58 On the Method of Moving Colossal Stones. 



I havo but one more instance to adduce, but that will be found 

 to outweigh oven the stupendous obelisks and massive building 

 stones of Egypt. It is in Syria, at the Great Temple of Baalbec, 1 

 within two day's journey of Damascus, and forms part of the most 

 magnificent ruin the world can shew. I allude to the three 2 well- 

 known stones of enormous magnitude, now built into the foundation 

 wall of the temple ; but which, nearly black in colour from weather 

 stains of countless ages, are undoubtedly far anterior even to the 

 ancient ruins amongst which they lie, and are of unknown antiquity. 

 The masonry all around is truly cyclopean : there are no less than 

 nine other stones each measuring 31 feet in length, 13 in height, 

 and 9J in width : but each of these three gigantic masses measures 

 above 63 feet in length, 13 in height, and 13 in thickness : and yet 

 they were not only moved from the quarry in the neighbouring rocks 

 to the site of the temple, but somehow raised to their present posi- 

 tion at least 20 feet above the ground, and that though each of 

 these stones is calculated to weigh above 900 tons. I will add as 

 a climax, though this is hardly a case in point, for it never was 

 moved, that at the quarry whence these massive stones were 

 obtained, one enormous block remains, ready hewn, but not quite 

 detached : it is even larger than the other three ; being in length 

 68 feet, in height 14 feet, in breadth 14 feet : it thus contains 

 above 13,000 cubic feet, and would probably weigh more than 

 1100 tons. The figures given above are indeed almost incredible, 

 but the stones themselves still stand to prove the correctness of the 

 measure given, and I measured them myself this year, and can 

 vouch for their accuracy. 



Now after giving the above dimensions and weights, and showing 

 that the more civilized nations of antiquity moved their colossal 

 figures by the united strength of multitudes, aided by a few of the 

 more simple mechanical contrivances, we seem to have narrowed 

 our subject into trifling dimensions, for when we come now to 

 compare the size and bulk of the stones of Avebury or Stone- 



1 Porter's Handbook for Syria and Palestine, (Murray) vol. ii., p. 559. 

 2 From these stones the Great Temple took the name by which it was long 

 called, " Trilithon," the three-stoned. 



