Baalbek Stones

The Trilithon (), also called the Three Stones, is a group of three horizontally lying giant stones that form part of the podium of the Temple of Jupiter Baal at Baalbek. The location of the megalithic structures is atop a hill in the region known as Tel Baalbek. Each one of these stones is long, high, and thick, and weighs around . The supporting stone layer beneath features a number of stones which weigh an estimated and are wide. == Stone of the Pregnant Woman ==

The Stone of the Pregnant Woman (), also called the First Monolith, still lies in the ancient quarry at a distance of from the Heliopolis temple complex. Although the smallest of the three monoliths, it is also the most famous due to its fine condition, the imposing angle at which it lies, and it never having been fully hidden by the earth. The block was never fully excavated, with the bottom still connected to the bedrock beneath it. A study in 2015 discovered cracks and a defect visible on the northwestern - and most downhill and thus perhaps last to be excavated - face of the monolith. In 1996, a geodetic team of the Austrian city of Linz conducted topographical measurements at the site, which aimed at establishing the exact dimensions of the two monoliths and their possible use in the construction of the gigantic Jupiter temple. According to their calculations, the block weighs c. , thus practically confirming older estimations such as that of Jean-Pierre Adam. The rectangular stone block is: • long • wide at the base Others say the name comes from the legends that pregnant jinn were assigned the task of cutting and moving the stone, while others say that the name reflects the belief that a woman who touches the stone experiences an increase in fertility. == Stone of the South ==

The Stone of the South (), also called the Second Monolith, was rediscovered in the same quarry in the 1990s. With its weight estimated at , it surpasses even the dimension of the Stone of the Pregnant Woman. (There is some confusion over the naming, due to its location having been forgotten, and accordingly some sources identify "Stone of the South" as an alternate name of the Stone of the Pregnant Woman.) These are dimensions of the rectangular stone block, assuming that its shape is consistent in its still-buried parts: • long • wide • high • Has an estimated density of == Forgotten Stone ==

The Forgotten Stone, also called the Third Monolith, was discovered in the same quarry in 2014 by archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute. Its weight is estimated at around . It is long, wide, and at least high. == See also ==