Mysterious Megaliths Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gobekli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe, situated in south-eastern Turkey, dates back to approximately 9600-8000 BCE and stands as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent decades. The site features monumental circular and oval enclosures built from massive T‑shaped limestone pillars, some weighing tens of tons, arranged in carefully planned formations and decorated with relief carvings of foxes, large felines, scorpions, vultures, and other animals.

It was built by hunter-gatherers on the cusp of more settled ways of life, which overturns the assumption that monumental ritual architecture required fully developed farming economies to emerge. Göbekli Tepe suggests instead that organised ritual activity may have been a driver of that transition, rather than a product of it.

By around 8000 BCE, the main enclosures were gradually infilled through a combination of deliberate backfilling, rebuilding, and natural processes, preserving the pillars and their carvings remarkably well across the millennia.

Answer: A knife blade cannot fit between many of them

The Egyptian Pyramids at Giza are among the most studied ancient structures in the world. How they were constructed remains hotly debated. The Great Pyramid was built around 2560 BC for Pharaoh Khufu and it originally stood 146 metres (479 feet) tall. It contains roughly 2.3 million stone blocks, which fit together so tightly that a knife blade can't be inserted between them in many places.

How the ancient Egyptians moved and placed these huge blocks without modern machinery continues to puzzle researchers. Theories range from internal ramps to water-based systems. Some alternative researchers point to the precision as evidence of advanced knowledge that mainstream archaeology doesn't acknowledge including lost technology, such as advanced stone-cutting methods that allowed great precision.

Answer: Brittany

The Carnac Stones in Brittany, France form one of the most extensive megalithic sites in the world. Over 3,000 standing stones are arranged in lengthy parallel rows. The stones were erected between 4500 and 3300 BC. This makes them older than Stonehenge. The individual stones range from small markers to massive menhirs standing over 6 metres (20 feet) tall.

The purpose of the stones remains unknown. Some theories include astronomical observatories, religious temples, and territorial markers. The sheer scale of effort required to erect thousands of stones suggests they held enormous significance to the people who built them.

Answer: Andesite

Puma Punku is part of a complex near Tiwanaku in Bolivia. It was built around 500-600 AD at an elevation of nearly 4,000 metres (13,123 feet). The site is famous for its precisely cut andesite and diorite blocks. Some of these weigh over 130 tons (143 US short tons). The H-shaped blocks have perfectly interlocking cuts that fit together like a puzzle, with precision accurate to within fractions of a millimetre (less than 0.04 inches).

Mainstream archaeologists suggest the Tiwanaku people used harder stones and bronze tools with patience and skill. Alternative researchers argue that this precision suggests they used technology which no longer exists, like sophisticated machinery that left no archaeological trace.

What adds to the mystery is that no one knows how blocks of such enormous weight were transported from quarries which were long distances away.

Answer: Summer solstice sunrise

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England is perhaps the most famous megalithic monument in the world. It was built between 3000 and 1520 BC. The stone circle consists of massive sarsen stones with smaller bluestones forming an inner horseshoe. The largest sarsen stones weigh around 25 tons (24.6 long tons) and stand over 4 metres (13 feet) tall. They're topped with horizontal lintels which create a continuous curve.

The bluestones were transported from Wales, over 200 kilometres (124 miles) away. The stones are aligned with the sunrise of the summer solstice. This suggests astronomical knowledge played a role. Discoveries indicate Stonehenge was a major ceremonial centre that drew people from across Britain.

In the 21st century, thousands of people continue to gather there every year on the summer solstice to watch the sunrise align perfectly with the Heel Stone. So the celebration continues a practice that may have begun over 4,000 years ago.

Answer: The Trilithon

Baalbek in Lebanon contains some of the largest worked stones ever used in construction. The Temple of Jupiter sits on top of a platform made of megalithic blocks, which include three famous stones called the Trilithon. Each block weighs approximately 800 tons (787 long tons) and measures roughly 19 metres (62 feet) long. A fourth stone called the Stone of the Pregnant Woman weighs around 1,000 tons (984 long tons) and remains in the quarry.

How ancient builders moved and placed these enormous blocks remains a mystery. The stones were transported from a quarry nearly a kilometre away and lifted into position with millimetre precision. Some researchers suggest the foundation may be far older than officially recognised.

Answer: The Inca

Sacsayhuaman is a massive stone fortress that overlooks Cusco in Peru. It was built by the Incas in the 15th century. The zigzag walls are constructed from precisely fitted stones, some weighing over 100 tons (98.4 long tons). These walls have survived numerous devastating earthquakes whilst Spanish colonial buildings collapsed. The stones fit together perfectly.

The Inca had no written language, no wheels, and no iron tools; yet, they quarried, shaped, and fitted massive, irregular stones with extraordinary precision. The earthquake resistance comes from tight fitting and slightly inward-leaning design. How they achieved this remains unexplained.

Answer: Villagers draining ponds

The Longyou Caves are located in Zhejiang Province, China. They were discovered in 1992 when villagers drained ponds. Beneath the water lay at least 24 hand-carved underground caverns hewn from solid siltstone. The largest covers over 2,000 square metres (21,528 square feet) and reaches 30 metres (98 feet) high. The walls show precise chisel marks and decorative patterns.

An estimated 1 million cubic metres (35.3 million cubic feet) of rock was removed, yet there's no historical record of construction in any Chinese texts. No debris or tools have been found. The complete absence of documentation makes the Longyou Caves one of China's most baffling mysteries.

Answer: It's older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids

Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland is an enormous passage tomb. It was built around 3200 BC. This makes it older than both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. A 19-meter (62 feet) passage leads to a central chamber with a corbelled roof that has remained watertight for over 5,000 years. The entrance is decorated with intricate spiral carvings.

The most astonishing feature is its astronomical alignment. For a few days around the winter solstice, the rising sun illuminates the inner chamber for approximately 17 minutes. The precision required demonstrates sophisticated astronomical knowledge.

Answer: Venice of the Pacific

Located off Pohnpei in Micronesia, Nan Madol is a ruined city which was built between 1200 and 1500 AD. The city consists of nearly 100 artificial islands which are constructed from basalt columns and coral in a lagoon. This has earned it the nickname 'Venice of the Pacific'. Individual stones weigh up to 50 tons (49 long tons).

The total basalt used is estimated at 750,000 metric tons (738,000 long tons). How a relatively small population moved and stacked such massive stones across water without metal tools puzzles researchers. The site was abandoned, and by the time Europeans arrived, locals had forgotten why it was built.