So how does that line in “Stairway to Heaven” go?  It’s the last line of the Led Zeppelin classic and it is presented as the solution to the maddening  hypocrisy of the woman trying to buy a stairway to heaven.  In the song we are told that:

There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for
Ooh ooh ooh ooh and she’s buying a stairway to heaven

But by the end of the song we learn the truth which is stated as follows:

There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
And she’s buying the stairway to heaven

The answer to countermand and avoid the hypocrisy of the woman trying to buy a stairway to heaven is quite simple really.

When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll

I’m sure there are countless interpretations by rock music enthusiasts as to what these lines mean and I imagine that in some way, they are all correct.  So here is mine:  When Jesus Christ founded the church he said, “And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it (Matthew 16:18).” Some people believe that the “rock” he was referring to was the apostle Peter,  whose name literally meant rock and who, after his three time denial of Christ before the cock crowed just as Jesus predicted, was now a solid rock of faith—one who eventually when told he would be crucified asked to be crucified upside down because he was not worthy of dying the same way as his Savior. And he was. So the one who was once movable was now immovable.

Others believe that Jesus was referring to the rock that was rolled aside when he walked out of his tomb—the church being founded upon his resurrection.  Still others see the church itself being a rock. So, if the rock is the church then the lady who thinks she can buy her way to heaven has certainly misunderstood or intentionally changed what Jesus had in mind. The key for the church was and is to be a rock and not to roll.

Now, what does that have to do with the mysterious round rock found in Bosnia?  Probably not much, but when else am I going to get a chance to give my interpretation of “Stairway to Heaven”?

As far as the Bosnia rock goes, a well known self proclaimed archaeologist is suggesting that some unique rock formations he has discovered in present day Bosnia are proof of an ancient civilization that thrived there 15,000 years ago.

Semir Osmanagic has been combing the hills around Visocica since 2005 claiming the surrounding mountains were part of a giant collection of pyramids that he says could be 15,000 years old. For over ten years now he has been digging through these mountains trying to find proof but, up to now, it has eluded him.  The “find” that he says changes all that is a large, spherical rock found in a Bosnian forest that Osmanagic says could be the oldest such rock ever made by humans.

The rock is about 1.4 meters across and Osmanagic says it has a very high amount of iron content.

Scientists who have seen the rock say it is likely a natural formation and not a human construct, but Osmanagic has received plenty of support and funding from the Bosnian government, and he is something of a celebrity in the area.  However, there are also many in the archaeological world who believe he is a dangerous charlatan. Anthony Harding, the president of the European Association of Archaeologists, called Osmanagic’s claims “a total absurdity,” according to The Telegraph. “There is some genuine archaeology on the hill and I’m told it’s medieval, possibly Bronze Age or Roman,” Harding said. “But the speculation that there could be a 12,000-year-old structure beneath is a complete fantasy and anyone with basic knowledge of archaeology or history should recognize that.”

In an open letter written ten years ago, a group of scholars denounced Osmanagic’s work as something that “… disgracefully, threatens to destroy parts of Bosnia’s real heritage.” Even so, it is highly unlikely that Osmanagic will stop pushing his theories or digging in the region.

The sphere is drawing a lot of scrutiny. Mandy Edwards of the University of Manchester’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences told The Daily Mail that the rock might not even be man-made but could have been formed by “precipitation of natural mineral cement within the spaces between sediment grains,” called concretion.

Archaeologists have some concern that Osmanagic’s theory may not be rock solid, but only time will tell how far they will “roll.”

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