Retracted study claimed 16,000–27,000-year-old phase at Gunung Padang

April 12, 2026IndonesiaTheoryShare

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Key facts

• The 2024 Archaeological Prospection paper inferred an age of 16,000–27,000 calibrated years ago for Unit 3, 7,500–8,500 years for Unit 2 and 3,500–4,000 years for Unit 1; these were disputed study estimates, not established construction dates.
• The chronology was inferred from radiocarbon dates of organic material in sediments associated with the layers, rather than from direct dating of the stone construction.
• The authors interpreted Unit 2 as the bulk of the pyramid-shaped structure and Unit 1 as a near-surface retaining wall.
• The paper identified Unit 4, encountered at roughly 20–30 metres, as natural basaltic-andesite bedrock.
• The reported methods were ground-penetrating radar, electrical-resistivity tomography, seismic tomography and seven drill cores between 15 and 35 metres deep.
• Earlier excavation reports described aligned stones and mineral-filled gaps that the authors identified by XRD as hydrothermally altered volcanic material and interpreted as mortar.
• The journal retracted the paper in 2024 following concerns about the reliability and stratigraphic context of its dating evidence, leaving both the construction chronology and pyramid interpretation disputed.

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