Megalithic stones and stone use all over the ancient world, why ? , page 1

privacy

Pages: << 1 2 3 4 >>
ATS Members have flagged this thread 118 times

Topic started on 8-5-2010 @ 05:49 PM by King Loki

Strap yourselves in lads this is going to be a long one ... i tired to keep it relatively short to hold the attention span but there is so much information and evidence out there that keeping it short is no small task. I will provide pics for your visual pleasure but ill try and limit it to 1 to 2 pics per area just for efficiencies sake, if you would like more pics just google any of the areas i will show and im sure there will be plenty.

Now this is a subject that has baffled me my whole life, megalithic stones just everywhere in the ancient world across all cultures from one end of the globe to the other. One of the most remarkable prehistoric human achievements was our ability to work with stone on a seemingly gigantic and effortless scale, which apart from the technical implications, reveals the presence of sophisticated and complex people, who proved themselves to be anything but primitive.

There are many theories on how these stones were moved cut and transported i am not here to advocate one over the other because the fact is like many things in the ancient world we weren't there and can only offer theories on what we think may or may not have happened, my job here is to bring this to the attention of people who are interested and want to know more or people who have no knowledge that this even exists.

Ok lets start with the more famous ones and work our way into some that you may or may not have heard of before.

EGYPT /AFRICA
Well obviously we have the pyramids but im assuming you have all seen them, so here are some more that you may or may not have seen.

Aswan

Measures 120-feet (42m) and would have weighed over 1,168 tons when complete.

Colossal statue of Ramses

Thebes Egypt Colossal statue of Ramses 1,000 tons was transported 170 miles (270 km) by ship (apparently) from Aswan to Thebes

The Colossi of Memnon

Including the stone platforms on which they stand (about 4 metres (13 ft) themselves), the colossi reach a towering 18 metres (approx. 60 ft) in height and weigh an estimated 700 tons each.

Inside The 'Great' pyramid of Khufu

The 'Kings chamber' in the Great pyramid is covered over with several granite stones estimated at 50-70 tons each. The Gable stones over the entrance and several of the stones covering the descending passage are also several cubic meters in size.

The Valley Temple and The Osireion

Made of 'rose-coloured Aswan granite', the ten central columns each measure 2.096m² (5) and 4.19²m high (5) most weigh between 49.68 tons and 59 tons.

... many many many more in Egypt alone but ill need to move on or the Egypt part alone will take up to much

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:50 PM by King Loki

Ethiopia - The Stellae of Axum
The Obelisk of Axum (today, especially in Axum, also called the Rome Stele) is a 1,700-year-old, 24-meters (78-foot) tall granite stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes. It is decorated with two false doors at the base, and decorations resembling windows on all sides. The "obelisk" ends in a semicircular top part, which used to be enclosed by metal frames.

SOUTH AMERICA
once again im assuming you have all seen the pyramids there, ill try and include some things that you may not have seen before.

Tlaloc Statue

This statue was made of Basalt and weighed an estimated 168 tons.

La Venta

URL=http://img217.imageshack.us/i/stonehead3.gif/]
[/URL]

Costa Rica (stone balls, these have also been found in many other places including bosnia)

Sacsayhuaman, Peru

They are about 6 meters tall. The estimated volume of stone is over 6,000 cubic meters. Estimates for the weight of the largest limestone block vary from 128 tonnes to almost 200 tonnes.

Tiahuanaco, Bolivia (for those who know what Pumapunku is dont worry im dropping that bad boy at the end)
Tiahuanaco sits in the Bolivian Andes at a height of over 12,500 ft.Inca tradition spoke of the founding Inca male and female coming to Cuzco from the 'Island of the Sun' on Lake Titicaca, nearby. When the Spanish first encountered Tiahuanaco in the sixteenth century, they went to great efforts to destroy it. Early in the 20th century, Bolivian railway workers broke up many of the blocks as ballast for the railway beds. The remains of the site are now finally being restored.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:50 PM by King Loki

EASTER ISLAND (moai)
Easter Island is situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and was one of the primary islands of the Polynesian Island group. Hundreds of stone statues or 'Maoi' lie scattered around the island, and encircle it on long raised platforms. The island poses several questions in regards pre-Columbian contact with the Americas.

Location: Rano Raraku Quarry, named "El Gigante". Height: 71.93 feet, (21.60 meters). Weight: approximately 145-165 tons (160-182 metric tons).

FRANCE
This group of dolmens is congregated between Samur to Blois, on the river Loire are some of the most impressive in France. They are puzzling to archaeologists as none of them appear to have ever been covered with earth, and there have been no human remains found in them, which precludes them from having been intended for passage mounds or funerary structures.

The 'Loire' Dolmens

Bajouliere Dolmen

Kerloas Menhir
Although Paturi, claimed this to be the largest standing stone in France. And although once correct, that claim is now technically no longer so as, following the loss of the top 1.5m, it now stands at the same height as the Dol-de Bretagne, but with a smaller girth. It is said that a lightning strike took the top off this menhir.

Highest estimated weight 150 tons. Height 9.5m.
Dol-de Bretagne

The Dol-de-Breton stands on the borders of Normandy and Brittany. The nearby 'Mont Dol' is the place where St. Michael is said to have fought Lucifer. The Dol de Breton is a part of a solar alignment running between Mont St. Michel, (which is clearly visible from the top), and D' Avranches. The three sites align so that the rising sun on the 8th of May (which is the spring festival of St. Michael), rises over D' Avranches, follows the axis of the Abbey on Mont St. Michel, then passes over Mont Dol and finally the Dol de Breton.

Sits on the border of Brittany and Normandy. Stands 9.5m high. Has an estimated weight of 150 tons.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:51 PM by King Loki

ENGLAND/IRELAND/SCOTLAND/EUROPE
Stonehenge , England ... you know it im not giving a speel on it

The Cove, Avebury, England
Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world: it is 427m (1401ft) in diameter and covers an area of about 28 acres (11.5 ha). The site is formed by a huge circular bank (roughly a mile around), a massive ditch, now only a half its original depth, and a great ring of 98 sarsen slabs enclosing two smaller circles of 30 stones each and other settings and arrangements of stones.

Chun Quoit, England

Newgrange, Ireland

Kilclooney, Ireland

Maes Howe, Orkneys, Scotland

The largest of these huge slabs are estimated to weigh around 30 tons

Callanish Stones
The 13 primary stones form a circle about 13 m in diameter, with a long approach avenue of stones to the north, and shorter stone rows to the east, south, and west (possibly incomplete avenues). The overall layout of the monument recalls a distorted Celtic cross. The individual stones vary from around 1 m to 5 m in height, with an average of 4 m, and are of the local Lewisian gneiss.

Obviously there are many many more but i do want to get to the end of this presentation some time this century lol.

Hal Tarxien, Malta
Location of the great 'Earth Mother' statue, which once stood at 2.4m high. Blocks carved weighing up to 50 tons each. The temple complex at Hal-Tarxien contains examples of spirals, animal carvings, concrete, holed stones and much more.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:51 PM by King Loki

Cueva de Menga complex, Spain
The Cueva de Menga is famous for being one of the largest dolmens in Europe, if not the world. Largest stones estimated at 180 Tons.

Cueva de Viera

Mycenae, Greece : The Lion-Gate.
The primary entrance to the city is flanked on either side by the city wall. Over the entrance is placed a triangular slab of stone into which the now famous carved lions face one another, separated by an upright column.

Cyclopean Walls
The renowned cyclopean walls of Tiryns and Mycenae are attributed to the Mycenaeans, also called the Achaeans or Pelasgians, and are generally assigned to the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. Greek tradition asserts that they were built by the Cyclopes, mythical one-eyed giants.

Tholoi: Omphalos-shaped chambers
Nine significant Tholoi have been discovered in ancient Mycenae, with the so-called 'Treasury of Atreus' being the most impressive. Tholoi are characterised by their internal domed chamber, normally referred to as 'Beehive-shaped'. No cement was used with the masonry. The blocks were cut to fit together perfectly, with the largest (the lintel), weighing around 120 tons.

Parthenon, Greece
Although the Parthenon is architecturally a temple and is usually called so, it is not really one in the conventional sense of the word. A small shrine has been excavated within the building, on the site of an older sanctuary probably dedicated to Athena Ergane.

The Gollenstein (Goldenstein and Güldenstein), Germany
The Gollenstein of Blieskastel has a height of 7.6m and stands as the second-largest menhir of Central Europe. It is estimated to weigh around 100 tons.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:52 PM by King Loki

Dolmens of North Caucasus, Russia
The dolmens have a limited variety in their architecture. The floor plans are square, trapezoidal, rectangular and round. All of the dolmens are punctuated with a portal in the centre of the facade. While round portholes are the most common, square ones are also found. In front of the facade is a court that usually splays out, creating an area where rituals possibly took place. The court is usually outlined by large stone walls, sometimes over a meter high, which enclose the court. It is in this area that Bronze and Iron Age pottery has been found - which helped date these tombs -, along with human remains, bronze tools and silver, gold and semi-precious stone ornaments.

MIDDLE EAST / ASIA
The Lamassu of Nimrud, Iraq
In 1847, after discovering more than half a dozen winged pair of colossal statues of lions and bulls also known as lamassu weighing up to 30 short tons (27 t) Henry Layard brought two of the colossi weighing 10 short tons (9.1 t) each including one lion and one bull to London.

The Ziggurat of Ur
The Great Ziggurat of Ur was a temple of Nanna, the moon deity in Sumerian mythology, and has two stages constructed from brick: in the lower stage the bricks are joined together with bitumen, in the upper stage they are joined with mortar. The temple was built in 2,100 B.C. during the reign of Ur-Nammu and stands 70 feet (21 m) high.

Gobekli Tepe, Turkey
This is the site of the worlds currently known oldest shrine or temple complex in the world, and the planet's oldest known example of monumental architecture. It has also produced the oldest known life-size figure of a human.
Compared to Stonehenge, Carnac or the Pyramids of Egypt, these are relatively humble megaliths. None of the circles excavated (four out of an estimated 20) are more than 30 meters across. What makes the discovery remarkable are both the exquisite and intricate carvings of boars, foxes, lions, birds, snakes and scorpions.
At Gobekli Tepe, 15 km northeast of the city of Sanliurfa, stand four megalithic limestone pillars, 7 m tall and weighing around 50 tons each.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:52 PM by King Loki
Ba'albek, Lebanon. - (The 'Stone of the South)
The temple at Ba'albek is famous for its extraordinarily large foundation stones (The largest in the world). These stones also qualify as the largest cut-stones in the history of mankind. the approximate weight of this stone is 1158.696 tons. Three other smaller stones under 'The Grand Terrace' of the temple itself are also estimated to weigh from between 750 and 1,000 tons each, and there are several other colossal stones to be seen around the great 'Temple of the Sun' at Ba'albek.

Solomon's Temple, Israel

The Ganghwa Dolmens, Korea
The Ganghwa dolmens have been accredited with capstones weighing 300 tons at Gochang, but there is no support for Chatelain's mention of a 600 ton capstone.

Ishibutai, Japan
Ishibutai has a rectangular chamber measuring 25ft by 11ft by 15ft high approached by a passage 38ft in length, and roofed by two capstones each weighing between 60 and 70 tons each. Modern estimates place the largest stone at approximately 75 tons.

Asuka, Japan

Sakafune Ishi

Masuda Iwafune

Not going to give to much info on these as it will be going in a later thread of mine.

The Plain of Jars, Laos
More than 90 sites are known within the province of Xieng Khouang. Each site ranges from 1 up to 400 stone jars. The jars vary in height and diameter between 1 and 3 metres and are all without exception hewn out of rock. From the fact that most of the jars have lip rims, it is presumed that all stone jars supported lids, although few stone lids have been recorded; this may suggest that the bulk of lids have been fashioned from perishable materials. Stone lids with animal representations have been noticed at few sites such as Ban Phakeo (Site 52). The bas-relief animals are thought to be monkeys, tigers and frogs. No in situ lid has ever been found.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:53 PM by King Loki
Khajuraho Group of Monuments, India
The whole area was enclosed by a wall with eight gates, each flanked by two golden palm trees. There were originally over 80 Hindu temples, of which only 25 now stand in a reasonable state of preservation, scattered over an area of about 20 square kilometres (8 sq mi). Today, the temples serve as fine examples of Indian architectural styles that have gained popularity due to their explicit depiction of sexual life during medieval times. Locals living in the Khajuraho village always knew about and kept up the temples as best as they could. They were pointed out to an Englishman in late 19th century but the jungles had taken a toll on all the monuments.

Konark Sun Temple, India
he temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels. The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun god. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata Mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns.The temple is now partly in ruins.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:53 PM by King Loki
and the last one and one of my personal Favorites

PUMAPUNKU

The structure known as the Puma Punka is still littered with giant, precisely shaped blocks, many of which weighing appear machine made. The so-called 'port' of Tiahuanaco, called Puma Punku or "Door of the Puma," which is often quoted to have once been a wharf with a massive four-part building, is an area filled with enormous stone blocks scattered around the ground like matchsticks, with several estimated to weigh between 100 and 150 tons.
A story was told by the local Aymara indians to a Spanish traveller who visited Tiahuanaco shortly after the conquest spoke of the city's original foundation in the age of Chamac Pacha, or First Creation, long before the coming of the Incas. Its earliest inhabitants, they said, possessed supernatural powers, for which they were able miraculously to lift stones of off the ground, which "...were carried [from the mountain quarries] through the air to the sound of a trumpet'.

It has been suggested that there is evidence of basic machining at Puma-punka, as the following photo demonstrates:

A close inspection of the stone above reveals that there are regularly spaced drill marks in the precision-cut 6mm groove.

I cannot really do this site justice with just pics here is a clip from Ancient Aliens showing Pumapunku.

YouTube Link

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 05:54 PM by King Loki

CONCLUSIONS

One again like my spirals post ( www.abovetopsecret.com... ) everyone is going to have their own opinion as to what all this represents. Now keep in mind that a lot of these stone structures are granite and basalt .. and some even granite diorite (you basically have to cut this stuff with diamond tipped tools). I still am feeling that there may have been a global society (my own opinion of course) because the similarities through out the world are just way to coincidental, multiple places all over earth doing exactly the same things especially with the dolmens (which i have heard people used to meditate in).

Stones have their own resonance and maybe there was a reason that they used to build everything out of stone, no matter how seemingly impossible it may seem that they had to move megalithic stones we would have trouble lifting today with modern technology, they did it, so there must have been a really important reason to do so, whatever that reason is ill leave for you to decide there is many many theories out there including the stones resonance properties and the possible amplification of your consciousness when meditating encased in stone.

Over all this has been mind boggling research, every time I found out something new it took me down a massively long path of information, i literally had to cut myself short because it was running extremely long. i didn't give full information on everything here because i will be posting another thread on ancient observatories which this research seem to be intricately wound with.

So you guys can make your own minds up on the subject, im not here to tell you what to believe. have fun and be nice with the incoming flames of ATS wrath lol.

ps. i would also like to recommend the new ancient aliens series on the history channel to everyone, especially the Evidence portion of the series which does talk about this subject.

Thanks everyone on ATS for your time, i hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoyed putting this together for you guys.

Information/links/references
www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk...
www.culture.gouv.fr...
www.stonepages.com...
www.scienceviews.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 8-5-2010 by King Loki]

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 06:40 PM by Fergu

Very good read, s+f.

I find the absolutly massive stones, ashwan and Ba'albek to be fascinating for their size. Who would actually want to move that anywhere?

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 07:03 PM by dampnickers

It is very clear to me that there is a technology which has become lost to our planet, that allowed our ancestors to move great stones with ease.

I am absolutely convinced that at one time we had knowledge that allowed us to fashion great structures with complex designs to a better standard than we can today.

Ancient Astronauts? Ancient Tech? Who knows - I don't.

I do know that we had some very, very clever and ingenious ancestors though.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 07:08 PM by Grey Magic

for me it doesn't matter that much what all it represented, though I find it interesting, it doesn't matter that much.

Because I look at what it represents now, we are still loosing our skills and crafts thanks to technology and laziness.

I am glad that I was carpenter a long while back, I am thinking to pick up the craft again in the near future because there is a shortage.

reply posted on 8-5-2010 @ 07:19 PM by Asktheanimals

Thank you for your time King Loki, this is one mother of a thread! So many great sites you've included. North America being noticably absent I would suppose we have no contenders in this area which is interesting in itself. If there were a world-wide culture it somehow didn't get to where the US is.
My personal theory is that ancient man knew how to levitate stone, purely mechanical means of moving such giant stones must be ruled out. They didn't have our giant machines and even they can't move 80 ton blocks.
I also believe that the stone was important for religious/spiritual reasons and that they act as amplifiers of consciousness.
I don't necessarily agree with the alien intervention theory as there is really no good evidence for it IMO.
Thanks again King Loki, i just love them rocks!