May 9, 2007, 19:32 GMT
Sarajevo - Researchers at an archaeological dig at a purported pyramid site in Bosnia reported Wednesday to have unearthed their first artefacts from a system of tunnels, including a one-metre stone wheel.
The find was reported by the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation, whose claims about a number of pyramids in the region of the town of Visoko have been doubted by established historians and archaeologists, who call the group's work amateurish.
The group said the wheel was found in pieces in one of the tunnels beneath on purported pyramid which they have named the Pyramid of the Sun.
The group of local and international experts and enthusiasts started excavations at the Visocica Hill near Visoko a year ago, believing that the hill actually conceals a pyramid built by an unknown ancient civilization.
The leader of the project, Sarajevo-born American Semir Osmanagic, claimed that up to five pyramids have been hidden under several hills in the Visoko area.
Although rejected by the experts, Osmanagic and his team continued earlier this month their work at the site, uncovering more than 250 metres of what they say are part of a complex tunnel system.
Amid the claims by the group and the doubts raised by others about the purported pyramids, Visoko has become a tourist attraction in Bosnia.
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