Mysteries of the most famous Israeli megalith
In the center of the Golan Plateau, approximately 16 kilometers east of the northern tip of Lake Kinneret, there is the only megalithic complex in Israel that has no analogues in the world.
The Arab inhabitants called it Rujum El-Giri (Hill of the Wild Cat), and in Hebrew it was called Gilgal Refaim. A common translation of Gilgal Rephaim into Russian - the Wheel of Spirits - is not entirely accurate. The word "Rephaim" has two meanings in Hebrew: spirits, ghosts, but also the ancient people of giants, referred to by the TANAKH as the indigenous population of the Golan Heights. It is in this second meaning that the word is used in the name of the megalith: the Wheel of Rephaim. However, the Arabic name is most often used.
Rujum El-Giri is an artificial stone mound, around which 60 tons of basalt blocks are laid out in three concentric circles. Archaeologists date this structure to the third millennium BC.
According to Israeli researcher Yoni Mizrahi, the construction of such a structure required 600 workers daily for six years. For what purpose was such a colossal amount of energy and labor expended? There are no definite answers, but there are enough different versions and speculations. Archeology has three possible explanations:
Monumental burial
In 1990, a crypt full of precious ornaments was discovered in the central mound. The riddle seemed to be solved! But, as it turned out later, the crypt is about a thousand years younger than the megalith itself. In addition, the burial theory does not explain either the size of the structure or its shape.
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Astronomical observatory
The most suggestive parallel with Rujum is the notorious Stonehenge. No more is known about the functions of the world's most famous megalith than about Rujum El-Giri, but the most popular theory today associates it with the Druid observatory, so this explanation lay on the surface.
The researchers found that during the summer solstice, the sun's rays must have passed between two vertical stones on the eastern side of Rujum. However, attempts to find the same place where the sun's rays would pass on the day of the winter solstice were unsuccessful.
Cult building
A classic excuse for archaeologists when you don't want to admit that there is no explanation. You don't need to prove anything. Whoever says that this structure was not used for cult purposes - let the first one throw a stone at me. The most interesting thing, however, is that this explanation is most often correct.
In general, it must be said that archeology, with its functional explanations, is too one-dimensional and is unlikely to ever be able to provide an exhaustive explanation of the existence of megaliths. The English researcher Paul Devereaux, who has been studying the megaliths of West England, Ireland and Brittany for many years, uses a complex method: involving, in addition to archeology, astronomy, geometry, ethnography, bioenergy, he tries to understand the megalithic object in the broad context of the area in which it is located. It is probably worth considering Rujum El-Giri in combination with the surrounding dolmens. Its orientation should be checked not only by the sun, but also, for example, on Mount Hermon, and even on Mount Tavor (Tabor) - both peaks are within sight, and sacred significance has been attributed to both from ancient times.
Wheel of Spirits. Side view. Photo: Wikipedia Yuri Tsoglin
A holy place is never empty, and when archeology does not give unambiguous answers, various alternative theories flourish in full bloom, among which there are both absolutely wild ones, such as the UFO landing site or the grave of Goliath, and quite serious and interesting ones.
So, for example, it was noticed that Rujum resembles a mandala in shape.
Recall that the mandala is a sacred symbol used in Eastern (Indian) religious practices. For all the infinite variety of shapes, the mandala can be defined as concentric shapes grouped around a center. At the symbolic level, the mandala is a visual expression of the struggle to achieve order, the desire to reunite with the original center. In light of this symbolism, the recently discovered fact that Rujum El-Giri is a labyrinth leading to the center can be viewed.
According to Jung, the mandala is the archetypal symbol of human perfection. With his light hand, it is used in modern psychotherapy as a means for the full comprehension of one's own "I".
Mircea Eliade considered the mandala as Imago Mundi - the Image of the World. He also argued that megaliths are associated with the perception of the sacred space as the Center of the World - a special place that allows you to establish a connection with Heaven. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall the sacred city of Benares for the Hindus - the place from which, according to their beliefs, the Universe appeared, and where it will return at the end of time. And also a closer example to us - the perception by Judaism of the Land of Israel as the center of the world. In the center of Israel is Jerusalem, in the center of Jerusalem is Mount Zion, in the center of Mount Zion is the Temple. The center of the Temple itself was the Foundation Stone, which is also the Navel of the Earth. If we try to depict it graphically, in the form of concentric circles radiating from the center, we will get … a mandala.
Boris KRIZHOPOLSKY