Rough Stone Monuments and Their BuildersPeet, T. Eric (Thomas Eric)
History
Rough Stone Monuments and Their Builders
Peet, T. Eric (Thomas Eric)
Megalithic monuments; Prehistoric peoples
Syria is comparatively rich in megalithic monuments, but it is
remarkable that almost all of them lie to the east of the Jordan. Thus
while there are hundreds of dolmens in the country of Pera and in Ammon
and Moab, very few have been found in Galilee, and only one in Judaea,
despite careful search. There is, however, a circle of stones west of
Tiberias, and an enclosure of menhirs between Tyre and Sidon. According
to Perrot and Chipiez some of the Moabite monuments are very similar in
type to the Giants' Tombs of Sardinia. Others are simple dolmens. In a
good example at Ala Safat (Fig. 22) the floor of the tomb is formed by a
single flat slab of stone. The great cover-slab rests on two long
blocks, one on either side, placed on edge. The narrow ends are closed
up with smaller slabs, one of which, that which faces north, has a small
hole pierced in it. A similar closure slab with a hole is also found in
certain rock-tombs quite close to this dolmen. Apparently none of these
dolmens have been systematically excavated, and nothing is known of
their date.
[Illustration: FIG. 22. Dolmen with holed stone at Ala Safat. (After de
Luynes.)]
Menhirs, too, are not wanting in Syria. Perrot and Chipiez figure an
example from Gebel-Mousa in Moab which is quite unworked, except for a
shallow furrow across the centre of the face. In many cases the menhir
is surrounded by one or more rows of stones. Thus at Der Ghuzaleh a
menhir about 3 feet in height is set in the centre of what when complete
must have been a rectangle. In other cases the enclosure was elliptical
or circular in form. In an example at Minieh the menhir stands in the
centre of a double (in part triple) circle of stones, on which abuts an
elliptical enclosure. In some cases the circle has no proper entrance,
in others it has a door consisting of a large slab resting on two
others. The largest of the circles attains a diameter of 600 feet, and
has a double line of stones.
Within these circles and near them are found large numbers of monuments
consisting each of a large flat slab resting on two others. On the
upper surface of the top slab are often seen a number of basin-shaped
holes, sometimes connected by furrows. Many of the slabs are slightly
slanting, and it has been suggested that the series of holes and furrows
was intended for the pouring a libation of some kind. In a monument of
this type at Amman the cover-slab slopes considerably; the upper part of
its surface is a network of small channels converging on a hole 11
inches deep about the centre of the slab. Here, again, no excavations
have been carried out, and we do not even know what was the purpose of
these structures. It is, however, probable that these trilithons were
not, like the dolmens, tombs, but served some religious purpose,
possibly connected with the worship of the menhirs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account