Evidence of Lost Cultures from The Last
ONE DAY SEMINAR
EVIDENCES OF LOST CULTURES
FROM THE LAST ICE AGE:
GUNUNG PADANG, INDONESIA
AND GOBEKLI TEPE, TURKEY
SPEAKERS:
1. Mr. ANDREW COLLINS
2. DR. DANNY H. NATAWIDJAJA
3. DR. JOHAN ARIEF
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015
08:00 - 16:00 WIB
GEDUNG 10 KOMPLEK LIPI
JL. SANGKURIANG,
BANDUNG
FREE OF CHARGE
250 SEAT ONLY !
LAB EARTH
REGISTRATION :
gobeklitepe.padang@gmail.com
Rahma 082120781455
ONE‐DAY SEMINAR
EVIDENCES OF LOST CULTURES FROM THE LAST ICE AGE:
GUNUNG PADANG WEST JAVA AND GOBEKLI TEPE TURKEY
24 March 2014, Gd.10 ‐ Kampus LIPI, Jl.Sangkuriang Bandung
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
SPEAKERS
8:00‐9:00
Registration and Morning Coffee
Morning Season Moderator:
Dr. Yuliana Susilowati (LIPI)
9:00 ‐ 9:05
OPENING
Chairmain of IAGI West‐Java Chapter,
Dr. Imam Sadisun
9:05 ‐ 9:30
Keynote Speaker 1
9:30 ‐ 10:00
Keynote Speaker 2
10:00 ‐ 10:50
Gobekli Tepe and The Greater
Antiquity of Gunung Padang
Mr. Dedy Mizwar (Vice Governor West
Java)
Dr. Dipo Alam (Ex Cabinet and Ex General
Secretary D8 in Turkey)
Mr. Andrew Collins
UK
10:50 ‐ 11:40
Gunung Padang, The Sundaland
Pyramid: Review and Progress
11:40 ‐ 12:30
12:30 ‐ 13:30
Megalithic and Obsidian Cultures in Dr. Johan Arief
Ancient Bandung Lake And Pawon‐
Cave Man
ISOMA (Prayer and Lunch Break)
13:30 ‐ 15:30
PANEL DISCUSIONS
15:30 ‐ 15:45
Views From Indonesian Army (TNI) Chief of Mariner (KASAL)
Army General Ade Supandi
Closing Statements
Moderator
15:45 ‐ 16:00
Dr. Danny H. Natawidjaja
TTRM/ LIPI
KRCB/ ITB
All Speakers, Moderator: Dr. Eko
Yulianto, Dr. Imam Sadisun
Seminar 24 March 2015, Gd.10‐LIPI Campus, Jl. Sangkuriang Bandung
Evidences of Lost Cultures From the Last Ice Age:
Comparational studies of Göbekli Tepe,Turkey and Gunung
Padang, West Java”; What can we learn?
Introduction
The Gunung Padang megalithic site on top of the mount has been known since
1800’s AD, then was begun to be studied since 1980; But not until the last four years
it became the most famous archeological site in Indonesia that absorps public
attentions. Before the site was visited by only dozens of people in a week, but now
becomes thousands, which can compete with numbers of people who visit
Borobudur Temple, the most famous and established Indonesian cultural icon. This
drastic change happens after a group of researchers, called Tim Terpadu Riset
Mandiri – TTRM (Integrated and Independent Research Team) started conducting
geological and geophysical survey on the Mount Gunung Padang and then ‘leaking’
their findings to public. TTRM claims that the megalithic site is not as small and
simple as thought before but it is much bigger, advanced and complex based on their
subsurface geophysical images and geological core drillings, which revealed that
most of the constructions are hidden and burried under thick vegetations and soils
of the mount.
The case became hotter after radiocarbon‐dating analysis indicate that Gunung
Padang megalithic constructions may have been built since Ice Age and have been
rebuilt a couple time through the Holocene period. This against ordinary believes for
decades that in the Ice Age human life was still primitive as hunter gatherers, do not
have knowledge and agricultures and farming, therefore was not capable of
building advance, large scale structures. This dogma is applied not just for Indonesia,
where the known history started merely 400 AD, but world wide, since the oldest
civilization known to the world emerged around 9000 BP in Mesopotamia. Hence,
Gunung Padang case may become a breakthrough in human history and sciences
that will change the way we look into the past.
If advanced civilizations had been existed in the Ice Age, then it is impossible that the
remains can only be found in Gunung Padang. Thus, further research and
comparational studies need to be expanded not just around Gunung Padang or in
Indonesia but world‐wide. Another ancient large‐scale constructions from the Ice
Age that has been well aknowledged by mainstream world sciences is Göbekli Tepe
in South Anatolia, Turkey. Göbekli Tepe is located near the birth place of Ibrahim
the Prophet, created about 11,600 years ago (9600 BC). This fact becomes enigma
to the present understanding of human history. Hence, it is quite interesting and
usefull to present and discuss the cases of Gunung Padang and Göbekli Tepe
together in the seminar to explore similarities, differences and possibility of linkages
from any aspect.
Recognitions and appreciations from the government and general public are
reflected from many visitors to Gunung Padang including from academic
communities and top executives from central and provincial‐local governments and
from Indonesian Army (TNI). President of Indonesia visited the site on 27 February
2014. Legal recognitions to support research and development for Gunung Padang
are given by the Decree of Governor of West Java Province (Kepgub Jabar No.
430.05/Kep.1578‐Disparbud/2013 and 430.05/Kep.1579‐Disparbud/2013 and their
revisions: Kepgub Jabar No. 430.05/Kep.302‐Disparbud/2014 and 430.05/Kep.303‐
Disparbud/2014); The Decree of Ministry of Education and Cultures (SK
KepMendikbud No. 023/M/2014 in February 2014) to raise the status of Gunung
Padang Megalithic from local to National‐level Cultural Site; The Decree of Ministry
of Education and Cultures (SK KepMendikbud No. 225/P/2014 on 8 August 2014) to
form the National Team for Research, Preservations and Management of Gunung
Padang with team members from TTRM plus national‐wide experts; And finally the
Ordinance of Indonesian President No.148, on 17 October 2014 for Development,
Preservations, Research, Utilizations and Management of Gunung Padang Site. It is
clear that the Gunung Padang had became important national and world asset, so
shall not be underestimated.
Göbekli Tepe and the Greater Antiquity of Gunung Padang:
What can we learn?
By Andrew Collins
The sudden emergence of super‐sized cult structures at religious centres such
as Göbekli Tepe in southeast Anatolia was most likely a response to a cataclysm ‐
caused most likely by a comet impact event that occurred around 10,900 BC ‐ that
devastated the World for a period of several hundred years, and triggered the 1,300‐
year cold spell known as the Younger Dryas. Was Göbekli Tepe created by an
indigenous population, under the guidance of incoming power elite, in order for
shamans or priests to counter the supernatural forces seen as responsible for
bringing about catastrophic events of this type? Did precision alignments towards
key stars and the Milky Way's Great Rift enable instant access to the sky‐world for
this express purpose?
If these ideas are correct, what can Göbekli Tepe's role in human history tell us, and
is there a connection with Gunung Padang which seems to be constructed around
the same period of time? The speaker looks also at possible connections between
Gunung Padang and Bandung basin's Palaeolithic‐Mesolithic obsidian culture, as well
as indigenous beliefs, such as that the earliest inhabitants of Java were descended
from sky beings known as the Weaver Princess and a supernatural Red Dog. These
traditions remain strong even today among the Kalang communities of Central and
Eastern Java, although originally they existed much closer to Gunung Padang in the
Bandung region. Do these traditions offer clues regarding the beliefs and practices of
those responsible for the creation of Gunung Padang, and can they help explain the
site's clear axial alignment towards the easternmost caldera of the Pangrango‐Gede
strato volcano, some 24 km away?
Gunung Padang, The Sundaland Pyramid
By Danny Hilman Natawidjaja
Since 2011 geologist Dr Danny Hilman Natawidjaja and his team (“Tim Katastrofi
Purba” and later became the “Tim Terpadu Riset Mandiri”) recognized Mount
Gunung Padang as a possible man‐made structures and began to explore it using the
latest technologies in geology‐geophysics including ground penetrating radar,
seismic tomography, resistivity surveys along with extensive direct excavations and
deep core drillings.
Intensive and comprehensive surveys revealed that Gunung Padang is a gigantic
man‐made structures comprise of multi artificial‐layers of andesitic rock blocks,
which do not sit only on top but occupy the entire mount of at least 15 ha, and not
only cover the ground surface but extend deep underground; And there is strong
evidences of deeply buried man‐made tunnels and chambers. Results of
radiocarbon analysis of organic soil samples taken from the artificial layers implies
that the megalithic structures are vastly older than previously thought. The
youngest megalithic structures on the surface is dated about Cal BP 2,500 to 3,500.
The carbon dates of the second artificial rock layer, buried only one to a few meters,
yield Cal. BP. 6,700 to 7,000. Dating on the third layer from 5 to 12 meters depth
yields the age beyond Cal.BP 9,500 but the ages still have large uncertainties
between Cal.BP.10,000 to 28,000. Nonetheles, this was the last Ice Age when our
ancestors are supposed (according to the orthodox archaeological model) to have
been nothing more than primitive hunter gatherers incapable of creating large‐scale
constructions. Thus, it is understandable if these findings are heresy to mainstream
archaeologists.
The speaker will also discuss the Gunung Padang case from a geological perspective,
particularly a new concept that global catastrophic event can destroy and re‐start
the growth of human population and cultures. The focus is on the earth history in
the past 20,000 years, since the last glacial maximum, where the global temperature
begun to warm up and ice melted causing the sea level to rise about 130 m up until
Mid Holocene (~7000 BP). The global catastrophic event(s) or period is stongly
indicated to have occured during the Younger Dryas (YD) period between 12,900 to
11,600 BP. The onset of YD marked by drastic drop of earth temperature dragging
the earth back to frozen for about 1300 years, then YD terminated by sudden rise of
temperature, so ice melted drastically and sea level rise up abruptly flooding the
lands. YD also marked the end of the Pleistocene and the onset of the Holocene.
‘Quite coincidently’, the history of world civilizations and human population as we
know to day begun to rise slowly right after YD. Hence, the big mistery is: was our
present civilization today is the only one since the emergence of modern human
some 195,000 years ago? Or would it be more plausible to suspect that human
population and cultures was collapsed during YD and then begun to rise again? If
this idea correct, was it related to the Noah flood as tought by all major religions?
and was it also related to many myths all over the world about catastrophic floods?
Last but not least, could it be in favour with the legend of Atlantis Empire that was
told by Plato’s Critias to have been destroyed and vanished because of a
catastrophic flood event, exactly around 11,600 years ago (9600 BC) ?
Megalithic And Obsidian Culture in Ancient Bandung Lake And Pawon‐
Cave Man
In the vicinity of ancient Bandung Lake there is people who live in the transition
period between Mesolithic and Neolithic around 2500 to 1000 BC. Then Bandung
Lake was still existing but about to dry up. Evidences of their life are indicated by
findings of human skeletons in Pawon Cave and many artefacts including obsidians
and megalithic structures. Pawon man is thought to have similar race with Wajak
man from East Java, a mixed between Mongoloid race and (proto)
Australomelanesoid. They are hunter‐gatherer. They live in caves for temporarily
during their journeys seeking for foods. On the religion side, it is possible that they
practice monotheism as indicated by burials of flexed skeleton together with benda‐
benda kubur. Outside Pawon people , on the contrary, there is other community
who practice simple agriculture without irigation system, and one of the plant is
banana. Evidences of agriculture activities are obsidian artefacts. The source of
obsidians are possible from Kendan Mountain, Cicalengka. From religious side, they
seems to practice paganism, worshiping nature such as stones and sun.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
The keynote speaker, Mr. Dedy Mizwar is the Vice Governor of West Java Province.
Before, he is a senior an famous movie producer, director and actor. He received
many awards from the FFI (Festival Film Indonesia), including for the main actor of
Film Sunan Kalijaga (1984), Naga Bonar (1987) dan Naga Bonar Jadi Dua (2007).
The keynote speaker, Dr. Dipo Alam is ex Cabinet Secretary of Republic Indonesia
(2009 – 2014). In 2006, he is General Secretary of Developing Country Organization
8 or D8, which has the main office in Istanbul, Turkey. His formal educations are:
B.Sc, Universitas Indonesia (1978), Master of Engineering Management, The George
Washington University, USA (1983), Professional Degree, Industrial and Engineering
Management The George Washington University, USA (1984), Doctor of Science, The
George Washington University, USA (1989).
The speaker, Andrew Collins, is a journalist and historical writer living in the United
Kingdom. He is the author of over a dozen books that challenge the way we perceive
the past including From the Ashes of Angels (1996), Gateway to Atlantis (2000), The
Cygnus Mystery (2006), and his latest work Göbekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods
(2014). He is currently working on the impact of hybridization between archaic
human populations and anatomical modern humans on the emergence of civilization
during the Upper Paleolithic age. He is one of the world's leading authorities
on Göbekli Tepe.
The speaker, Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, is a senior geologist at Indonesian Institute
of Science (LIPI), internationally recognized of his authority in earthquake and
tsunami research and natural hazard mitigations in Indonesia. His B.S from ITB,
M.Sc from University of Aucland New Zealand, and Ph.D from California
Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is the recipient of the Sarwono
Prawirohardjo Award 2005, the highest recognition from LIPI for outstanding
achievements in sciences and contributions in disseminating scientific knowledge to
the benefits of public. Recently, he is recognized as in Ranking Top Ten of
Indonesian scientist, based on the Google scholar citation survey by Project
ACUMEN of European Commission 7th Framework Programme, Capacities, Science
in Society. In the past four years, he lead archeo geophysics and geological
surveys at Gunung Padang megalithic site. He is scientific‐team leader of the
Tim Katastrofi Purba and Tim Terpadu Riset mandiri (TTRM). He is also vice‐
chairmain of the Gunung Padang research commitee, formed by the decree of
the West‐Java governor in December 2013, and vice chairmain (geology) of
the national team of Gunung Padang, formed by the decree of the Ministry of
Education and Cultures in August 2014. He is the author of the book “Plato
Never Lies: Atlantis is in Indonesia”.
Speaker Johan Arief is a lecture at Dept. Geology, Faculty of Science and
Technology (FST), Institute Technology Bandung(ITB) since 1988. His S‐1 and S‐
2 (Master) strata are from ITB, his Doctoral degree is from Kyoto University,
Japan. From 2001 to 2004 he was a lecture at the Center of Archeological
Research, Universitas Sain Malaysia. From 2006 to 2012, he took post‐doctoral
programs in Japan, Germany, Holland, and US. His specialize in bio‐
anthropology and geoarcheology. Married to Munafiataun Muniroh, given
four childs. At present he is active in applied geology research group in FST
ITB and Faculty of Arts and Design ITB. He is also a core member ofBandung
Basin Research Group (KRCB).
EVIDENCES OF LOST CULTURES
FROM THE LAST ICE AGE:
GUNUNG PADANG, INDONESIA
AND GOBEKLI TEPE, TURKEY
SPEAKERS:
1. Mr. ANDREW COLLINS
2. DR. DANNY H. NATAWIDJAJA
3. DR. JOHAN ARIEF
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015
08:00 - 16:00 WIB
GEDUNG 10 KOMPLEK LIPI
JL. SANGKURIANG,
BANDUNG
FREE OF CHARGE
250 SEAT ONLY !
LAB EARTH
REGISTRATION :
gobeklitepe.padang@gmail.com
Rahma 082120781455
ONE‐DAY SEMINAR
EVIDENCES OF LOST CULTURES FROM THE LAST ICE AGE:
GUNUNG PADANG WEST JAVA AND GOBEKLI TEPE TURKEY
24 March 2014, Gd.10 ‐ Kampus LIPI, Jl.Sangkuriang Bandung
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
SPEAKERS
8:00‐9:00
Registration and Morning Coffee
Morning Season Moderator:
Dr. Yuliana Susilowati (LIPI)
9:00 ‐ 9:05
OPENING
Chairmain of IAGI West‐Java Chapter,
Dr. Imam Sadisun
9:05 ‐ 9:30
Keynote Speaker 1
9:30 ‐ 10:00
Keynote Speaker 2
10:00 ‐ 10:50
Gobekli Tepe and The Greater
Antiquity of Gunung Padang
Mr. Dedy Mizwar (Vice Governor West
Java)
Dr. Dipo Alam (Ex Cabinet and Ex General
Secretary D8 in Turkey)
Mr. Andrew Collins
UK
10:50 ‐ 11:40
Gunung Padang, The Sundaland
Pyramid: Review and Progress
11:40 ‐ 12:30
12:30 ‐ 13:30
Megalithic and Obsidian Cultures in Dr. Johan Arief
Ancient Bandung Lake And Pawon‐
Cave Man
ISOMA (Prayer and Lunch Break)
13:30 ‐ 15:30
PANEL DISCUSIONS
15:30 ‐ 15:45
Views From Indonesian Army (TNI) Chief of Mariner (KASAL)
Army General Ade Supandi
Closing Statements
Moderator
15:45 ‐ 16:00
Dr. Danny H. Natawidjaja
TTRM/ LIPI
KRCB/ ITB
All Speakers, Moderator: Dr. Eko
Yulianto, Dr. Imam Sadisun
Seminar 24 March 2015, Gd.10‐LIPI Campus, Jl. Sangkuriang Bandung
Evidences of Lost Cultures From the Last Ice Age:
Comparational studies of Göbekli Tepe,Turkey and Gunung
Padang, West Java”; What can we learn?
Introduction
The Gunung Padang megalithic site on top of the mount has been known since
1800’s AD, then was begun to be studied since 1980; But not until the last four years
it became the most famous archeological site in Indonesia that absorps public
attentions. Before the site was visited by only dozens of people in a week, but now
becomes thousands, which can compete with numbers of people who visit
Borobudur Temple, the most famous and established Indonesian cultural icon. This
drastic change happens after a group of researchers, called Tim Terpadu Riset
Mandiri – TTRM (Integrated and Independent Research Team) started conducting
geological and geophysical survey on the Mount Gunung Padang and then ‘leaking’
their findings to public. TTRM claims that the megalithic site is not as small and
simple as thought before but it is much bigger, advanced and complex based on their
subsurface geophysical images and geological core drillings, which revealed that
most of the constructions are hidden and burried under thick vegetations and soils
of the mount.
The case became hotter after radiocarbon‐dating analysis indicate that Gunung
Padang megalithic constructions may have been built since Ice Age and have been
rebuilt a couple time through the Holocene period. This against ordinary believes for
decades that in the Ice Age human life was still primitive as hunter gatherers, do not
have knowledge and agricultures and farming, therefore was not capable of
building advance, large scale structures. This dogma is applied not just for Indonesia,
where the known history started merely 400 AD, but world wide, since the oldest
civilization known to the world emerged around 9000 BP in Mesopotamia. Hence,
Gunung Padang case may become a breakthrough in human history and sciences
that will change the way we look into the past.
If advanced civilizations had been existed in the Ice Age, then it is impossible that the
remains can only be found in Gunung Padang. Thus, further research and
comparational studies need to be expanded not just around Gunung Padang or in
Indonesia but world‐wide. Another ancient large‐scale constructions from the Ice
Age that has been well aknowledged by mainstream world sciences is Göbekli Tepe
in South Anatolia, Turkey. Göbekli Tepe is located near the birth place of Ibrahim
the Prophet, created about 11,600 years ago (9600 BC). This fact becomes enigma
to the present understanding of human history. Hence, it is quite interesting and
usefull to present and discuss the cases of Gunung Padang and Göbekli Tepe
together in the seminar to explore similarities, differences and possibility of linkages
from any aspect.
Recognitions and appreciations from the government and general public are
reflected from many visitors to Gunung Padang including from academic
communities and top executives from central and provincial‐local governments and
from Indonesian Army (TNI). President of Indonesia visited the site on 27 February
2014. Legal recognitions to support research and development for Gunung Padang
are given by the Decree of Governor of West Java Province (Kepgub Jabar No.
430.05/Kep.1578‐Disparbud/2013 and 430.05/Kep.1579‐Disparbud/2013 and their
revisions: Kepgub Jabar No. 430.05/Kep.302‐Disparbud/2014 and 430.05/Kep.303‐
Disparbud/2014); The Decree of Ministry of Education and Cultures (SK
KepMendikbud No. 023/M/2014 in February 2014) to raise the status of Gunung
Padang Megalithic from local to National‐level Cultural Site; The Decree of Ministry
of Education and Cultures (SK KepMendikbud No. 225/P/2014 on 8 August 2014) to
form the National Team for Research, Preservations and Management of Gunung
Padang with team members from TTRM plus national‐wide experts; And finally the
Ordinance of Indonesian President No.148, on 17 October 2014 for Development,
Preservations, Research, Utilizations and Management of Gunung Padang Site. It is
clear that the Gunung Padang had became important national and world asset, so
shall not be underestimated.
Göbekli Tepe and the Greater Antiquity of Gunung Padang:
What can we learn?
By Andrew Collins
The sudden emergence of super‐sized cult structures at religious centres such
as Göbekli Tepe in southeast Anatolia was most likely a response to a cataclysm ‐
caused most likely by a comet impact event that occurred around 10,900 BC ‐ that
devastated the World for a period of several hundred years, and triggered the 1,300‐
year cold spell known as the Younger Dryas. Was Göbekli Tepe created by an
indigenous population, under the guidance of incoming power elite, in order for
shamans or priests to counter the supernatural forces seen as responsible for
bringing about catastrophic events of this type? Did precision alignments towards
key stars and the Milky Way's Great Rift enable instant access to the sky‐world for
this express purpose?
If these ideas are correct, what can Göbekli Tepe's role in human history tell us, and
is there a connection with Gunung Padang which seems to be constructed around
the same period of time? The speaker looks also at possible connections between
Gunung Padang and Bandung basin's Palaeolithic‐Mesolithic obsidian culture, as well
as indigenous beliefs, such as that the earliest inhabitants of Java were descended
from sky beings known as the Weaver Princess and a supernatural Red Dog. These
traditions remain strong even today among the Kalang communities of Central and
Eastern Java, although originally they existed much closer to Gunung Padang in the
Bandung region. Do these traditions offer clues regarding the beliefs and practices of
those responsible for the creation of Gunung Padang, and can they help explain the
site's clear axial alignment towards the easternmost caldera of the Pangrango‐Gede
strato volcano, some 24 km away?
Gunung Padang, The Sundaland Pyramid
By Danny Hilman Natawidjaja
Since 2011 geologist Dr Danny Hilman Natawidjaja and his team (“Tim Katastrofi
Purba” and later became the “Tim Terpadu Riset Mandiri”) recognized Mount
Gunung Padang as a possible man‐made structures and began to explore it using the
latest technologies in geology‐geophysics including ground penetrating radar,
seismic tomography, resistivity surveys along with extensive direct excavations and
deep core drillings.
Intensive and comprehensive surveys revealed that Gunung Padang is a gigantic
man‐made structures comprise of multi artificial‐layers of andesitic rock blocks,
which do not sit only on top but occupy the entire mount of at least 15 ha, and not
only cover the ground surface but extend deep underground; And there is strong
evidences of deeply buried man‐made tunnels and chambers. Results of
radiocarbon analysis of organic soil samples taken from the artificial layers implies
that the megalithic structures are vastly older than previously thought. The
youngest megalithic structures on the surface is dated about Cal BP 2,500 to 3,500.
The carbon dates of the second artificial rock layer, buried only one to a few meters,
yield Cal. BP. 6,700 to 7,000. Dating on the third layer from 5 to 12 meters depth
yields the age beyond Cal.BP 9,500 but the ages still have large uncertainties
between Cal.BP.10,000 to 28,000. Nonetheles, this was the last Ice Age when our
ancestors are supposed (according to the orthodox archaeological model) to have
been nothing more than primitive hunter gatherers incapable of creating large‐scale
constructions. Thus, it is understandable if these findings are heresy to mainstream
archaeologists.
The speaker will also discuss the Gunung Padang case from a geological perspective,
particularly a new concept that global catastrophic event can destroy and re‐start
the growth of human population and cultures. The focus is on the earth history in
the past 20,000 years, since the last glacial maximum, where the global temperature
begun to warm up and ice melted causing the sea level to rise about 130 m up until
Mid Holocene (~7000 BP). The global catastrophic event(s) or period is stongly
indicated to have occured during the Younger Dryas (YD) period between 12,900 to
11,600 BP. The onset of YD marked by drastic drop of earth temperature dragging
the earth back to frozen for about 1300 years, then YD terminated by sudden rise of
temperature, so ice melted drastically and sea level rise up abruptly flooding the
lands. YD also marked the end of the Pleistocene and the onset of the Holocene.
‘Quite coincidently’, the history of world civilizations and human population as we
know to day begun to rise slowly right after YD. Hence, the big mistery is: was our
present civilization today is the only one since the emergence of modern human
some 195,000 years ago? Or would it be more plausible to suspect that human
population and cultures was collapsed during YD and then begun to rise again? If
this idea correct, was it related to the Noah flood as tought by all major religions?
and was it also related to many myths all over the world about catastrophic floods?
Last but not least, could it be in favour with the legend of Atlantis Empire that was
told by Plato’s Critias to have been destroyed and vanished because of a
catastrophic flood event, exactly around 11,600 years ago (9600 BC) ?
Megalithic And Obsidian Culture in Ancient Bandung Lake And Pawon‐
Cave Man
In the vicinity of ancient Bandung Lake there is people who live in the transition
period between Mesolithic and Neolithic around 2500 to 1000 BC. Then Bandung
Lake was still existing but about to dry up. Evidences of their life are indicated by
findings of human skeletons in Pawon Cave and many artefacts including obsidians
and megalithic structures. Pawon man is thought to have similar race with Wajak
man from East Java, a mixed between Mongoloid race and (proto)
Australomelanesoid. They are hunter‐gatherer. They live in caves for temporarily
during their journeys seeking for foods. On the religion side, it is possible that they
practice monotheism as indicated by burials of flexed skeleton together with benda‐
benda kubur. Outside Pawon people , on the contrary, there is other community
who practice simple agriculture without irigation system, and one of the plant is
banana. Evidences of agriculture activities are obsidian artefacts. The source of
obsidians are possible from Kendan Mountain, Cicalengka. From religious side, they
seems to practice paganism, worshiping nature such as stones and sun.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
The keynote speaker, Mr. Dedy Mizwar is the Vice Governor of West Java Province.
Before, he is a senior an famous movie producer, director and actor. He received
many awards from the FFI (Festival Film Indonesia), including for the main actor of
Film Sunan Kalijaga (1984), Naga Bonar (1987) dan Naga Bonar Jadi Dua (2007).
The keynote speaker, Dr. Dipo Alam is ex Cabinet Secretary of Republic Indonesia
(2009 – 2014). In 2006, he is General Secretary of Developing Country Organization
8 or D8, which has the main office in Istanbul, Turkey. His formal educations are:
B.Sc, Universitas Indonesia (1978), Master of Engineering Management, The George
Washington University, USA (1983), Professional Degree, Industrial and Engineering
Management The George Washington University, USA (1984), Doctor of Science, The
George Washington University, USA (1989).
The speaker, Andrew Collins, is a journalist and historical writer living in the United
Kingdom. He is the author of over a dozen books that challenge the way we perceive
the past including From the Ashes of Angels (1996), Gateway to Atlantis (2000), The
Cygnus Mystery (2006), and his latest work Göbekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods
(2014). He is currently working on the impact of hybridization between archaic
human populations and anatomical modern humans on the emergence of civilization
during the Upper Paleolithic age. He is one of the world's leading authorities
on Göbekli Tepe.
The speaker, Danny Hilman Natawidjaja, is a senior geologist at Indonesian Institute
of Science (LIPI), internationally recognized of his authority in earthquake and
tsunami research and natural hazard mitigations in Indonesia. His B.S from ITB,
M.Sc from University of Aucland New Zealand, and Ph.D from California
Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is the recipient of the Sarwono
Prawirohardjo Award 2005, the highest recognition from LIPI for outstanding
achievements in sciences and contributions in disseminating scientific knowledge to
the benefits of public. Recently, he is recognized as in Ranking Top Ten of
Indonesian scientist, based on the Google scholar citation survey by Project
ACUMEN of European Commission 7th Framework Programme, Capacities, Science
in Society. In the past four years, he lead archeo geophysics and geological
surveys at Gunung Padang megalithic site. He is scientific‐team leader of the
Tim Katastrofi Purba and Tim Terpadu Riset mandiri (TTRM). He is also vice‐
chairmain of the Gunung Padang research commitee, formed by the decree of
the West‐Java governor in December 2013, and vice chairmain (geology) of
the national team of Gunung Padang, formed by the decree of the Ministry of
Education and Cultures in August 2014. He is the author of the book “Plato
Never Lies: Atlantis is in Indonesia”.
Speaker Johan Arief is a lecture at Dept. Geology, Faculty of Science and
Technology (FST), Institute Technology Bandung(ITB) since 1988. His S‐1 and S‐
2 (Master) strata are from ITB, his Doctoral degree is from Kyoto University,
Japan. From 2001 to 2004 he was a lecture at the Center of Archeological
Research, Universitas Sain Malaysia. From 2006 to 2012, he took post‐doctoral
programs in Japan, Germany, Holland, and US. His specialize in bio‐
anthropology and geoarcheology. Married to Munafiataun Muniroh, given
four childs. At present he is active in applied geology research group in FST
ITB and Faculty of Arts and Design ITB. He is also a core member ofBandung
Basin Research Group (KRCB).