. They know that something history-changing is hidden
here in the heart of Bosnia."
So, none of the tourists visiting the
Bosnian Pyramid Complex have asked for their money back in 10 years, yet
Wikipedia and Yale geologist Robert Schoch continue to claim that only "natural
hills" exist in Visoko? Hmm.
Bizarrely, the most prestigious archaeological publication in
the world, Archaeology magazine, has
joined Wikipedia and Robert Schoch in their displeasure with the Bosnian
Pyramids hypothesis. The magazine's nine-year
moratorium on Bosnian archaeology is looked on a bit oddly by Bosnian (and
other) archaeologists. One wonders when this prestigious academic magazine,
which states that it "offers compelling narratives about the
human past from every corner of the globe," will get around
to Bosnia. Feel free to drop the magazine's Editor in Chief, Claudia Valentino, a line at: cvalentino
at archaeology dot org with any questions you might have. And
be sure to mention my article,
"Letter
to the Editor of 'Archaeology Magazine (October 16, 2011).'"
The true facts about Dr. Semir Osmanagich:
The true facts about Dr. Semir Osmanagich:
 |
| Dr. Osmanagich and his wife Sabina after a presentation in the Czech Republic, 2014 |
First, Semir's last name is spelled Osmanagić, but it has
been Americanized, phonetically, to "Osmanagich." If you want to
pronounce his name correctly, the emphasis is on the first, not the second,
syllable of "Semir." And the first three syllables of
"Osmanagich" are equally stressed, and the "gich" dips down.
I occasionally get it right, and almost nobody else (no other foreigner, I
mean) seems to. I have no idea if this bothers him, but he's never mentioned it,
or corrected anyone, in my presence. There's a good chance that I have a
misplaced optimism for my own pronunciation of his name, so, if he ever does
correct someone, it might be me.
Second, Dr. Sci. Semir Osmanagich is "Director of the Center for
Archaeology at American University in Sarajevo,[4]
author of ten books on ancient civilizations,[5]
youngest foreign member[6]
of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences,[7]
and U.S. Congressional Award-winning entrepreneur.[8]"
You've noted the Wikipedia notation in
the above paragraph -- but don't get too excited. This article is still in
draft form here,
having been rejected twice by Wikipedia. The war over humanity's past is
presently being waged in a conversation with Wiki editors on that page. Feel
free to breeze over there and have a look.
Third, Dr. Semir Osmanagich is the
discoverer of the Bosnian Pyramid Complex in Visoko, Bosnia. He discovered the
Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun and the Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon (which he named)
in April 2005, and then he discovered 8 additional structures over the coming
months and years. There's a lot more to
that story, but we'll leave it there for now.
Fourth, Semir is a scientist. One of the
least crazy men I know, Dr. Osmanagich has been accused by the scientific
orthodoxy of being a lunatic trying to get tourists to come to his beloved and
beleaguered country of Bosnia by hoaxing the world into believing that ancient
pyramids exist there. In fact, Dr. Osmanagich is a scientist without peer, in my
opinion, a truly open and objective and knowledgeable man whose mind never runs
afoul of the facts for which he seems to have an encyclopedic memory.
His equanimity is unparalleled. If you
don't know what equanimity means,
that's okay -- I went to public school, too, and I had to look it up to make
sure I was using the right word. It means "mental or emotional stability or
composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium." Dr.
Osmanagich has the unique ability to listen, to contemplate, and to decide,
although he has been under siege by the scientific orthodoxy for ten years. His
mind is open to science and has not been blocked or abraded by years of ad hominem (character) attacks by
libelous and slanderous defamers like Robert Milton Schoch.
He is also one of the kindest men I know,
and I've met a lot of good men in my journeys to Central and South America,
Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and Bosnia.
Let's let
Semir (Se'-mir, not Se-mir') have the last word:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the most
conservative and dogmatic science is history. What they've been telling us
about the origins of man, civilizations, and the pyramids is wrong. The 21st
century is the time for the scientific paradigm to be changed. We hope that
there will be no more elite science and no more selection of the
information."
And below, Dr. Osmanagich proposes a new kind of science, a science of openness of information (gasp!) --
a science starkly juxtaposed to the elite science
of the archaeological orthodoxy housed in prestigious universities and generating ego-driven
projects and
publications across the globe -- an open-source science
that brings people from all disciplines together in the excitement of discovery:
"The Bosnian Pyramid Project is also a platform where
scientists from different scientific disciplines meet. And we want to encourage
exchange of the ideas, research, investigations, and open-minded theory. And I
know that many other projects are very closed to such openness and exchange of
information between the scientists. We are not like that. Science is about
knowledge, sharing the knowledge, staying open. Because the knowledge belongs
to all of us."
- Dr. Semir Osmanagich, July 30, 2014
"Semir Osmanagić explains
Archaeological Park Foundation's open information policy, July 30, 2014"
Dr. Semir Osmanagich. Crazy like a fox.
Resources:
BosnianPyramids Youtube Channel playlist: "Scientific
Videos 2014" (19 videos shot in 2014 officially for
the Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation)
BosnianPyramids Youtube Channel playlist: "Scientific
Videos Archive (2005 to 2013)" (46 videos shot between 2005 and 2013,
inclusive)
Archaeological Park
(60+ videos shot beginning
in June 2014 )
"How
Many Times Has Dr. Robert Schoch Been Wrong?" by Dr. Semir Osmanagich
The ten ancient structures so far discovered by Dr. Osmanagich in the
Bosnian Valley of the Pyramids are "the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun, the
Bosnian Pyramid of the Moon, the Bosnian Pyramid of Love, the Bosnian Pyramid
of the Dragon, the Temple of Mother Earth, Vratnica Tumulus, Dolovi Tumulus,
Ginje Tumulus, KTK Tunnel, and Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth."
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