Since prehistoric times, the human being has shown an
incredible propensity for architecture. Thanks to archeology, we have been able
to discover real treasures, revelations that have helped us understand our past
by showing us monuments, structures and places that we thought could not be
built thousands of years ago. For this reasons today we have decided to share
with you the most important archaeological sites ever discovered .
Obviously the list is not final and there are still many
places to let you know. For this reason, we invites you to write in the
comments right now what is the most important archaeological site for you. In
the meantime, enjoy this ranking (obviously not numbered).
Gobekli Tepe, the first temple in the world?
In the south-east of Turkey, about 18 km northeast from the
city of Sanliurfa, in 1963 one of the most surprisings archaeological
discoveries of our time was found by the archaeologist Klaus Schmidt: Gobekli
Tepe, most likely the oldest temple in the world , old 11,000 years. For you to
understand, Stonehenge is about 5,000 years younger.
The temple contains 3 meter pillars located around the site;
each monolithic T-shaped limestone pillar contains sculpted reliefs with
animals, characters and abstract icons .
Think about it: the hunter-gatherers who built the temple
lived in a world that preceded writing, the discovery of metal or pottery .
They lived in an age when archaeologists thought humanity was still in its
infancy when, instead, these men got organized and found a way to carve and
transport these 16-ton stone pillars up a hill, and then arrange them in a
circular pattern.
Surely a site that creates more questions than answers, but
it is undoubtedly a key place for humanity. But one thing is certain, with its
11,000 years the Gobekli Tepe preceded the oldest known civilizations of
humanity .
Stonehenge, now an iconic place
Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England) is certainly the most
important and well-known Neolithic site on our planet, built in a period of
time between 3000 and 2000 BC.
We may never know exactly why Stonehenge was built, but it
was probably a meeting site for religious ceremonies . To build this imposing
structure, the men of the time inserted wooden wedges into the cracks in the
stone and, when the wood was immersed in water, it expanded and split the rock.
Later chisels and hammers were used to shape it. The stones were then
transported along the river and, when they arrived on the mainland, they were
made to slide on log rollers by men and oxen. Finally, ditches were dug in
which to insert the stones using ropes. Some think that Stonehenge was used to
study the movements of the Sun and the Moon, while others think it was a place
of healing.
Many experts think that the site was used for funerals, but
certainly many events were conducted, especially during the midsummer day, the
longest of the year, and the midsummer day, the shortest. Stonehenge is not
unique: hundreds of stone circles have been discovered in Britain .
Çatalhöyük, the most important Neolithic town
Despite its impossible-to-pronounce name, Çatalhöyük,
located in the Konya province of Turkey, was one of the largests settlements in
the world some 9,000 years ago . In an era, we recall, when the majority of the
world population was made up of hunter-gatherers. In fact, up to 10,000 people
lived in this place. The site occupies an area of 13.5 hectares and only 5% of
the area has been discovered with archaeological excavations.
The construction of the town was very different from any
view today: the houses were all leaning on top of each other, of different
heights and it was customary to move from the roofs, where the entrance was
also very often. If you think about it, this arrangement made sense, at least
for the time, as it protected against the assault of animals and neighboring
enemy populations .
Each house was divided mainly into two rooms: the largest
had a fireplace and platforms for sleeping, while the smallest was a pantry for
storing food. The houses very often also had a courtyard where animals were
raised, such as goats and sheep.
All the rooms were scrupulously cleaned and there were no
buildings other than the domestic units. Archaeologists have identified very
little junk. Sewage and food waste were dumped in pits just outside the city.
The peoples of Çatalhöyük buried their dead inside the village . Human remains
have been found inside pits under the floors and, most notably, under the
hearths, platform within the main rooms and under the beds.
The society of the time was egalitarian and all citizens
were considered equal : no houses with distinctive characteristics, for example
belonging to kings or religious, were found. Here men and women had the same
social status.There was private property but there were also shared tools . In
short, not bad for a society of 10,000 years ago.
The Great Pyramids of Egypt
Could such a ranking exist without the Great Pyramids? We
are talking about the largest ancient structures ever seen on Earth. The great
pyramid of Giza can be found in the list of the great wonders of the ancient
worlds and it is estimated that the Egyptians began building pyramids in 2700
BC , mainly - as we all know - as tombs to preserve the royal bodies of the pharaohs.
The Greats Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and tallest pyramid
in Egypt with a height of 146 meters. It took nearly 20 year to complete the
construction of a pyramid, using millions of limestone. At least 118 Egyptian
pyramids have been identified and the earliest known are in Saqqara, northwest
of Memphis.
The average weight of each of the 2.3 million stone blocks
of the Great Pyramid is about 2.5 tons, and some blocks even weighed 70 tons
(more than an elephant). Contrary to popular belief, the builder of the
pyramids were not slaves . Current research, particularly the discovery of
documents from the time, indicates that the workers were well paid and well
fed. Furthermore, despite having been the subject of countless studies for
centuries, we are still not entirely sure how these structures were actually
built.
Even today, in fact, we don't know exactly how the blocks
were shaped, moved and lifted into position . The theories are obviously many
and no, the aliens have nothing to do with it. Of course we know that it was
possible to build these structures even at the time, but experts cannot yet
determine for sure how they did it.
