A good deal has been discussed and made a lot of in alternative archaeology books about how exactly and why our technologically primitive ancestors were able to carve out, transport and erect massive multi-ton stone blocks into megalithic monuments of well, monumental size. The implication is that since there is no doubting the existence of these structures, our ancestors must of in fact possessed a sophisticated technology or had assistance from those who did (i.e. - 'ancient astronauts'). That runs unlike the standard style of scholarly archaeology. But the questions remain.
Perhaps I'd better say what I mean by massive multi-ton stone blocks. After all stones that are at least several tons in weight, up to the biggest known carved (but still in-situ and unused) stone block weighing in at roughly 1250 tons. That isn't the record but also for there is, apparently, a stele base in China that weighs about 16,250 tons. I mean these are stones that are not trivial to toss around, right now. And while not all major continents and countries have megalithic stone monuments, like North America (USA & Canada) or Australia (including New Zealand) that still leaves lots of places, and well known places, that do.
How and just why these megaliths were constructed is no trivial matter. For the ancestors to visit such lengths and expend such efforts, well these stone monuments were obviously essential to them, and it's important to us to figure out how and why they achieved it. Using large stone blocks rather than wood or even small stone blocks or bricks will need to have served a purpose regardless of the greater hardships involved. So, why did our ancient ancestors need large stones; and how did they handle them?
As to Click here for info why, presumably, to begin with, if you decide to use stone, then it is important enough a material serving a purpose(s) that necessitates lasting for several practical purposes an 'eternity'. If you build something to last, at least back then, you utilize stone, the larger the higher. But also for what purpose did the ancients need such megalithic giants?
Issues Arising: Purpose
These ancient societies or cultures spent an awful lot of resources to build items that were relatively peripheral with their basic needs. The Easter Islanders could survive without those Moai statues; ancient Egypt would still have been a 'superpower' even without those pyramids, the Giza Sphinx, massive statues of some New Kingdom pharaohs (like Ramesses II - often called Ramesses the Great), stele and obelisks. The Parthenon in Athens was only a shrine to one of the Greek deities (Athena), and similar observations could be extended to the a large number of other monumental megalithic temples and monuments around the globe that have been mainly ceremonial in function.
It's difficult to figure out how Stonehenge contributed to the basic survival needs of the neighborhood population - you don't need to construct something of this magnitude just to tell you what season it is! If you need to mark, say the summertime Solstice, all you need have is a traditionally and permanently well marked and easily identified Point A, where you can observe some fixed structure just like a rock on the Horizon, that's Point B, and when sunlight arises directly over Point B, that's the longest day of the year. There's no have to engage in any kind of backbreaking toil or construction whatever.
If a society are able to spend effort and time and money on secondary projects, say like in modern society various public artworks compared to primary projects like roads (transport), schools (education) and hospitals (healthcare), then you need to conclude that that society was well off simply because they could divert basic resources from primary projects to undertake projects of a second nature. Either that, or whatever looks to us as relatively trivial or unimportant like Stonehenge or Carnac (Brittany, France) or those Easter Island statues or the Sphinx actually held a primary function incomprehensible to us but which rivalled in importance housing and insuring adequate food supplies and similar things crucial to their day-to-day survival.
Issues Arising: Logistics
There's also the logistics problem. You will need a large workforce that had to be fed and clothed and housed and looked after, especially fed. There wasn't exactly a nearby supermarket where endless supplies could possibly be purchased. Further, while employed on these quarrying, transporting and construction projects the workers couldn't be gainfully employed elsewhere to supply basics like hunting and gathering for food as well as tending to domesticated livestock and agricultural crops. The workers couldn't have been useful for serving in the army, or any useful and necessary task. All of this carving, transporting and construction weren't just busy work made to keep the rabble off the streets and out of trouble, and slave labour wasn't usually in fashion either, unlike many popular Hollywood images. Needless to say in the case of the Giza Sphinx, it had been carved, but wasn't transported, nor constructed per say. Still, the logistics in caving that massive stone statue from a rock outcrop could have been enormous, and the reason(s) for doing so of vast importance to the powers-that-be.
Issues Arising: Ways and Means: The How!
Though our focus and interest is frequently on the construction phase, as in how was that done, that's usually just one-third of the hard yards. Take those 2.3 million blocks that make up the Great Pyramid at Giza. Phase One: each block needed to be carved to size. You just didn't hack out rocks randomly and put them in place. That carving alone is hard yakka and helped continue circumstances of full employment. Hard yakka Phase Two was transporting those carved blocks from the various quarries - some local, some not - to action city, the Giza Plateau. More full employment. The how in Phase One and Two isn't usually all that mysterious - just bloody hard backbreaking work. Anyway, back again to the construction - Phase Three.
To me the major mystery is not so much how you get something from the horizontal to the vertical, as an obelisk, (that has been demonstrated on the NOVA TV series "Secrets of Lost Empires"), but the method that you get yourself a massive multi-ton stone block raised straight up, say 20 to 30 to 40 or more feet to do something as a lintel, like those at Stonehenge or on those Greco-Roman and Egyptian temples, like say the Parthenon. You can always conceive of creating sand or dirt ramps to haul massive lintels upwards into place, hence removing the sand or dirt after-the-fact, but if you think about it, such infrastructure is really a a lot more labour intensive and an all-round major project in its own right. For instance, constructing a sand ramp to haul those multi-ton stone blocks for the Giza pyramids would need a greater level of material to be placed into place (and of course later removed) than that of the quantity of material required to build the pyramid involved in the first place. Needless to say if the project is that important, and if there is just no other way - well there's always those hard options.
To illustrate for example of just how bad our knowledge of our remote ancient ancestors really is, here is a trilogy of extracts from classical scholar Nigel Rodgers in his text "The ANCIENT GREEK LANGUAGE World: People and Places" (2010):
"[T]he Greeks relied on their intellectual powers and their remarkably skilled craftsmanship to erect their buildings. Few details survive of these actual building techniques, however."
"Cranes were probably used to help improve the masonry around the temples during construction, although no traces of such machinery have been found."
"The way the Athenians assembled these temples, and even housed and fed the large, very skilled workforce required to build them, so efficiently is unknown."
So, now let's look at alternatives as offered in a few alt-archaeological texts.
One theory sometimes observed in alt-archaeological tomes is that these massive blocks didn't start out as massive blocks, as being a brick doesn't begin as a brick, but rather they were poured into place, in a mould, like concrete or cement. Sorry, but modern petrologists' could easily detect such. Often actually the quarry from where in fact the stone originated could be precisely identified, though that often raises the question then of transport, because the distances twixt quarry site and construction site could be hundreds of miles. That's a concern that pertains to Stonehenge together with a few of the stonework for the Giza pyramids.
If https://hobbs-finch-2.blogbright.net/stoned-for-all-eternity want to go far-out, star-scout, let's try antigravity! Anti-gravity is available in one form, dark energy. Dark energy is that mysterious antigravity force that's evoking the expanding Universe to keep on expanding at ever faster and faster rates, in defiance of gravity that ought to slow the expansion rate down. Alas, dark energy, which while dominant over the scale of the entire Universe, is trivial locally in accordance with Earth's intense gravity field.
Alt-archaeology texts are filled with references to sound energy that levitates (negates gravity) and therefore massive blocks of stone could be floated around and placed into place despite having just the oomph of an infant, just by making the appropriate sound at the appropriate level.. Sound needless to say can be focused. Everybody knows and appreciate the science of acoustics in theatres. Sound can shatter objects, well at least relatively fragile objects like wine glasses when put through the professional projections of the trained human voice (or equivalent). However, in the event that you crunch the numbers, the power necessary to negate gravity is way outside the realm of which sound energy can muster. Taking into consideration the cacophony of sounds the human race produces daily, you'd believe all the relevant elements would get together somewhere, sometime and 'just so' concerning produce levitation in something, levitation observed and photographed for the record. Alas, not so.
Jigsaw Puzzles
In some constructions, it's not only a matter of manipulating massive but irregular stone blocks but fitting them together just like a jigsaw puzzle, results that are immediately apparent at sites around the world, like those from the Incan Empire. Precision carving in stone only using other stone or copper tools isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. It's not simple; it's extremely exhausting and time consuming work. Double that when all your blocks aren't a typical square block size and shape.
What Do Our Ancestors Say?
Pity that even though ancients left all manner of images behind of these daily lives and culture, I find it amazing that despite all those multi-thousands of images from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Americas, etc. not one shows an actual half-finished or partly constructed monument, like a pyramid, or a temple like the Parthenon that's under construction, or whatever. That's highly anomalous IMHO, though you can find images of ancient Egyptians transporting massive stone blocks.
However, even some of these ancient cultures were puzzled concerning how their a lot more ancient ancestors achieved these megalithic 'missions impossible'.
There's something very odd when the natural descendents of 'primitive' natives resort to tales comparable to sci-fi or science-fantasy to take into account how their ancestors constructed, transported and erected massive stone monoliths.
Easter Islanders say that their Moai statues walked by themselves from quarry with their final resting (actually standing) place. Who am I to argue with first hand or on-the-spot observations, except Thor Heyerdahl's "Aku-Aku" team accomplished the same with less elegant but with pure grunt power. Walking stone statues are simply a bit too far into the "Twilight Zone" for comfort. Actually for reasons uknown Easter Islanders at some point downed their stone tools and abandoned their statue constructions for reasons not entirely clear apart from priorities altered. The abandoned unfinished statues can still be seen today, lying in place, now long neglected.
Also in the Pacific region, Nan Modal can be an ancient city of about 0.75 square kilometres off the coast of the island of Pohnpei in what's today termed Micronesia. The city is made up of artificial islands criss-crossed by canals, and therefore also known as the Venice of the Pacific. Those 'islands' however are designed up of massive megalithic stone walls up to 25 feet high. How so? Well the stones were carried on site on the backs of dragons apparently. To be honest, that makes as much sense as anything else.
I noted above that allegedly sound could levitate massive stone blocks. That theory or observation is found in both South America and ancient Egypt - massive stones are somehow lifted and transported by sound. I still think that's highly suspect and I think scientists would need a genuine modern-day demonstration. I know I would.
Tentative Conclusions
WHEN I noted above, it's not the caving or the transport that's the real issue, nor going from the horizontal to the vertical that is clearly a real problem, rather the problem is lifting massive stones directly that I especially puzzle over.
The puzzlement pertains to our own use of stones in building projects. We could I assume, if we wished to, build our buildings out of mega-ton blocks of stone. But we don't. Your home, if it contains building stones at all, are stones which are probably akin to weights of just several pounds, maybe dozens of pounds; hardly tons.
So do we've a significant mystery here? Well yes, especially when compared to modern society as noted immediately above. Inside our modern high-tech age, when we do use stone as a construction material, it's in manageable bits and pieces. We don't build our homes or office buildings or ballparks or monuments out of multi-ton to multi-hundred ton stone blocks as the ancients did. However when duty called, like when Abu Simbel had to be relocated to an increased elevation once the Aswan High Dam was constructed giving rise to Lake Nasser and the flooding of the historical site, even using modern technology it was still a significant and massive effort.
A Possible Solution
Perhaps we are able to kill two anomalous birds with one hypothetical stone.
Universal One: As we note, from the Americas (Mesoamerica and SOUTH USA at the very least); throughout Europe and the Near and Middle East, Egypt and other elements of Africa, even unto Asia and the Pacific region, you can find ancient megalithic constructions using stone blocks in the multi mega-ton range. How did the ancients carve, transport, raise and position such massive stone blocks?
Universal Two: Also all over the world, there is a universal theme of giants, from the Cyclopes in Greco-Roman cultures, to Biblical giants to - you name the culture and I'll guarantee they have giants as a core element in their mythologies. For samplers, here's just a partial list of giants. Well there's Angrboda (Norse), Argos (Greek), Balor (Irish), Biloko (Zaire), Bungisngis (Philippines), the Cyclopes (Greek), Geryon (Greek), the Gigantes (Greek), Goliath (Biblical), Grendel (Anglo-Saxon), the Hecatonchires (Greek), Hrungnir (Norse), Humbaba (Mesopotamia), the Nephilim (Biblical), Skrymir (Norse), Suttung (Norse), Talos (Greek), the Titans (Greek), and Ymir (Norse). Further, you have all manner of giant trolls and ogres (Scandinavian), various giant apemen just like the Yeti and Bigfoot/Sasquatch and numerous others, along with the Giants of Cornwall (led by Gogmagog).
Well, what's 'mission: impossible' for a kid, is possible for an adult; what's 'mission: impossible' for adult humans may be possible for a giant(s). A giant doubly large as an average human could have eight times the muscle power, since muscles are 3-D, doubling long, width and height; and thusly 2 x 2 x 2 = 8.
What Do Our Ancestors Say Revisited?
Ancient Greeks often attributed various massive stone constructions to the Cyclopes, for example. Such massive structures are termed the Cyclopean walls because the Cyclopes and only the Cyclopes may have built these structures. Perseus had them in charge of building the walls of Mycenae, like the Lion Gate; Proitos attributed them building the walls of Tiryns. The medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus cited the Roman ruins as evidence that giants must once have walked the Earth. And who built the Giant's Causeway on the Northern Irish Coast?
Is this too much out? I'm available to other suggestions, but at least it generally does not require high-tech alien assistance, until those worldwide mythological giants, like the Cyclopes, were aliens!
Appendix: A few notable megalithic monuments.
1) Some unfinished in-situ megaliths.
*Baalbek (Lebanon) has two unfinished stones weighing in at 1000 to 1250 tons apiece.
*There's an unfinished Egyptian obelisk at Assuan that's all up comes to roughly 1100 tons.
2) Some finished and transported megaliths.
Europe
*Stonehenge: some stones are up to 40 tons.
*The Avebury stone circle, England, has as its largest stone one over 40 tons.
*The famous fortress of Mycenae, Greece has stones near 100 tons in weight.
*The Parthenon in Athens, Greece has a few of its largest stones weighing in at 10 tons.
Pacific Region
*Those Easter Island (Rapa Nui to the locals) Moai can weigh up to 70, even one up to 86 tons.
Ancient Egypt
*The Colossi of Memnon are two Egyptian statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III coming in at 700 tons each.
*Ramesses II (Ramesses the fantastic) was not shy about erecting statues to honour himself. One of his numerous dozens of monumental statues commissioned to image self (at Luxor) - 100 tons worth of stone. But that's featherweight class.
*Ramesses II was only getting warmed up. There is a statue at Thebes, Egypt, the main Ramessum, the mortuary temple of the pharaoh involved, of 1000 tons. Now that's heavyweight status.
*Egyptian obelisks weren't minuscule. There's one at 227 tons (Luxor); one at 328 tons (Karnak).
*Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt established fact as overkill when it comes to constructing a tomb. Although average weight of every stone block is 'only' 2.5 tons, the biggest slabs comprising the burial chamber, can be found in at 80 tons.
*Apart from the Great Pyramid, other Egyptian pyramids, in fact most, if not all other, Egyptian pyramids have some monolithic blocks of over 20 tons, including monolithic roof slabs, plugs and burial vaults, some of which weigh in at over 100 tons.
South and Central America
*Those popular but mysterious Olmec heads in Mesoamerica aren't trivial works when carved right down to some 50 tons all up.
*The Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru has large stones part and parcel of its construction weighing in from 20 to 50 tons apeice.
*There's an extremely famous Aztec calendar stone at Tenochtitlan, Mexico that weighs considerably more than the wall calendar you hang up at home. Weight, 24 tons.
*Palenque, Mexico is really a famous Mayan site, especially because of Erich Von Daniken. The largest stones on site weigh 12 to 15 tons.
Further suggested readings
Childress, David Hatcher; Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients; Adventures Unlimited Press, Kempton, Illinois; 2000:
De Camp, L. Sprague; The Ancient Engineers; Ballantine Books, NY; 1974:
De Camp, L. Sprague & De Camp; Catherine C; Citadels of Mystery; Fontana/Collins, London; 1972:
Hancock, Graham; Fingerprints of the Gods: A Quest for the Beginning and the End; Mandarin, London; 1996:
Hancock, Graham & Faiia, Santha; Heaven's Mirror: Quest for the Lost Civilization; Penguin Books, London; 1999:
National Geographic Society; Mysteries of Mankind: Earth's Unexplained Landmarks; National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; 1992:
National Geographic Society; Mysteries of the Ancient World; National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; 1979:
Von Daniken, Erich; Chariots of the Gods?; Souvenir Press, London; 1969:
Von Daniken, Erich; Gods from Outer Space; Souvenir Press, London; 1970:
Further viewings:
NOVA; Secrets of Lost Empires; PBS/WGBH, Boston; 2006:
NOVA; Secrets of Lost Empires II; PBS/WGBH, Boston; 2008:
There's also been dozens of books/videos written/produced specifically about the archaeological mysteries of Stonehenge, ancient Egyptian monuments including the pyramids, Easter Island, the ruins of Mesoamerica and SOUTH USA, etc. Check with your local library.