Gunung Padang sits 2,904 feet (885 meters) above sea level in West Java, Indonesia, about 31 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Cianjur. Spanning 72 acres (29 hectares), it’s Southeast Asia’s largest megalithic site, with five terraces linked by 370 steps made of andesite, a volcanic stone. The terraces, stacked 312 feet (95 meters) high, feature hundreds of hexagonal columns, some weighing up to 880 pounds (400 kilograms). Surface finds, like pottery shards, date to around 2,500–1,500 BC, pointing to Bronze Age use. Surveys from 2011 to 2015, using radar and core drilling, found deeper layers—possible chambers—down to 98 feet (30 meters). Soil samples from these depths date to 25,000–14,000 BC, suggesting construction began in the Paleolithic era, before known civilizations. Critics say the core is natural lava shaped by erosion, and dated soils might not prove human work. If the deeper structures are man-made, how did people 20,000 years ago build on this scale? Gunung Padang raises questions about humanity’s past.

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