Rujm el-Hiri

Rujm el-Hiri

גלגל רפאים رُجم الهِرّي
Rujm el-Hiri – Gilgal Refaim
Alternative name	Gilgal Refaim
Location	Golan Heights
Coordinates	32.908705°N 35.800705°E / 32.908705; 35.800705

Rujm el-Hiri (Arabic: رجم الهرة, Rujm al-Hīrī; Template:Lang-he-n Gilgal Refā'īm) 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 dolmens.

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 (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 Early Bronze Age II (3000–2700 BCE).

Etymology

The name Rujm el-Hiri was originally obtained from Syrian 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 "Rephaites", described as the ancient people of the Bashan (modern Golan).

Structure and description

The site's dimensions and its location on a wide plateau scattered with hundreds of dolmens, 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 meters (6.6 ft) high. A central tumulus 65 feet (20 m) in diameter and 15 feet (4.6 m) high is surrounded by concentric circles, the outermost of which is 520 feet (160 m) in diameter and 8 feet (2.4 m) high. Two entrances to the site face the northeast (29 meters (95 ft) wide) and southeast (26 meters (85 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.

History and purpose

The site was cataloged during an Israeli archaeological survey 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.

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 BCE, 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 Ishtar, 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 Dakhmas 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 calendar. 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 equinoxes, 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 astronomical observations of the constellations, probably for religious 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 Jerusalem. 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.

Rujm el-Hiri viewed from ground level

See also

• Anak
• Excarnation
• Syro-Palestinian archaeology
• List of archaeoastronomical sites by country

References

Bibliography

• Aveni, Anthony F. (2001). Skywatchers (2nd, revised, illustrated ed.). University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292705026, 9780292705029. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Israel Exploration Society; Miśrad ha-ḥinukh ṿeha-tarbut. Dept. of Antiquities and Museums, Ḥevrah la-ḥaḳirat Erets-Yiśraʾel ṿe-ʻatiḳoteha (1996). "Israel exploration journal". 46 (3–4). Israel Exploration Society. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2008). The Holy Land: an Oxford archaeological guide from earliest times to 1700 (5th, illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0199236666, 9780199236664. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Negev, Avraham; Gibson, Shimon (2005). Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (4th, revised, illustrated ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0826485715, 9780826485717. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
• Ruggles, Clive L. N. (2005). Ancient astronomy: an encyclopedia of cosmologies and myth (Illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1851094776, 9781851094776. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)

External links

• Research on the monument
• List of map sources for 32.908388°N 35.800581°E / 32.908388; 35.800581
• GoogleEarth placemark of Rujem el-Hiri Monument