5,000-year-old giant wheel on the plateau

Located in the middle of the plains but unnoticed for decades, the strange stone-shaped wheelstone near the lake of Galilee, Israel, remains a mystery to scientists.

Works of 5000-year-old giant wheel in Israel

According to Ancient Origins, the ancient monument consists of giant stone circles that existed since the beginning of the Bronze Age. The author and the reasons for the advent of stone circles have not been clarified. This ancient ruin lies on the Israeli and Syrian Golan Plateau, formed from giant stones piled up in wheel shape. It is estimated that the building was constructed of 40,000 tons of black basalt, forming at least 5 concentric circles, with a stone buried in the center, Haaretz reported.

The building looks like a giant wheel when viewed from above.(Photo: Flickr).

The work, called Rujm el-Hiri in Arabic, means "rocky beach of wild cats" . In Hebrew, it is called Gigal Refaim , or "giant wheel". This call relates to the biblical giant Rephaite, thought to be the builders of the monumental complex.

Scientists estimate the work is about 5,000 years old. Born from the beginning of the Bronze Age (3,000 - 2,700 BC), Rujm el-Hiri can exist at the same time as the prehistoric Stonehenge monument in England.

According to Reuters, the ground floor of the building resembles the ruins of ruined stone walls. Hundreds of stone structures scattered along the wide field. The aerial survey conducted by archaeologists in the late 1960s fully revealed the scale and shape of the project.

Among the 5-9 giant circles surrounding the burial center, the largest circle is 152m wider, 1 - 2.5m high. The circles are incomplete, some are connected to short walls, forming a wheel spokes.

The work is made up of 40,000 tons of black basalt.(Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

The walls have quite uniform thickness, from 3.2 to 3.3 m. The archaeologists do not yet know whether the stone mound to be buried in the middle of this prehistoric stone megalithic structure was born at the same time as the stone circles. Stone beach in the center 5m high, 20 - 25m in diameter.

Very few artifacts were found in Rujm el-Hiri, due to the date of the project as well as the history of looting, except for a stone-era pin. Scientists believe that the central stone dock once held jewelry and weapons. Excavation work in enclosed wall spaces does not detect artifacts, indicating that they are not used for storage or living.

A hypothesis about the purpose of the project is the calendar of h. On the lower solstice day of June and winter solstice in December, the sun rises in line with the gaps in the rocky beach. Some researchers believe that the area is used as a place for observing astrological observations or worshiping the Sun before building a burial mound and sunlight will be blocked by the building on solid days. special.

The entrance of the stone dock in the center of the building.(Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

Although a tomb is located in the center of the wheel, scientists do not find the human remains inside. Dr. Rami Arav, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Nebraska, USA, thinks this is due to the burial process including refining of bones through birds or wild animals. After that, the dead human remains were collected by local people and placed in boxes.

The problem of construction workers is more complicated. According to scientists' estimates, this giant monument needs more than 25,000 working days to build. In addition, the collection and transportation of stones requires a huge support system, which is difficult to implement for nomadic communities.