Rujm el-Hiri – Gilgal Refaim | |
Alternative name | Rogem Hiri, Galgal Refaim |
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Location | Golan Heights |
Coordinates | 32°54′31″N 35°48′03″E / 32.908705°N 35.800705°E |
Rujm el-Hiri (Arabic: رجم الهري, romanized: Rujm al-Hīrī; Hebrew: גִּלְגַּל רְפָאִים, romanized: Gilgal Refaʾim ) is an ancient megalith consisting of concentric circles of stone with a tumulus at center.[1] It is located in the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights some 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) east of the coast of the Sea of Galilee, in the middle of a large plateau covered with hundreds of dolmens.[1][2]
Made up of more than 42,000 basalt rocks arranged in concentric circles, Rujm al-Hiri has a mound 15 feet (4.6 m) tall at its center.[2] Some circles are complete, others incomplete. The outermost wall is 520 feet (160 m) in diameter and 8 feet (2.4 m) high. The establishment of the site, and other nearby ancient settlements, is dated by archaeologists to the Early Bronze Age II period (3000–2700 BCE).[1]
Since excavations have yielded very few material remains, Israeli archeologists theorize that the site was not a defensive position or a residential quarter but most likely a ritual center featuring ritual activity to placate the gods,[3] or possibly linked to the cult of the dead.[4] However, there is no consensus regarding its function, as no similar structure has been found in the Near East.[5]