Blaauboschkraal stone ruins
The Blaauboschkraal stone ruins are a provincial heritage site in Waterval Boven in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.[1] The site was originally declared a national monument on 18 April 1975.[2][3]
The ruins are thought to be the remains of structures created by the Bokoni people who settled the region in the 16th century and who altered the landscape to increase agricultural yields in high-altitude grasslands.[4] The stone rings were probably used as enclosures for cattle (kraals).[3][5]
The Blaauboskraal stone ruins are among a number of stone circle ruins located in the Mpumalanga escarpment over an area of approximately 150 km2, a number of which are facing threats to conservation.[6]
Information about the people who created these stone circles and terraces was often omitted from South African historical sources.[4]
Alternate theories
Pseudoarchaeological alternative explanations have been put forward for the Blaauboschkraal stone ruins, attributing alien and/or ancient origins. The most prominent proponent is Michael Tellinger, a politician whom Hammer and Swartz characterize as a promoter of conspiracy theories, influenced by Zecharia Sitchin's ideas of ancient astronauts.[7] He calls the site "Adam's Calendar", and claims it is the remains of an alien-made construction built 300,000 years ago as an ancient calendar.[7][8][9]
See also
References
- ^ "9/2/282/0008 Stone ruins, Blaauboschkraal, Waterval Boven District". South African Heritage Resources Agency. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^ "Stone ruins, Blaauboschkraal, Waterval Boven District". South African Heritage Resources Agency. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^ a b J. P. van der Spuy (18 April 1975). "No. 725 Declaration of a National Monument" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa (4667): 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
- ^ a b Amanda Esterhuysen (27 February 2015). "The Bokoni story unearthed". Mail and Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- ^ T. N. Huffman (11 August 2017). "Prehistory of the Nelspruit area". South African History Online. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
- ^ Sizwe sama Yende (2017-09-17). "Heritage under threat". News 24/City Press. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
- ^ a b Hammer, Olav; Swartz, Karen (May 2020). "Field Notes: The Bosnian Pyramid Phenomenon" (PDF). Nova Religio. 23 (4): 94–110.
- ^ Alfreds, Duncan (March 9, 2011). "Human genesis is alien SA author". News24.
- ^ Moore, A. (June 27, 2014). "6 Ancient African Architectural Marvels Built Before Greece or Rome Existed". Atlanta Black Star.
Further reading
- Peter Delius; Alex Schoeman; Tim Maggs (2014). Forgotten World: The Stone Walled Settlements of the Mpumalanga Escarpment. Wits University Press. ISBN 9781868147748.
- D. P. Collett (June 1982). "Excavations of Stone-Walled Ruin Types in the Badfontein Valley, Eastern Transvaal, South Africa". The South African Archaeological Bulletin. 37 (135): 34–43. JSTOR 3888578.
25°35′40.8012″S 30°17′19.5936″E / 25.594667000°S 30.288776000°E
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