Bosnian pyramids

[[File:Bosnian Sun Pyramid Lookout.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The vaguely pyramid-like Visočica hill. Or the "Pyramid of the Sun", according to Semir Osmanagić.]]{{pseudohistorynav}}
{{cquote|These are the pioneer steps which can turn the wheel of history in some other direction.|||Semiha Borovac, mayor of Sarajevo, while visiting the site.}}

The '''Bosnian pyramids''' are a bunch of hills in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] that rose to international notoriety in 2005 after Semir Osmanagić,<ref>{{wpa | Semir Osmanagić}}</ref> a Bosnian businessman who runs a [[business | company]] in [[Texas]], proclaimed them to be man-made [[pyramid]]s. Much to the dismay of the international [[Archaeology| archaeological]] community, Osmanagić enjoys some support from the Bosnian government, which gave him permission to excavate the site and partially funded an "expedition".

The main claim relates to the 213-metre (699 ft) Visočica hill, near the town of Visoko ([http://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Bosnian_pyramids&params=43_59_33_N_18_10_21_E_type:landmark various maps and satellite imagery]), which according to Osmanagić is a buried pyramid, the "Pyramid of the Sun". He has dubbed other nearby hills the "Pyramid of the Moon" and the "Pyramid of the (Bosnian) Dragon". How he knows what these ancient structures - hitherto completely unknown to science - were named is anyone's guess. (The so-called "pyramids" are in fact the product of [[Plate tectonics | tectonic]] uplift.) Furthermore, Osmanagić used a backhoe for part of the excavation, conveniently shaping the earth into a more pyramid-like appearance (and simultaneously undertaking one of the least professional archaeological excavations ever).

In 2006 {{wpl|Robert Schoch}} (known for promoting [[Sphinx of Giza#Water erosion hypothesis| alternative Sphinx theories]] and [[Alternate historical chronology#Robert Schoch| alternate historical chronologies]]) examined the pyramids at Osmanagić's request, and in a [[stopped clock | stopped-clock]] moment concluded that the site held "absolutely no evidence of pyramids per se or of a great ancient civilization in the Visoko region".<ref>[http://download.dailygrail.com/subrosa/SubRosa_Issue6-Spread.pdf "Pyramid No More] - "After our twelve-day stay, and having visited many sites associated with the claims of Osmanagic, the bottom line is that we found absolutely no evidence of pyramids per se or of a great ancient civilization in the Visoko region."</ref>

If the above [[crank]]ery wasn't enough, Osmanagić decided to throw in some 
[[crystal skull]]duggery
 "quartz head skull technology" too, just to make certain that no one should mistake his [[crank magnetism]] for an example of [[Poe's Law]].<ref>Jason Colavito, September 19th, 2015: [http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/andrew-collins-claims-to-have-found-the-earliest-depiction-of-gobekli-tepe-in-art Andrew Collins Claims to Have Found the Earliest Depiction of Gobekli Tepe in Art]</ref> Amazingly, Osmanagić managed to get this published in his 2007 Ph.D. thesis — in [[Credentialism|Political Science]] — by [[Deceit| presenting it]] as part of a [[False flag operation| sociological comparative study]] of the (lack of) technology in Mayan and modern (Western) civilizations.<ref>No, it's [http://www.semirosmanagic.com/en/maya.html not a joke], sadly.</ref> Adding to his store of crank magnetism, Osmanagić apparently also subscribes to other [[Pseudohistory| pseudohistorical]] nonsense surrounding the various (actual) pyramids, e.g. the [[ancient astronauts | ancient-astronauts]] claptrap, and also peddles wholly unrelated pseudohistory, such as a claim that [[New Swabia| Antarctic-dwelling]] [[Nazism |Nazis]] really [[NWO| control everything]],<ref>Jason Colavito, March 9th, 2014 [http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-the-unexplained-files-segment-on-the-so-called-bosnian-pyramids Review of The Unexplained Files' Segment on the So-Called Bosnian Pyramids]</ref> as well as a grab-bag of other assorted nuttery involving [[Freemason]]ry [[Conspiracy theory| conspiracies]] and [[Atlantis]] myths. He even cites crank extraordinaire [[David Icke]] with approval.<ref>June 12th, 2006 entry on Osmanagić on a site dedicated to (debunking) the Bosnian and other pyramid schemes, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070826141849/http://irna.lautre.net/Semir-Osmanagic,57.html Semir Osmanagic: Archaeologist, adventurer, businessman, crank?]</ref>

In September 2016, [[Jason Colavito]] wrote on his blog that Osmanagić was now claiming that his Bosnian "pyramids" possessed the same kind of [[woo]]tastic [[Pyramid#Pyramid woo| powers]] that [[New Age]]rs have ascribed to the genuine, Egyptian variety.<ref>
Jason Colavito, September 29th, 2016: [http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/sam-osmanagich-claims-bosnian-pyramids-have-new-age-magical-healing-powers Sam Osmanagich Claims Bosnian "Pyramids" Have New Age Magical Healing Powers]
</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.piramidasunca.ba/ Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation]
*https://web.archive.org/web/20051221033846/http://www.bosnianpyramid.com/ (another "official" website?)
*[http://www.semirosmanagic.com/ Semir Osmanagić's website] (note the Indiana Jones pose :))
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4912040.stm Dig for ancient pyramid in Bosnia], [[BBC]] News, 15 April 2006

===Mainstream===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070228014443/http://www.britarch.ac.uk/BA/ba92/feat3.shtml The great Bosnian pyramid scheme], Anthony Harding, ''British Archaeology'', Issue 92, January/February 2007
*[http://www.johnbohannon.org/NewFiles/bosnia.pdf Mad About Pyramids] (1MB PDF), John Bohannon, ''[[Science Magazine]]'', 22 September 2006
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060617063548/http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/osmanagic/update.html More on Bosnian "Pyramids"], Mark Rose, ''Archaeology'', Jun. 27 2006 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060613130747/http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/25850.html Bosnian Pyramids: Absence of Evidence is Not Evidence of Atlantis], Alun Salt
*[http://ahotcupofjoe.net/2007/09/the-bosnian-pyramid-a-brief-summary/ The Bosnian Pyramid: A Brief Summary], A Hot Cup of Joe

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Nationalism]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Pseudoarchaeology]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory]]
[[Category:Scams]]
[[Category:Hoaxes]]

Categories: Nationalism, New Age, Pseudoarchaeology, Pseudohistory, Scams, Hoaxes