Strange “Rolling Stone” in Gunung Padang Pyramid baffles Researchers

A strange “Rolling Stone” has been discovered in Gunung Padang Pyramid in Indonesia. This mysterious object is made of an unknown material, and possesses some very unique qualities. 

Mysterious "Rolling Stone" discovered in Gunung Padang Pyramid.

The stone was discovered at the end of a “hallway” on the 5th Terrace of Gunung Padang Pyramid, about 10 meters underground. The mysterious stone looked unlike anything else previously discovered at Gunung Padang. 

Rolling Stone discovered at a depth of 10 meters.

In the picture below, you can see the odd black stone is set in the center of another hollowed out boulder. The black stone in the center can roll around like a computer mouse, hence, the nick-name “Rolling Stone.”

So mysterious stone. Wow.

 After analyzing the strange Rolling Stone, researchers decided to roll the stone 7 times to the right and 7 times to the left, at the advice of ‘community leaders.’ To their surprise, the Rolling Stone functioned as a key, giving way to yet another passageway. 

Inner chambers in Terrace 5.

Still mystified by the stone, the team decided that it merited further studies. With the help of the military, who assisted in the excavation, the Rolling Stone was brought to the surface of Gunung Padang for inspection. And, that’s when another strange thing happened. 

Upon bringing it to the surface, something astonishing unfolded before their eyes. When discovered, the Rolling Stone was black in color, and measured roughly 11-12 centimeters in diameter. Within a matter of just a few minutes, the stone changed into a greyish color and expanded to over 3 times its original size.

The strange Rolling Stone can change in color and size in a matter of minutes.

 “While underground, it was just 11 centimeters, and now it measures 37 centimeters!” explained Didit Ontowirjo, a member of the excavation team. 

According to Didit, this phenomenon is known as “hygroscopy,” which is the ability to change volume due to the absorption of water molecules. However, he admits that this ability is not found in stones. 

“Hygroscopy is not possible because of the hard material of the rock. We cannot explain it,” Didit said. 

The stone has since been brought to the lab for further studies, but its material remains unidentified. 

“Now we have proof of an inner chamber in Terrace 5,” says Andi Arief, head researcher of the Gunung Padang Excavation, “but there are still many more chambers to be discovered.”

The Gunung Padang Pyramid in Indonesia has been a topic of interest, since its discovery in 2010. The controversial site has been dubbed “the oldest pyramid in the world,” with some geologists dating the megalithic structure to 20,000 years old. 

Despite the significance of the Gunung Padang pyramid, not much is known about this intriguing site. For unexplained reasons, the excavations have been “paused” for the last 2 years. 

For anyone interested in visiting the site, you can check out this post on How to Get to Gunung Padang.

*The information and photos used in this post have been sourced from Twitter page of Andi Arief, head researcher to the previous Gunung Padang Excavation.