Sensation auf Teneriffa? Pyramiden, Sterne und Milchstraße – Teil 2 (AboraTV)

Summary

The video is an interview about recent research at the Güímar stepped-pyramid complex on Tenerife. Researcher Dominik Görlitz describes new measurements, access to an old excavation shaft, and possible astronomical alignments. He argues that the evidence challenges the idea that the structures are merely piles of stones cleared from farmland. However, he acknowledges that their precise age has not yet been established; many of the proposed dates and interpretations remain provisional.

Dating Methods and Fieldwork

• Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL): Görlitz explains that OSL estimates when mineral grains were last exposed to sunlight. The signal is measured under controlled laboratory conditions.
• Radiation measurements: To calculate an OSL age, researchers also need to estimate the natural radiation dose received by the material. Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are discussed.
• On-site gamma spectroscopy: Because gamma radiation at the site contributes to the dose estimate, it cannot simply be measured from samples brought back to a laboratory. The team used a portable gamma spectrometer at multiple locations around the pyramids. Each measurement took several minutes and was repeated using different instrument settings, including one with a lead cap.
• Limits of the current dating: Görlitz says earlier measurements suggest the structures predate Spanish rule, but do not yet establish an exact construction date. He presents the gamma measurements as a way to improve the calibration of the OSL results.

The Reopened Shaft

• The team was allowed to reopen and enter an excavation shaft that had reportedly been closed for about 26 years.
• The shaft reaches several metres below the surface and contains sandy soil with gravel. Görlitz says access to these relatively undisturbed layers could allow researchers to collect material for both conventional soil OSL and a newer surface-dating approach.
• He describes the access as valuable because digging a new shaft into the structures would likely be difficult to approve.
• The researchers also discuss earlier excavations by Thor Heyerdahl and Donald Ryan, including a separate shaft that was filled back in and can no longer be sampled.

Stone Origins and Construction

• Isotope measurements are presented as evidence that the southern pyramids’ stones differ geologically from stones in other parts of the park.
• Görlitz interprets this difference as indicating that at least some stones came from elsewhere, possibly a few kilometres away. He says this supports the view that the southern structures were deliberately built rather than formed from nearby field-clearing stones.
• These results do not, by themselves, establish who built the pyramids or when. The interview presents the proposed source and significance of the stones as an interpretation of the measurements.

Astronomical and Cultural Interpretations

• Görlitz points to a sightline associated with a double sunset at the summer solstice, saying that the underlying rock appears to have been deliberately altered to create it.
• The interview discusses possible alignments between particular pyramids and sacred sites elsewhere in the Canary Islands.
• Astronomer Michael Rappenglück’s interpretations are also discussed, including a possible relationship between the layout and the Milky Way as it appeared in the distant past. Görlitz describes the Milky Way as potentially important for both ritual and navigation.
• A proposed alignment involving Sirius is mentioned as an indication, not proof, of an ancient date.
• These astronomical readings are presented as hypotheses requiring further evidence. They are not established as definitive explanations of the structures.

Further Research and Plans

• The participants describe plans to pursue additional OSL work and to test a newer surface-dating technique, subject to permissions, funding, and laboratory access.
• They also mention a proposed international conference in Tenerife and ongoing investigations of mummies for possible traces of tobacco and cocaine. Görlitz expresses skepticism about whether such traces will be found.
• A stone slab is discussed as possibly bearing imagery or signs resembling early Egyptian or Mesopotamian motifs. The speakers stress that these identifications are tentative and that specialist analysis is needed.
• The interview ends with an appeal for donations to support Abora’s research and travel. Görlitz says geopolitical conditions have disrupted other planned field trips, so the team is currently concentrating on Tenerife.

Speakers and Sources Featured

Speakers

• Dominik Görlitz — researcher interviewed about the fieldwork and his interpretations.
• Frank Stoner — host and interviewer.

Researchers, institutions, and sources mentioned or shown

• Dr. Sánchez — OSL researcher shown conducting gamma measurements; the subtitles give his first name inconsistently.
• Alicia Martin — associated with the Güímar park and described as supporting the research team.
• Thor Heyerdahl and Donald Ryan — discussed in relation to earlier work at the site.
• Michael Rappenglück — astronomer whose interpretations of possible alignments are discussed.
• Georgios Polymeris — laboratory specialist associated with the University of Athens.
• Beatriz Galindo and Carmen/“Carmina” — archaeologists mentioned in connection with future work and permissions.
• The video also uses drone footage of the pyramid complex and refers to collaboration with the University of La Coruña, the University of Athens, and the Abora and Nuoviso teams.