Discovery of underwater 'pyramid' could rewrite history as scientists claim it could predate Egyptian landmarks by thousands of years
Near Japan sits the Yonaguni Monument, a submerged pyramid-shaped formation resting 25 meters below sea level. This structure stands close to Yonaguni island and was uncovered in 1987. Regional scuba enthusiast Kihachiro Aratake found these ruins completely by chance.
"I felt deeply moved when I discovered it," he previously shared with the BBC about his significant find. "After finding it, I understood this would become a valuable asset for Yonaguni island. I kept it confidential. I told none of my team members."
The confidentiality lasted briefly as researchers quickly arrived to examine the puzzling formation. Experts believe the pyramid exists from roughly 10,000 years ago, which confuses scholars since the structure shows signs of human creation with apparent staircases and level platforms.
Considering these features, certain experts claim the Yonaguni Monument (sometimes called 'Japan's Atlantis') existed before Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge. Egyptian pyramids date back approximately 4,500 years, while Stonehenge was constructed about 5,000 years ago, according to English Heritage.
Scholars disagree about the actual age of this Japanese structure and whether humans built it.
During a 2024 segment of The Joe Rogan Experience, Graham Hancock and archaeologist Flint Dibble disagreed about this ongoing question.
"I have witnessed many unusual natural formations and see nothing here that reminds me of human construction," Dibble stated then.
Hancock replied: "For me, Flint, it amazes me that you view this as completely natural, but perhaps we simply see things differently."
He added, according to New York Post: "If this structure was indeed created by an unknown civilization over 10,000 years ago, it would place Yonaguni in similar standing with Göbekli Tepe in Turkey - among the earliest known human-built structures, dating to around 9500 BC."
Japanese marine geologist Masaaki Kimura supports Hancock's view that nature alone did not form the monument and also believes the Yonaguni Monument might rank among the oldest human-made structures in history.
Speaking in 2007, Kimura proposed the monument existed 6,000 years ago. Like Flint, Kimura initially thought natural processes created the pyramid. After further examination, he changed his opinion.
"I believe explaining their origin as purely natural becomes very difficult, given the extensive evidence of human influence on the structures," he stated, according to National Geographic.
