Unusual ancient buildings are scattered all over the world, surprising us with their size and the massive stone blocks they are made of, as well as the construction methods that surpass all known information about the technical capabilities of ancient cultures. In the Western tradition, they are called Cyclopean because the ancient Greeks believed that only Cyclopes, a mythical race of giant humans, could build with such large stone blocks. They are mentioned by Hesiod in Theogony, Homer in the Odyssey, and later by Pliny the Elder in his encyclopedic work Naturalis Historia.
However, in the myths and historical records of other ancient civilizations, we find information about the existence of numerous prehistoric civilizations and their giants. In India, they are known as Danavas and Daityas; Sri Lanka had Rakshasas who are mentioned in the Ramayana; Egyptians speak of colossal heroes; Chaldeans talk about the Izdubar, the most famous of whom is Nimrod, mentioned alongside the Tower of Babel; Jewish tradition in Deuteronomy mentions the Emims. I am from Moab, where the Anakim giants lived; Moses mentions the divine king Og, who was over 4.5 meters tall, and Goliath, who was 3.5 meters tall.
Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Plutarch, and many others claim that the giant structures were built by giants, synonyms of strength and power to later generations. Although modern man calls all these testimonies mythical and attributes them to the abundant imagination of the pre-scientific era, we must ask ourselves – would all these peoples, as well as respected ancient historians, have invented all this in a way that their stories align so much? Does history truly conceal giants among our ancestors?
Temple of the Sun, Ollantaytambo
Although the entire archaeological site of Ollantaytambo, a town sixty kilometers northwest of Cusco, is adorned with remnants of impressive architecture from pre-Columbian South America, its most monumental part is the Wall of Six Monoliths – a section of the Temple of the Sun. The largest stone in the wall is over 4 meters tall and weighs around 50 tons. The monolithic stone blocks are finely polished. The partially decorated walls of Saksaywaman are adorned with low reliefs, with narrow stone blocks inserted between them. The unfinished Temple of the Sun and other incomplete structures on the temple hill of Ollantaytambo, as well as numerous scattered stone blocks throughout the site, some weighing up to 100 tons, indicate that construction was still ongoing when the site was abandoned. Although the Incas used Ollantaytambo as a stronghold in defense against the Spaniards, it is highly unlikely that they themselves built the entire complex in the 15th century. It is much more plausible, as is the case with Saksaywaman, that they only added to existing structures of older civilizations.
Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, was built in the shape of a puma, their sacred animal, with Saksaywaman as its head.
Saksaywaman – The stone head of the puma
Situated on a steep hill north of Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, Saksaywaman is a stone complex constructed from massive, meticulously crafted stones that fit together perfectly without the use of mortar, fascinating archaeologists. For decades, it has been a puzzle. The presence of ceramics at this site suggests human occupation dating back at least a thousand years. According to some theories, the Saksaywaman complex was built by a civilization older than the Incas, while the Incas adapted and expanded the complex. Although the actual function of Saksaywaman is unknown, due to its location high above Cusco and its three colossal terraced walls, it is often referred to as a fortress. The walls are approximately 6 meters high and up to 400 meters long, with individual stones weighing up to 200 tons. Some authors believe that the zigzag walls imitate a distant mountain range or symbolize Illapa – the deity of thunder and lightning, while the three terrace walls represent the three levels of the cosmos: the underworld, the earth, and the sky, corresponding to the three sacred animals of the Incas: snake, puma, and condor. After the Spanish conquest of Cusco, the Spaniards began using the stones of Saksaywaman to build administrative and religious buildings as well as houses for wealthy Spaniards, leaving only the stones untouched. it too heavy for transportation. The precision with which the stone blocks fit together, the diversity of interlocking shapes, and the fact that its construction remains unknown make Saksaywaman one of the most fascinating structures in South America.
Tiahuanaco
Tiahuanaco, an archaeological site in western Bolivia, was the center of one of the most important civilizations in South America prior to the rise of the Inca Empire. Tiahuanaco served as the administrative and religious capital of the empire, flourishing from 300 to 1000 AD. The monumental architecture of Tiahuanaco is characterized by exceptionally skilled stone craftsmanship, a detailed drainage system, and engraved symbols on stone blocks, monumental gates, and giant monoliths. While this site contains many impressive structures, such as the Puma Punku pyramid or the Gates of the Sun and Moon, the cyclopean style of construction is best exemplified in the walls of the Kalasasaya temple and the Akapana pyramid. The Kalasasaya temple is considered It is believed to date from the period from 200 BC to 200 AD. The results of petrographic analysis of the stone blocks are also interesting, showing that certain stones, often weighing over 100 tons, were transported from quarries located up to ten kilometers away. What is even more astonishing is the fact that the green andesite used in the rich reliefs originated from the Copacabana peninsula, which would mean that the ancient pre-Columbian people of America had to transport stones weighing over 40 tons for ninety kilometers across Lake Titicaca. How they did it remains a great mystery.
Mycenae
Mycenae is one of the most impressive examples of Cyclopean construction in Greece. Located 90 kilometers southwest of Athens on the northeast of the Peloponnese, Mycenae was one of the main centers of Greek civilization and a military fortress that dominated a large part of the southern Peloponnese. It represents the period of Greek history from 1600 to 1100 BC. ., when it reached its peak, is called the Mycenaean period.
Although Mycenae was very likely inhabited during the Neolithic period, its most prominent feature – the Lion Gate, the only preserved monumental example of Mycenaean sculpture and the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean region, is believed to have been built in the 13th century BC. The Lion Gate gets its name from the relief depicting two lions in a heraldic pose with their front paws on an altar with a central column separating them, located above the entrance. The relief is presumed to have been a royal emblem, although some researchers believe that the lions represent the goddess Hera. As they are missing their heads and it is assumed that they were made of a different material than the rest of the relief, some scientists argue that the lions were originally sphinxes. The stone blocks used to build the Lion Gate weigh over 20 tons, and there are also examples weighing nearly 100 tons.
Nuraghe
The main form of ancient The megalithic constructions in Sardinia are called nuraghe, which have become a symbol of this distinctive culture. Mostly located in the areas inhabited by older prehistoric cultures of Sardinia, around floodplains, nuraghe have the shape of a truncated cone. Their walls are slightly inclined inward, and the size of the stones, often weighing several tons, decreases towards the top. Although they can reach a height of 20 meters and are built without the use of adhesive materials, nuraghe are very stable. Inside, there were regularly stairs leading to multiple floors or terraces.
The purpose of these unusual buildings, which experts place in the 2nd millennium BC, can only be speculated upon: whether they served as temples, military fortresses, rulers’ residences, etc. Recent research has shown that the doors of nuragha are always on the southeast side, and a connection between the openings on these buildings and astronomical events has been established. In addition, the fact that nuraghe are often found next to temples, especially those dedicated to water, can suggest a connection between them. to highlight their religious function. A detailed archaeological research was conducted on only a few out of about 7000 discovered nuraghe.
Tiryns
Several kilometers north of the port town of Nafplio, not far from Mycenae, lies Tiryns, a Mycenaean archaeological site famous for its tunnels and Cyclopean walls, which Homer also praised in the Iliad. After seeing the ruined walls of the citadel in the 2nd century BC, the Greek geographer Pausanias wrote that not even two mules could move the smallest piece of Tiryns’ stones. Tiryns is associated with myths about Hercules, citing it as his birthplace.
Tiryns was a fortified settlement inhabited as early as the 7th millennium BC, at the beginning of the Bronze Age, but it flourished from the 14th to the 12th century BC, when the Cyclopean walls were built to protect the central part of Tiryns. The walls, which extend around the entire hilltop, reach up to 7 meters in height, slightly lower than their original height of 9 meters, as Archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute have estimated this. The walls are generally about 6 meters wide, while in some places, primarily where they open into tunnels made of massive stone, they reach a width of up to 17 meters.
According to Greek mythology, Tiryns was founded by the Greek mythological hero Proetus, the twin brother of Acrisius, the king of Argos, with the help of Cyclopes who assisted him in fortifying the city and building its magnificent walls.