Mission ABORA

18/09/2026

Sailing Like 6,000 Years Ago

Already in the Predynastic Naqada culture of ancient Egypt, we find depictions of large boats that were probably constructed from bundled plant material. Particularly fascinating are indications of early sails and lateral steering or leeboard-like devices – a principle that plays a central role in our experimental ABORA voyages.

The photo from our last summer sailing camp demonstrates what can be achieved with a triangular square sail and lateral leeboards: a reed boat does not simply have to sail before the wind. Through the interaction of sail trim and leeboards, it can sail surprisingly close to the wind. Nearly identical rock paintings from the eastern Mediterranean via Gibraltar, on Tenerife and even on Cuba suggest a maritime cultural exchange.

Experimental archaeology turns ancient images into testable questions: How capable were the vessels of early civilizations really?

More information: www.abora.eu

11/09/2026

ABORA LAUNCHES A NEW RESEARCH INITIATIVE!

We don’t want to speculate. We want to measure, date, and verify.
Using modern scientific methods, we aim to search for reliable answers at key sites across the Atlantic region – in the Canary Islands, the Azores, Morocco, and Cuba. But independent research needs your support.

🌍 That is why we are launching our new ABORA crowdfunding campaign.

Together, we can make new research possible, open new horizons – and perhaps rewrite some chapters of our early history.
We do not want to answer archaeological mysteries with speculation, but with scientific data. Support our international team of scientists in investigating pyramidal structures, rock art, and possible traces of early cultural contacts in Cuba, the Azores, Tenerife, and Morocco.

A central focus of our research will be further OSL dating (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) – a scientific method that can help determine when sediments or rock surfaces were last exposed to sunlight. This could allow construction phases, rock art, and other traces of the past to be dated and interpreted more precisely.
Now we are preparing for another decisive step: together with additional scientists, we want to collect new samples at several sites across the Atlantic region, have them scientifically analyzed, and document the entire research process on film.

At the heart of our investigation is one fundamental question:
Are some of the pyramidal structures and rock carvings of the Atlantic region older than previously believed?

Together with the filmmakers from Nuoviso, we will launch a new crowdfunding campaign on the ABORA website to raise the funds needed for these investigations. We will publish weekly updates on the funds raised, ensuring transparency throughout the campaign.
Join us. Support research. Support ABORA: www.abora.eu

31/08/2026

Successful ABORA & NUOVISO Summer Festival 2026 –
Research, Adventure & Encounters

What an eventful weekend! Even before the ABORA & NUOVISO Summer Festival began, we successfully completed an intensive sailing training session with our experimental vessel DILMUN S on Lake Geiseltal. Strong winds provided excellent conditions to test maneuvers and sailing techniques for our future ABORA expeditions – witnessed by many of our guests.

A scientific highlight of the festival was our international OSL Congress. Together with our research partners, we presented and discussed the latest dating results from the Canarian step pyramids, as well as new findings from archaeoastronomy and mummy research. The lively exchange between scientists and the audience once again demonstrated the importance of transdisciplinary research and open scientific debate.

The ABORA & NUOVISO Summer Festival itself was a great success: inspiring guests, fascinating presentations, personal encounters and many stimulating conversations made this weekend a truly memorable experience.

Our heartfelt thanks go to NUOVISO, our international scientists, helpers, supporters and, of course, all our guests who made this wonderful weekend possible!

Research connects us – and the next adventures are already waiting!

27/07/2026

Joint Presentation at the Annual Conference of the Society for Archaeoastronomy
Together with Dr. Michael Rappenglück, I had the pleasure of presenting our current research project on the stepped pyramids of Tenerife (Canary Islands) at this year's Annual Conference of the Society for Archaeoastronomy in Berlin. The focus of my presentation was on the three fundamental questions of Canary Islands archaeology: Who built these monumental structures? When were they constructed? And why were they built?


Our new OSL dating results provide a surprising perspective. They indicate that the stepped pyramids are significantly older than previously assumed and support our working hypothesis that their builders reached the Canary Islands during much earlier phases of maritime migration. Combined with the remarkable architectural similarities to comparable monuments in other regions, these findings represent a growing body of evidence that can no longer be ignored in future archaeological research.
Dr. Michael Rappenglück then presented the detailed archaeoastronomical investigations of the two structures that have so far been dated at Santo Domingo and San Marcos. Besides their remarkable astronomical alignments, both monuments reveal striking parallels with Monte d'Accoddi in Sardinia and the monumental stepped structures of the Azores. These similarities may point to a common cultural origin or, at the very least, to a shared body of astronomical and architectural knowledge.
Particularly exciting were our first results concerning the astronomy of the Milky Way on the Canary Islands. This opens an entirely new field of research that extends far beyond the traditional study of solar and lunar alignments. Our measurements may even provide the first indications of a previously unknown astronomical navigation system that could have been used by prehistoric seafarers for long-distance ocean navigation.
We will present this fascinating topic in much greater detail in a separate post very soon.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Society for Archaeoastronomy for the invitation and for the inspiring scientific discussions in Berlin.

15/07/2026

ABORA Crew Paddling Training in the Czech Republic – Nature, Team Spirit, and Future Plans

Last weekend, members of the ABORA association met for a joint paddling training session on the Ohře River in the Czech Republic. Despite the low summer water levels, the approximately 15-kilometer stretch of river took us through a beautiful valley with breathtaking natural scenery.

The focus was not only on sport, exercise, and lots of fun, but above all on team spirit. Such joint activities strengthen the cohesion of our team and promote the "social skills" that are just as important for our future expeditions as the practical training on the water.

Our starting point and headquarters was the picturesque town of Loket, which nestles around the imposing Loket Castle like an omega (Image 1). This historical setting alone made the weekend a special experience.

The meeting was organized by our association member Jarik, whom I have known for over 31 years – since our time together at Sport S Chomutov during my teacher training. It was wonderful to be back on the water together after so many years.

Of course, the paddling trip also provided ample opportunity for in-depth discussions about our current and upcoming projects. The focus was on the surprising research findings from our recent OSL campaign in the Canary Islands, the planning for the 2026 summer festival in Braunsbedra, and the preparations for the next OSL research campaign in the Azores. A heartfelt thank you to all participants for the fantastic weekend, the great atmosphere, and the strong team spirit.

09/07/2026

Very important press article after our Pramid Conference in Tenerife...

Schaut euch das Video an!

07/07/2026

Important work!

05/07/2026

04/07/2026

A Turning Point in the Study of the Canary Pyramids?

Yesterday, our international OSL conference took place at the Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueología (MUNA) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In addition to the scientists from the ABORA research team, leading representatives of Canary archaeology and other scientific disciplines presented and discussed the findings. The conference focused for the first time on the results of our OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) dating.

The complex measurements revealed significantly different age ranges for the two structures. According to current results, the pyramid complex of Santo Domingo dates to between approximately 500 BC and the first centuries AD. For the so-called Pyramid of Santi (San Marcos), however, the OSL data indicates an age between approximately 2400 and 2700 BC.

These results confirm that the Pyramid of Santi was built several millennia earlier than previously thought. This refutes the theory that it was constructed only after the Spanish conquest of Tenerife in 1494 as a simple pile of stones left by agricultural settlers. The new scientific data therefore seriously challenge this interpretation and open up a new scientific discussion about the age, function, and cultural background of these monuments.

Regardless of which interpretations ultimately prevail, yesterday's conference marks a significant moment for archaeological research in the Canary Islands. For the first time, scientific dating is available that fundamentally challenges the existing paradigm regarding the age of some pyramid complexes.

Science does not thrive on proclaiming definitive truths, but rather on constantly and critically re-examining existing models based on new data. The OSL results presented here provide precisely this opportunity. Canary archaeology is now called upon to reassess its previous ideas about the early settlement of the islands, the origin of these stepped structures, and their cultural significance in light of the new findings.
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¿Un punto de inflexión en el estudio de las pirámides canarias?

Ayer tuvo lugar nuestra conferencia internacional sobre OSL en el Museo de Naturaleza y Arqueología (MUNA) de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Además de los científicos del equipo de investigación ABORA, destacados representantes de la arqueología canaria y otras disciplinas científicas presentaron y debatieron los hallazgos. La conferencia se centró por primera vez en los resultados de nuestra datación por OSL (luminiscencia estimulada ópticamente).

Las complejas mediciones revelaron rangos de edad significativamente diferentes para las dos estructuras. Según los resultados actuales, el complejo piramidal de Santo Domingo data de entre aproximadamente el 500 a. C. y los primeros siglos d. C. Para la llamada Pirámide de Santi (San Marcos), sin embargo, los datos de OSL indican una edad de entre aproximadamente el 2400 y el 2700 a. C.

Estos resultados confirman que la Pirámide de Santi se construyó varios milenios antes de lo que se creía. Esto refuta la teoría de que se construyó solo después de la conquista española de Tenerife en 1494 como un simple montón de piedras dejado por los colonos agrícolas. Los nuevos datos científicos, por lo tanto, ponen seriamente en entredicho esta interpretación y abren un nuevo debate científico sobre la antigüedad, la función y el contexto cultural de estos monumentos.

Independientemente de la interpretación que finalmente prevalezca, la conferencia de ayer marca un hito importante para la investigación arqueológica en las Islas Canarias. Por primera vez, se dispone de dataciones científicas que cuestionan fundamentalmente el paradigma actual sobre la edad de algunos complejos piramidales.

La ciencia no se basa en proclamar verdades absolutas, sino en reexaminar constante y críticamente los modelos existentes a partir de nuevos datos. Los resultados de OSL presentados aquí ofrecen precisamente esta oportunidad. La arqueología canaria se ve ahora obligada a reevaluar sus ideas previas sobre el poblamiento temprano de las islas, el origen de estas estructuras escalonadas y su significado cultural a la luz de los nuevos hallazgos.

02/07/2026

Ready for the Conference! The last words before...