Scientists believe that the construction of the dolmens was as difficult as the famous Egyptian pyramids. It took two years of work and 150 workers. The question of why the ancient people made so much effort and what dolmens are for remains open to this day.
“Dolmens are undoubtedly one of the unique tourist attractions in our region,” writes a participant in our competition “I live here!” Candidate of Historical Sciences Alexander Saveliev. - These massive structures still excite archaeologists and historians with their mystery, and the mystical aura surrounding them attracts many ordinary mystery lovers. Modern science cannot confidently answer any of the main questions about dolmens - who, when and why built them? There are only many versions …"
Did the giants build for the dwarfs?
One of the main mysteries of dolmens is their prevalence throughout Eurasia - they are found not only in our Krasnodar Territory, but also in the British Isles, the Near and Far East and the Iberian Peninsula. All dolmens have a similar design, and therefore were created by representatives of the same culture, but which one? There are different versions on this score.
Bogatyr glade in Adygea. There are many dolmens on the territory of both the Krasnodar Territory and the neighboring region. Photo: AiF / Photo by Arthur Lautenschläger
It's like building an Egyptian pyramid
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The word "dolmen" itself came from the Breton language and in translation means "stone table", although most of these structures are more like hives.
Dolmens can be of various sizes. For example, in the courtyard of the Tuapse Museum there is a dolmen only the size of a dog kennel, but most of these structures are enormous. Some of their slabs weigh up to 40 tons, although stones weighing between 500 kg and 3 tons are common. In the Caucasus, dolmens were built from sandstone, thanks to the excellent construction qualities of which the durability of these structures was ensured.
In terms of the laboriousness of erection, dolmens are quite consistent with the Egyptian pyramids, although much less. It is estimated that 150 people had to build a large dolmen within two years.
Tombs or Calendar?
The question of the purpose of dolmens remains open. The most common version that these are tombs is still questioned, because the actual burials in them are rarely found, and the objects accompanying the deceased belong to later times, so for burial they could simply use the long-standing structures.
Initially, the dolmens were most likely associated with the cult of the Sun, which can be judged by both the location of their facades and the applied symbols. There is an opinion that the groups of dolmens located in a special way could serve as a kind of calendar, with the help of which the priests determined with great accuracy the coming of the new year, the time of sowing and harvesting, and kept the chronology.
There are no written sources informing about the construction of dolmens, there are only legends. Dolmens Photo: AiF / Photo by Alexey Gusev
On the territory of the Krasnodar Territory, accumulations of dolmens are located on the Black Sea coast (Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Lazarevskoye), in the valleys of the Belaya and Laba rivers, as well as on Mount Bogatyrka (the village of Novosvobodnaya).
