Baalbek Stones

The Baalbek Stones are six massive Roman^[1] worked stone blocks in Baalbek (ancient Heliopolis), Lebanon, characterised by a megalithic gigantism unparallelled in antiquity. How the stones were moved from where they were quarried to their final locations is uncertain.

The smallest three are part of a podium wall in the Roman complex of the Temple of Jupiter Baal (Heliopolitan Zeus) on Tel Baalbek are known as the "Trilithon". Each of these is estimated at 750–800 tonnes (830–880 short tons).

The original method of construction remains an archeological mystery.^[2]

This quarry was slightly higher than the temple complex, so no lifting was required to move the stones.^[3][4]

Individual Roman cranes were not capable of lifting stones in the 60 to 100 tonne range, but a special one could have been built only for the construction of this temple.

The large stones may have probably been rolled into position along temporary earthen banks from the quarry or multiple cranes may have been used in combination, or they might have alternated sides a little at a time, filling in supports underneath each time.^[5][6]

The remaining three are Roman monoliths, not part of a larger structure, conventionally known as the "Stone of the Pregnant Woman" (estimated at 1,000 t), the "Stone of the South" (est. 1,242 t), and the "Forgotten Stone" (est. 1,650 t). These are the first, third, and tied fifth largest known stones ever quarried in human history. They are believed to have been intended for the nearby Jupiter Baal complex, possibly as an addition to the Trilithon; but, perhaps due to their size, they were never removed from their quarry. They have not been used since their extraction in ancient times.^[7]

Numerous archaeological expeditions have gone to the site starting in the 19th century, primarily German and French groups, and research has continued into the 21st century.^[8]