Looking at skyscrapers and dams, we see in them the apotheosis of human engineering, content with the fact that we can build whatever we want. However, we often forget about the technological wonders of ancient history - buildings and temples that, it seemed, could not be built by primitive cultures, writes the Internet edition "Informat" with reference to fresher.ru.
However, the ancient history can surprise us with some impressive structures. And to prove this, here are ten little-known examples of amazing ancient construction.
10. Pueblo Bonito, USA
Located in northwestern New Mexico, Pueblo Bonito is the largest and most famous example of a village built by the ancestors of the Pueblo.
The construction of the village began in the first half of the 10th century AD and continued for almost 180 years, reaching at its peak 800 individual rooms and several buildings, which had as many as five floors.
The village of Pueblo Bonito was first discovered in 1849 by US Army Lieutenant James H. Simpson and his guide Carravahal. Since then, numerous archaeological excavations have been carried out on this site. A number of rooms were damaged as a result of the destruction of a part of the rock hanging over the village.
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(The name of the rock, part of which destroyed the territory of the village, translates as "threatening rock", and this indicates that the ancient builders were well aware of the possible danger.)
On the rock, located just behind Pueblo Bonito, there are many petroglyphs, mysteriously depicting a foot with six fingers, which were created around the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.
9. Catalhoyuk, Turkey
Discovered in southern Turkey, the settlement of Chatal Huyuk is believed to have existed from about 7500-5700 BC. It was built by members of an unknown Neolithic culture, which is believed to be very advanced. Excavations at the site have continued since the settlement was discovered in the late 1950s by British archaeologist James Mellaart.
Many items of scientific interest have been found here, including what is believed to be the oldest known map and several particularly rare daggers from the period. The houses of Chatal-Huyuk are distinguished by an intriguing feature: they do not have doors, they were entered from the roof - by stairs.
In addition, the dead seem to have been buried under the floor of houses, in particular under the hearth. However, based on the discovery of some defragmented bones, the bodies may have been left outside for a while before the deceased were buried indoors.
8. Locmariaquer, France
Located in the Brittany region of France, Locmariaque is a group of Europe's largest prehistoric megaliths in existence.
Originally erected around 4500 BC, the largest stone, Lokmar'ake, was almost 21 meters long and weighed 200-280 tons. (The exact weight is impossible to determine, since the megalith, known as the "magic stone", has long been broken, possibly as a result of an earthquake, but most likely by human hands.)
It is striking that the "Magic Stone" was moved in one piece from a quarry located more than 10 kilometers away. It is not known exactly how it was transported, but it could have been delivered by swimming along a nearby canal or simply rolled along the ground using wooden slipways, which were logs rolling along wooden paths.
The purpose of this place is unknown, although a dolmen (burial structure) is located on it. Other studies have put forward theories that are somehow related to the activity of the moon.
7. Colossi Of Memnon, Egypt
Erected as a monument to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and located outside his now ruined temple, the Colossi of Memnon is a pair of massive statues about 23 meters high. The statues depict a seated Amenhotep III, and on the front of the throne along the legs you can see the reliefs of the yoke of his wife, daughter and mother.
The statues are named after Memnon, the hero of the Trojan War, because he was the son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, who is related to the unique characteristic that once distinguished one of the statues. After the statues were damaged by an earthquake, the northern statue in the morning began to produce a drawl that resembled a human voice (possibly due to the warming air under the rays of the Sun, which passed through the cracks). The ancient Greeks believed that this was how the voice of Mnemon greeted his mother.
Today, this sound is no longer possible to hear, since after the restoration of the statues, carried out in 199 AD. by order of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, it stopped.
6. Pompey's Pillar, Egypt
Erected as a monument to the Roman emperor Diocletian in honor of the suppression of the rebellion of the Alexandrians, the Pompeian Column, according to an erroneous theory, was erected by the ancient Roman commander Gnaeus Pompey the Great. However, the inscription on the base of the monolith clearly indicates that the triumphal column was created in honor of Diocletian and presented to him by the people of Alexandria. The myth associated with the death of Pompey and his head placed in a burial vessel on top of a pillar may have led to this confusion.
Rising more than 27 meters in height, the monolith was erected in the 4th century AD. The Pompeian Column was part of the Temple of Serapis, a Roman temple to the Egyptian god that is now in ruins.
5. Dolmen Menga, or Cueva de Menga (Dolmen Of Menga), Spain
Dating from around 2000 BC, the Menga dolmen is a large burial site known as a burial mound located in southern Spain. Several dolmen cavities were created using a large number of incredibly heavy blocks that were stacked next to each other.
The walls, roof (consisting of four separate parts) and columns are all made of the same rock. As for the name, the legend says that a leper named Menga took refuge in this dolmen after her husband died.
Archaeologists believe that this dolmen is the largest such structure in Europe. Several hundred human skeletons were found inside it, which may have belonged to members of the ruling culture groups.
However, to this day it remains unknown who exactly built this structure. This place was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 15, 2016.
4. Quirigua, Guatemala
Built and completed by the ancient Mayans sometime between 200 and 800 AD, the city of Quirigua includes exemplary examples of Mayan architecture as well as some of the largest stelae (carved stone monuments) in existence. Stela E weighs an incredible 65 tons. Steles were usually erected in memory of some important event or as a funeral monument.
The English architect Frederick Catherwood was the first European to see Quirigua, and since then, several archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site. Once the ruins of the ancient Mayan city were visited by the English writer Aldous Huxley and wrote about the steles that they were erected in honor of "the triumph of man over time and matter and the triumph of time and matter over man."
Quirigua fell into disrepair around 900 CE, probably due to the end of the jade trade.
3. Dur Sharrukin, Iraq
Translated meaning "Fortress of Sargon" or "Fort Sargon", the ancient city of Dur-Sharrukin was built by the Assyrians between 717 and 707 BC. and is located in the northern part of Iraq. The city, with an area of about 2.6 km², included the temple of the god Naboo (the god of vegetation), as well as the royal palace.
However, the most interesting artifact found in the ruins is the Assyrian bull, a work of stone that is estimated to weigh around 40 tons. It is the largest specimen of a bull, with or without wings, in human history.
The first excavations at Dur Sharrukin were carried out under the leadership of the French Consul General in Mosul Paul-Emile Botta in 1843. During subsequent expeditions, several new discoveries were made. The city itself was abandoned shortly after its construction was completed, as King Sargon II was killed during the battle.
2. Hagar Qim, Malta
Located in Malta, Hajar Qim is believed to have been built by an unknown culture between 3200 and 2500 BC. This culture is said to have been destroyed by famine or some sort of natural disaster, and left behind several defining details.
Considered one of the earliest examples of religious places of worship, the Hajar Qim temple includes several statues of the fertility goddess known as Venus, some of which are currently on display at the National Museum of Archeology in Valetta. Hajar Kim was built hundreds of years earlier than Stonehenge.
1. Tiwanaku, Bolivia
the historical capital of Tiwanaku civilization, the city of the same name is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. It was originally a small village that eventually grew into a city that flourished between 400 and 900 AD, home to some of the largest stone structures in South America.
The city was deserted around 1000 AD, most likely as a result of floods. The Tiwanaku civilization was ultimately conquered by the Incas, although the city was later mentioned in their mythology as it was believed to be the starting point of humanity.
More than a million people could have lived in Tiwanaku. The city remained abandoned until 1876, when the American archaeologist Ephraim George Squier rediscovered it. In 2000, Tiwanaku was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.