A sunken ‘pyramid’ located near Taiwan has researchers rethinking everything they know about ancient civilizations. Discovered near the Ryukyu Islands of Japan in 1986, the Yonaguni monument is a striking structure with sharp-angled steps and a pyramid shape. Sitting just 82 feet below sea level, it stands roughly 90 feet tall and is made entirely of stone, which has led many to believe it might be a man-made structure.
However, tests of the stone reveal it to be over 10,000 years old, meaning that if this pyramid was built by humans, it would have been constructed before the region sank underwater—more than 12,000 years ago. This would place it several thousand years older than known ancient monuments such as the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. The discovery challenges existing theories about the timeline of human civilization, suggesting the possibility of an advanced society predating known ancient cultures.
Investigating the Yonaguni Monument: Natural Formation or Human-Made?
The Yonaguni monument has long been the subject of intense debate among scientists and researchers. Some believe that the monument is a natural rock formation, shaped by geological processes over millennia. In contrast, others argue that its sharp angles and step-like structures suggest it is artificially carved, possibly by an ancient, now-lost civilization.
Dr. Masaaki Kimura, the scientist who tested the age of the stone, believes that the structure was once above water before the end of the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago, when rising sea levels submerged the region. At the time, the sea levels were roughly 400 feet lower than today, which could have allowed a civilization to build such structures before the area was submerged. Kimura’s findings could align the Yonaguni monument with other ancient, mysterious structures such as Göbekli Tepe in Turkey, which dates back to around 9500 BC.
While many believe that the regularity of the stone faces and the sharp angles suggest artificial construction, Dr. Robert Schoch, a geologist from Boston University, maintains that the monument is likely a natural formation. According to Schoch, the fractures and flat faces that make up the ‘steps’ could simply be the result of sandstone rocks breaking and splitting over time. He acknowledges that the structure’s appearance is striking, but remains unconvinced it was intentionally created by humans.
The Mystery of Lost Civilizations and the Myth of Atlantis
The discovery of the Yonaguni monument raises intriguing questions about the existence of lost civilizations and the potential for human cultures to have existed long before known historical records. The structure is often referred to as “Japan’s Atlantis”, and it has become the subject of myths surrounding ancient advanced civilizations that may have vanished long before written history began.
Similar to the legend of Atlantis, the Yonaguni monument offers a glimpse into the possibility of an advanced society lost to the ravages of time, possibly due to rising sea levels. Graham Hancock, an author who has focused much of his work on lost civilizations, argues that the structure may have been built by a highly advanced society long before traditional civilizations began erecting monuments. If true, it would rewrite history and suggest that human beings had the ability to construct such monumental structures well before they were believed to.
The Yonaguni monument, like Göbekli Tepe and other mysterious ancient sites, may eventually force a reevaluation of how we understand the development of human societies. Whether it was the work of a lost civilization or a natural geological phenomenon, the monument continues to be an important and intriguing subject for research, with implications for both history and archaeology.
