The Stone of the Pregnant Woman or Stone of the South is a Roman monolith in Baalbek (ancient Heliopolis), Lebanon. Together with another ancient stone block nearby, it is among the largest monoliths ever quarried. The two building blocks were intended for the close-by Roman temple complex − possibly as an addition to the so-called trilith − which was characterized by a monolithic gigantism unparalled in antiquity.
There are multiple stories behind the name. One says the monolith is named after a pregnant woman who tricked the naive people of Baalbek into believing that she knew how to move the giant stone, if only they would feed her until she gave birth.
Others say the name comes from the legends that pregnant jinn were assigned the task of cutting and moving the stone. While others say that the name reflects the belief that a woman who touches the stone will experience an increase in fertility.
The granite block still lies in the ancient quarry at a distance of 900 m from the Heliopolis temple complex. The block weighs 1,000.12t. It measures: 20.31–20.76 m long, 4 m wide at the base, 4.14–5.29 m wide at the top and 4.21–4.32 m high.
The name Heliopolis "City of the Sun" or "Eye of the Sun" was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt and it was the principal seat of worship of the sun god RA. The chief cult centre of Ra was Heliopolis and he was identified with the local sun-god Atum. Through Atum, or as Atum-Ra, Heliopolis was also seen as the first being and the originator of the Ennead, consisting of Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys.
A second ancient monolith was discovered in the same quarry in the 1990s.
With its weight estimated at 1,242t, it even surpasses the dimension of the Stone of the Pregnant Woman. The dimensions of the rectangular granite block, assuming that its shape is consistent in its still-buried parts, are: 19.5–20.5m long .34–4.56m wide and 4.5m high.
But a third ancient monolith was discovered in the same quarry in 2014 by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut.
Its weight is estimated at around 1650t, making it the largest stone ever carved by human hands. It measures: 19.6 m long, 6 m wide and at least 5.5m high (it is still partly buried).
Editor’s note: Though some Archaeologists argue that these ancient monoliths in Baalbek are carved by humans it is more likely these enormous stone blocks are made by Ancient machining high technology.
Others say the name comes from the legends that pregnant jinn were assigned the task of cutting and moving the stone. While others say that the name reflects the belief that a woman who touches the stone will experience an increase in fertility.
The granite block still lies in the ancient quarry at a distance of 900 m from the Heliopolis temple complex. The block weighs 1,000.12t. It measures: 20.31–20.76 m long, 4 m wide at the base, 4.14–5.29 m wide at the top and 4.21–4.32 m high.
The name Heliopolis "City of the Sun" or "Eye of the Sun" was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt and it was the principal seat of worship of the sun god RA. The chief cult centre of Ra was Heliopolis and he was identified with the local sun-god Atum. Through Atum, or as Atum-Ra, Heliopolis was also seen as the first being and the originator of the Ennead, consisting of Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys.
With its weight estimated at 1,242t, it even surpasses the dimension of the Stone of the Pregnant Woman. The dimensions of the rectangular granite block, assuming that its shape is consistent in its still-buried parts, are: 19.5–20.5m long .34–4.56m wide and 4.5m high.
But a third ancient monolith was discovered in the same quarry in 2014 by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut.
Its weight is estimated at around 1650t, making it the largest stone ever carved by human hands. It measures: 19.6 m long, 6 m wide and at least 5.5m high (it is still partly buried).
Editor’s note: Though some Archaeologists argue that these ancient monoliths in Baalbek are carved by humans it is more likely these enormous stone blocks are made by Ancient machining high technology.
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