The enigma of the ancient network of underground tunnels in all Europe
Thousands of underground Stone Age tunnels stretch across Europe from Scotland to Turkey, leaving researchers puzzled over their original purpose. Were they used as tombs, ritual spaces, or hiding places to protect against marauders? Archaeologists are starting to explore the underground vaults to unlock the secrets of the enigmatic tunnels.
German researcher Heinrich Kusch claims that a vast network of tunnels carved by Stone Age men connects hundreds of Neolithic settlements across Europe, and the fact that so many tunnels have survived for 12,000 years suggests that the original network must have been immense.
In Germany alone 700 meters of this network of underground tunnels have been found. In Austria another 350 meters. The tunnels across Europe could number in the thousands. These are only about 70 centimeters wide, just enough to allow a person to pass through. The tunnels are interspersed with small storage rooms and seating areas.
The discovery of the maze of tunnels occurred thanks to a cow! Beate Greithanner, a milk producer from Glonn, a small town near Munich, was grazing her cattle on the lush meadows of Doblerg, a hill in Bavaria surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains. Suddenly, a crater opened under one of her cows, swallowing the animal up to its flanks.
The day after the incident, Beate's husband examined the hole. It was odd, so he stuck his head inside to look around. The man thought he had found a hiding place for some sort of treasure. As he lowered himself into the hole to investigate further, he realized he was in a narrow, damp tunnel that descended downwards.
From that moment, the Greithanners realized that their property sat atop a labyrinth of tunnels, known as 'Erdstall', a term in popular tradition that indicated the dwelling of 'goblins'.
Soon after, numerous geologists showed up at the Greithanner's property, determined to uncover the mystery. Three members of a team called the 'Erdstall Research Working Group' found a piece of wood inside the tunnel, a find crucial for determining the age of the tunnel.
Another group from the State Office for Historic Preservation in Germany marked the site with colored tape. They then performed a ground-penetrating radar scan, discovering that the tunnel had collapsed at the back, trying to ascertain its real dimensions. This is the first time a German archaeological entity has shown interest in such an extremely unusual ancient phenomenon.
But what were these tunnels used for?
Similar underground labyrinths to those found in Germany have been discovered all over Europe, from Hungary to Spain, but no one can explain why they were built.
Many tunnels are connected to ancient Neolithic sites. The entrances to the tunnels are sometimes found in the kitchens of old farmhouses, near churches or cemeteries, or in the middle of forests. The atmosphere inside them is dark and oppressive, as much as an animal's den would be.
The tunnels certainly could not have had a practical purpose, such as dwellings or for storing food, if only because they are narrow in some places. Additionally, the absence of animal droppings rules out their use as livestock shelters.
Until recently, the cavities have been explored only by amateur archaeologists. The pioneer of Erdstall explorations is Lambert Karner (1841-1909), a priest. According to his diaries, he crawled into the tunnels 400 times, lighting his way only with the flickering light of a candle, noting 'strange tortuous passages' through which one can only pass by crawling like a worm.
Some experts believe that the network of tunnels was a way devised by the ancients to protect themselves from raiders, while others believe the tunnels were used like modern highways, allowing people to travel safely, regardless of wars or epidemics. In some cases, researchers believe the network of tunnels is the access to a larger underground world yet to be discovered.
Regardless, it is astonishing that Stone Age men could have dug such an extensive network of tunnels under Europe. While archaeology leads us to believe that men of that era were extremely primitive, incredible discoveries, like the 12,000-year-old temple of Gobekli Tepe, the Pyramids of Egypt, and other structures like Stonehenge, show that our ancestors possessed far more advanced astronomical and technological knowledge than previously believed.
The discovery of this vast network of underground burrows shows that Stone Age man did not spend his days merely hunting animals and gathering berries but was engaged in engineering works that required substantial intellectual and design resources. However, the true purpose of the tunnels remains a mystery.
Underground Cities: Myths and Reality
For centuries, stories have been told of caves and tunnels deep within the earth, subterranean passages leading to realms of demons and monsters. Could these legends hide a startling truth? Perhaps there really are mysterious and inexplicable places beneath our feet, places whose origins might not be of this world.
Underground structures, and even entire cities, have always been narrated in most of the world's myths and religions. Some of these have been discovered, while others are still only described in the sacred books of humanity. There are tales of underground networks connecting different places on the planet, sometimes extending for thousands of kilometers, crossing entire countries.
According to tradition, these subterranean sites were mostly accesses to the underworld. Although in contemporary consideration the 'underworld' is seen as an imaginary or spiritual place where evil entities exist, religious traditions considered it a real geographic location.
The underworld is not always considered as the destination for the punishment of those who have behaved badly in life, but as a place with physical entrances, guards, and buildings, which few mortals have been able to visit.
One of the most famous underground cities is Agartha, a legendary place said to be at the center of the Earth. In the legend born in Central Asia, Agartha is described as a vast complex of caves inhabited by the 'Asura', a progeny of evil demons, enemies of the Gods.
In Hindu mythology, there is a tale of a race called 'Naga', intelligent snake-like creatures with human faces, who live inside underground caves. These creatures are described as 'children of the Gods', immortal and capable of flight.
In Maya mythology, there is the underground city of Xibalba, 'the land where the sun goes down', inhabited by 'heroes and deities'. The entrance to this world is thought to be in Guatemala, and the description of the city's structures and its inhabitants is described in the book 'Popol Vuh'.
In ancient Egypt, there was reference to an immense underground temple, composed of more than 3,000 rooms filled with paintings and hieroglyphics, a lost labyrinth still to be found.
In Greece, we have the myth of the 'underworld' (later adopted by Christianity with a different meaning), a realm where deities and heroes lived. Pluto was the God of the Underworld, a place divided into different sectors, including the Elysium and Tartarus.
Finally, it is important to consider the mysterious city of Derinkuyu discovered in 1963. There are thirteen floors that descend underground, with ventilation shafts and about fifteen thousand air ducts that bring air even to the deepest levels. Incredibly, the rock chambers discovered could accommodate about 20,000 people, including men, women, and children. There are even traces of religious centers, storage areas, wine presses, and livestock stables.
In the underground levels, dining halls, kitchens blackened by soot, cellars, grocery shops, a school, numerous halls, and even a bar were found. The city benefited from the presence of an underground river and water wells. It was a small, completely self-sufficient city, which still today amazes scholars and engineers.
They knew that, at the time of death, they would return to the arms of Mother Earth. The underground worlds that Kafton-Minkel explores in his essay are sometimes revealing, sometimes amusing, and other times absolutely absurd, but they can show readers who love to be taken far by their own imagination, how the desire to shape the universe and our very nature into a compact and comprehensible form can make us believe strange things and hint at all that humanity still does not know about nature and itself.
But is it really just a myth? The presence, detected through meticulous studies, of thousands of tunnels connecting the most remote corners of the globe seems to demonstrate the existence of this underground world considered fantastic until now.
It allows identifying a planetary network of tunnels and galleries that crosses all continents, also linking to the remnants of the lost Atlantis.
Who inhabits this underground world? What relationships exist between the surface and the depths of our planet? What evidence supports the existence of this cavity?
