In Zhili, there exists a world-famous giant stone site that has a history of over 5,000 years. On a round depression with a diameter of 200 meters, large stone columns stand firmly arranged in five concentric circles, with a very flat stone at the center of the circle.
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(Photo: plateauperspectives) |
Many theories have been proposed regarding this stone site. Some say it is a place of worship for deities; others claim it serves as a sundial; and some suggest it is an ancient burial site. Recently, an archaeologist hypothesized that this giant stone site could function as a seasonal clock, using the stone columns to measure the sun’s position and thus understand the changes of the four seasons. The position of the sunrise shifts slowly over the year. After discovering this phenomenon, ancient people erected stone columns to observe the sun. By tracking the shadows cast between the stone columns and the direction of the sunrise, they deduced the seasonal changes. While this explanation cannot be confirmed as accurate, it does possess a degree of scientific grounding.
Numerous monuments resembling stone memorials exist, but the arrangement of stone columns into various large and small circles is quite rare. To this day, it remains unclear what ancient people used them for. Most people speculate that it is closely, even mystically, related to ancient religious worship.
Speaking of giant stone sites, there are many that provoke thought. In the Middle Eastern region of Lebanon, there is a small village called Nangabek, formerly known as Haliplis, which served as a major trading hub between Rome and Babylon. This area still preserves the remnants of the Temple of Chubit and the Temple of the God of Wine from the Roman Empire’s most prosperous period. What is particularly strange is that along the road to Nangabek, there lies an extremely large stone that has gone unnoticed for over 1,900 years. This stone measures 21 meters in length, 5 meters in width, 5 meters in height, and weighs 1,500 tons—enough to construct a six-story building with a façade of 7 meters and a depth of 10 meters, with walls 20 centimeters thick. Who moved this stone? What was its purpose? Where did it come from? Why was it meticulously carved? Why was it abandoned in such a remote location? A series of questions remain unanswered.
Focusing on Peru in South America, the territory of the ancient Inca Empire flourished, stretching 5,600 kilometers from northern Zhili to Colombia. The capital of this empire was built on a steep cliff 700 meters above the Urubamba River. The altar in the temple of the city was constructed using granite blocks weighing over 1,000 tons. The Inca craftsmen did not use any mortar between the stone blocks, yet they fit together tightly and beautifully, with no visible gaps—so tight that not even a sewing needle could pass through. To this day, after 1,500 years, it remains as it was originally. What is even more astonishing is how ancient people managed to transport such heavy stone blocks from a deep ravine 700 meters below to the top of a steep mountain cliff. As of now, no one has solved this mystery, and it awaits further exploration and discovery.
