Gilgal Refaim
Encyclopedia
Rujm el-Hiri is an ancient megalithic monument consisting of concentric circles of stone with a tumulus
at center. It is located in the Golan Heights some 16 kilometres east of the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee
, in the middle of a large plateau covered with hundreds of dolmen
s.
Made up of more than 42,000 basalt
rocks arranged in concentric circles, at center is a mound 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. Some circles are complete, others incomplete. The outermost wall is 520 feet (158.5 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 Early Bronze Age II (3000–2700 BCE).
n maps. Translated from Arabic into English, it means, "the stone heap of the wild cat." The term rujm
in Arabic (pl. rujum; Hebrew: rogem) can also refer to a tumulus
, a heap of stones underneath which human burial space was located. The name is sometimes romanized
as Rujm Hiri or Rujum al-Hiri.
Rogem Hiri is a Hebrew
pronunciation of the Arabic name Rujm el-Hiri. Another Hebrew name used for the site is Gilgal Refaim (Gilgal Refā'īm or Galgal Refā'īm, "Wheel of Refaim"). Refa'im in modern Hebrew means "ghosts" or "spirits." The same root underlies the word used in the Tanakh
to refer to a race of giants, the "Rephaite
s", described as the ancient people of the Bashan
(modern Golan).
s, means that an aerial perspective allows for a fuller appreciation of its layout. From above one can see a large circle (slightly oval) of basalt
rocks, containing four smaller, concentric circles, that get progressively thinner, with some complete, others incomplete. The walls of the circles are connected by irregularly placed smaller stone walls.
Basalt rocks are common in the Golan Heights, due to the region's history of volcanic
activity. Described as the "Stonehenge
of the Levant
," the site is made up of 37,500 metric tons of partly worked stone stacked up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. A central tumulus 65 feet (19.8 m) in diameter and 15 feet (4.6 m) high is surrounded by concentric circles, the outermost of which is 520 feet (158.5 m) in diameter and 8 feet (2.4 m) high. Two entrances to the site face the northeast (29 metres (95.1 ft) wide) and southeast (26 metres (85.3 ft) wide). The northeast entrance leads to an accessway 20 feet (6.1 m) long leading to the center of the circle which seems to point in the general direction of the June solstice
sunrise. The axis of the tomb discovered at the site's center is similarly aligned. Mount Hermon
is almost due north and Mount Tabor
is close to December solstice sunrise, providing visual connection of cosmic and geographic planes and reinforcing mystical powers of the temple by design.
The central tumulus (or tomb) is built from smaller rocks and is thought to have been constructed after the surrounding walls were constructed. Connecting to it are four main stone walls. The first wall, shaped like a semicircle, is 50m in diameter and 1.5m wide. That wall is connected to a second one, an almost complete circle 90m in diameter. The third wall is a full circle, 110m in diameter and 2.6m wide. The fourth and outermost wall is the largest: 150m in diameter and 3.2m wide.
carried out in 1967-1968, after Israel
captured and occupied
the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War
. The site is probably the source of the legends about "a remnant of the giants" or Rephaim for Og
. The surveyors used Syrian maps, and a Syrian triangulation post
was found on top of its cairn
. After this initial study, serious archaeological excavations commenced in the 1980s, under Israeli professors Moshe Kochavi and Yoni Mizrachi.
. Freikman returned in the summer of 2010 for further investigation of the site’s date and function. Freikman believes that the tomb in the center was built at the same time as the rings. Tomb robbers looted the remains, which included jewelry and weapons, but based on the discovery of one Chalcolithic pin dropped in a passageway, Freikman's theory is that the tomb was the centerpiece of the rings.
New Age
movements advocating a return to nature gather at the site on the summer solstice
and on the equinox to view the first rays of the sun shine though the rocks.
The Golan Trail, a marked 130-kilometer walking trail that stretches along the whole length of the Golan Heights, passes Gilgal Refa'im.
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
at center. It is located in the Golan Heights some 16 kilometres east of the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
, in the middle of a large plateau covered with hundreds of dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s.
Made up of more than 42,000 basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rocks arranged in concentric circles, at center is a mound 15 feet (4.6 m) tall. Some circles are complete, others incomplete. The outermost wall is 520 feet (158.5 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 Early Bronze Age II (3000–2700 BCE).
Etymology
The name Rujm el-Hiri was originally obtained from SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n maps. Translated from Arabic into English, it means, "the stone heap of the wild cat." The term rujm
Rujm
Rujm is a word that appears as an element in numerous place names. It can be translated as "mound, cairn, hill, spur," and also as "stone heap" or "tumulus." The following is a list of place names that include Rujm as an element:...
in Arabic (pl. rujum; Hebrew: rogem) can also refer to a tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
, a heap of stones underneath which human burial space was located. The name is sometimes romanized
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
as Rujm Hiri or Rujum al-Hiri.
Rogem Hiri is a Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
pronunciation of the Arabic name Rujm el-Hiri. Another Hebrew name used for the site is Gilgal Refaim (Gilgal Refā'īm or Galgal Refā'īm, "Wheel of Refaim"). Refa'im in modern Hebrew means "ghosts" or "spirits." The same root underlies the word used in the Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
to refer to a race of giants, the "Rephaite
Rephaite
Rephaim is a Northwest Semitic term that occurs in the Hebrew Bible as well as other, non-Jewish ancient texts from the region...
s", described as the ancient people of the Bashan
Bashan
Bashan or Basan is a biblical place first mentioned in , where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth", where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed...
(modern Golan).
Structure and description
The site's dimensions and its location on a wide plateau scattered with hundreds of dolmenDolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s, means that an aerial perspective allows for a fuller appreciation of its layout. From above one can see a large circle (slightly oval) of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rocks, containing four smaller, concentric circles, that get progressively thinner, with some complete, others incomplete. The walls of the circles are connected by irregularly placed smaller stone walls.
Basalt rocks are common in the Golan Heights, due to the region's history of volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
activity. Described as the "Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
of the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
," the site is made up of 37,500 metric tons of partly worked stone stacked up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. A central tumulus 65 feet (19.8 m) in diameter and 15 feet (4.6 m) high is surrounded by concentric circles, the outermost of which is 520 feet (158.5 m) in diameter and 8 feet (2.4 m) high. Two entrances to the site face the northeast (29 metres (95.1 ft) wide) and southeast (26 metres (85.3 ft) wide). The northeast entrance leads to an accessway 20 feet (6.1 m) long leading to the center of the circle which seems to point in the general direction of the June solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
sunrise. The axis of the tomb discovered at the site's center is similarly aligned. Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
is almost due north and Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
is close to December solstice sunrise, providing visual connection of cosmic and geographic planes and reinforcing mystical powers of the temple by design.
The central tumulus (or tomb) is built from smaller rocks and is thought to have been constructed after the surrounding walls were constructed. Connecting to it are four main stone walls. The first wall, shaped like a semicircle, is 50m in diameter and 1.5m wide. That wall is connected to a second one, an almost complete circle 90m in diameter. The third wall is a full circle, 110m in diameter and 2.6m wide. The fourth and outermost wall is the largest: 150m in diameter and 3.2m wide.
History and purpose
The site was cataloged during an Israeli archaeological surveyArchaeology of Israel
The archaeology of Israel is the study of the archaeology of Israel, stretching from prehistory through three millennia of documented history. The ancient Land of Israel was a geographical bridge between the political and cultural centers of Mesopotamia and Egypt...
carried out in 1967-1968, after Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
captured and occupied
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
. The site is probably the source of the legends about "a remnant of the giants" or Rephaim for Og
Og
Og, according to the bible, was an Amorite king of Bashan who, along with his army, was slain by Moses and his men at the battle of Edrei...
. The surveyors used Syrian maps, and a Syrian triangulation post
Triangulation station
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
was found on top of its cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. After this initial study, serious archaeological excavations commenced in the 1980s, under Israeli professors Moshe Kochavi and Yoni Mizrachi.
Hypotheses
- Worship - According to this hypothesis, supported by a large part of the researchers, the site was used for special ceremonies during the longest and shortest days of the year. It seems, that on the year 3000 BCE3rd millennium BCThe 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age.It represents a period of time in which imperialism, or the desire to conquer, grew to prominence, in the city states of the Middle East, but also throughout Eurasia, with Indo-European expansion to Anatolia, Europe and Central Asia. The...
, on the longest day, the first rays of the sun shone through the opening in the north-east gate, which is 20 by 29 meters. However, they did not shine in a perfect angle. It is assumed this is because the builders of those days didn't have sufficiently accurate architectural tools. The resident probably used the site to worship Tammuz and IshtarIshtarIshtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
, the gods of fertility, to thank them for the good harvest during the year. After the erection of the tomb in the center, the rays' path was blocked.
- Burial site - It appears that place of worship later became a burial site for leaders or other important individuals. Supporting this theory was the tomb in the Dolman. However, no human remains were found, only objects pointing to its function as a tomb. Also, even if it were a tomb, that was not the site's original function, as the tomb is a 1,000 years newer than the site itself.
- Dakhma – Archaeologist Rami Arav suggests the site was used like the DakhmaDakhmaA Tower of Silence or Dakhma is a circular, raised structure used by Zoroastrians for exposure of the dead.There is no standard technical name for such a construction. The common dakhma or dokhma originally denoted any place for the dead...
s of the Zoroastrians, in which dead persons were laid out for birds to remove the flesh from their bones.
- Calendar - Some believe the site was used an as ancient calendarCalendarA calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
. Although the site could not be used to calculate an exact date, it was sufficient for the people's needs. At the times of the two equinoxEquinoxAn equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator...
es, the sun's rays would pass between two rocks, 2m in height, 5m in width, at the eastern edge of the compound. This way, they could know when the first rains would come, and determine the right time to sow or reap their crops.
- Astronomical observations - Perhaps the site was used for astronomicalAstronomyAstronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observations of the constellationConstellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s, probably for religiousReligionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
calculations. Researchers found the site was built with dimensions and scales common for other period structures, and partly based on the stars' positions.
Today
In 2007, the site was excavated by Yosef Garfinkel and Michael Freikman of the Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
. Freikman returned in the summer of 2010 for further investigation of the site’s date and function. Freikman believes that the tomb in the center was built at the same time as the rings. Tomb robbers looted the remains, which included jewelry and weapons, but based on the discovery of one Chalcolithic pin dropped in a passageway, Freikman's theory is that the tomb was the centerpiece of the rings.
New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movements advocating a return to nature gather at the site on the summer solstice
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
and on the equinox to view the first rays of the sun shine though the rocks.
The Golan Trail, a marked 130-kilometer walking trail that stretches along the whole length of the Golan Heights, passes Gilgal Refa'im.
See also
- AnakAnakAccording to the Book of Numbers, during the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, Anak was a well known figure, and a forefather of the Anakites who have been considered "strong and tall," they were also said to have been a mixed race of giant people, descendants of the Nephilim...
- ExcarnationExcarnationIn archaeology and anthropology, the term, excarnation , refers to the burial practice of removing the flesh and organs of the dead, leaving only the bones....
- Israeli archeology
- Syro-Palestinian archaeologySyro-Palestinian archaeologySyro-Palestinian archaeology is a term used to refer to archaeological research conducted in the southern Levant. Palestinian archaeology is also commonly used in its stead, particularly when the area of inquiry centers on ancient Palestine...
- List of archaeoastronomical sites by country
External links
- Research on the monument
- List of map sources for 32.908388°N 35.800581°W
- GoogleEarth placemark of Rujem el-Hiri Monument