Baalbek is an ancient temple complex located at an altitude of about 1150 m at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. One of the most magnificent elements of this complex is the Temple of Jupiter, built in the 1st century AD. e. It was one of the largest temples in the Roman Empire.
At its base are three megalithic stones, each weighing 800 tons. More impressive, however, are the megaliths hewn in a quarry a mile from the temple.
The German Archaeological Institute in early December announced one of them as the largest stone block ever carved by human hands. Its weight is estimated at 1,650 tons, dimensions - 19.6 meters long, 6 meters wide and 5.5 meters high.
Since this megalith is similar to the smaller boulders that are part of the Temple of Jupiter, it is believed that it was also made by the Romans. Presumably, the Romans realized that these megaliths were too heavy (1000 tons or more) only when they had already been carved out. One of the megaliths was not used because the quality of the stone on one of its facets was poor.
Illustration depicting the size of the world's largest megalith compared to a human figure.
However, researcher Graham Hancock questions the credibility of this theory. He believes that the Romans were professionals in architecture and could not make such a mistake.
Hancock hypothesized that these megaliths were made in an earlier civilization 12,000 years ago, and the Romans simply built their temples around the megaliths. He suggests that they could have been made at the same time as the Gebekli-Tele megalithic complex in Turkey.
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Hancock wonders why the Romans needed all these complications of making massive blocks, when they could simply cut out smaller stones so that the work did not go to waste. It is known that the Romans used much smaller stones to build Baalbek.
He traveled to Lebanon to study the megalith on his own. He believes that the Romans did not know anything about the megaliths in the quarry, because they were hidden under sedimentary rocks in ancient times and have been excavated only now.
Let's say the Romans really carved all these stones and realized that they could only move three 800-ton boulders, and not the heavier megaliths. Then it is not clear how they moved these 800 tons of stones? This is a mystery even to those who support the generally accepted theory.
“I know very well that in history, heavier megaliths were also moved along the ground, for example, the thunder stone in St. Petersburg (the pedestal of the monument to Peter I),” Hancock writes, “but move three 800-ton boulders and set them at a height of 5.4 to 6 m, as in Baalbek, is a task of a completely different level of difficulty. I believe that in such cases, you need to carefully study everything, and not just say: "The Romans did it", as modern archeology does."
Hancock writes: “There is no doubt that the Romans were able to move very large boulders, and that the classical beauty of the temple itself was entirely their merit. But I am currently working on testing the theory that they built the temple on a megalithic platform that was there for thousands of years before the Romans."
It is known that around 7000 BC. e. the Phoenicians used this place to worship the trinity of fertility gods (Baal Shamash, Anat and Alian). However, there is no evidence of a civilization that would have been developed enough to make and move such megaliths. Therefore, Hancock continues his research.
This place is still shrouded in mystery. Hancock does not say he is able to explain them. According to him, he is simply trying to question the prevailing theory and plans to continue his research.