Top 10 Monuments of History

Here is the Top 10 Monuments of History

10.Newgrange

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Ireland.
• Despite the fact that road builders ran into the monument in the XVII century, people started to research this mysterious landmark only three centuries later.
• The excavations showed it was a barrow: perfectly round with an impressive diameter, and older than the Egyptian pyramids.
• In the middle, archaeologists found a tomb.
• If you happen to visit Newgrange during the solstice, you can see a real astronomical phenomenon — a ray of light gradually fills the entire room.
• The Irish superstitions say that this place is the entrance to the country of elves and fairies.

9.Terracotta Army

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in China.
• The mausoleum Qin Shi Huang keeps more than 8000 statues of Chinese warriors and horses.
• They were buried together with the governor regardless of tradition.
• This handmade army from 200 BC is life-sized with the smallest of details, and no two faces are the same.
• During the excavations (from the 1970s) scientists have had to act extremely carefully.

8.Stonehenge

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in England.
• According to legend, the stone complex was built by the magician Merlin.
• In fact, Stonehenge appeared long before the hypothetical time of King Arthur’s companion.
• But how did people transport these impossibly heavy boulders from the quarry that was found hundreds of kilometers away?

7.Angkor Wat

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Cambodia.
• It is a temple.
• Europeans weren’t aware of this complex till the XIX century.
• Having learned of it, they doubted that it was built by the Khmer people.
• The masonry is very dense: sometimes you can’t even find the seams.
• The stones are extremely smooth.
• The construction is kept together with its own weight.
• The ensemble of 200 temples was planned in such a way that a traveler approaching from either side can only see three of them.

6.Petra

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Jordan.
• The masters had to show remarkable patience, turning the rocks into the masterpiece of Petra.
• So, at the end of the cool Siq canyon, there opens a fantastic view of the facade with columns and porticos — Al-Khazneh (the ’treasury’ in Arabic).
• It is said to be a temple or a mausoleum.
• The problem is trying to understand how the carvers worked.

5.The Easter Island Statues

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Chile.
• A small piece of land on the waters of the Pacific Ocean is covere with gigantic moai.
• There’s evidence that they moved from place to place.
• There are also ritual stands that are heavier than the idols themselves.
• Unfortunately, people whose descendants could shed light on how these huge statues  moved died a long time ago because of slave traders.
• There’s only one path to solve the mysteries of the island — to look directly at the silent statues.

4.Tikal

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Guatemala.
• The largest Maya settlements.
• There are artificial ponds, a field for a ball game, and palaces.
• But on forming the town squares special attention is given to the pyramids,.
• They were built in a temporary pattern corresponding to the periods of its development.
• There are many theories about their functions: religious buildings, research centers, cemeteries, or all of the above. The etymology of the name ’Tikal’ is also unclear.
• Its nick name is “the City of Voices”.
• Even a whisper there echoes hollowly.

3.Stone spheres

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Costa Rica.
• The prehistoric petrospheres from the Pacific coast almost became victims of vandalism.
• The artifacts still suffered.
• To attract tourists, they put on the city squares.
• Because of the constant movements, an exact dating is impossible.
• The theory of their origin by water turned out not to be viable.

2.Baalbek

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Lebanon.
• A temple ensemble in this antique style is the pearl of the ruins of a once prosperous city.
• The only thing is, Romans didn’t have any technology that could let them install these stone blocks that weigh up to 1000 tons (these very ones lie on the bottom).
• Just for us to compare: the Athenian Parthenon is half the size of the Lebanese giant, and the largest block of the Great Pyramid weighs ’only’ 90 tons.
• The foundation’s creation is attribute to the Egyptians, if not to giants.

1.Dolmens of North Caucasus

Top 10 Monuments of History

• Situated in Russia.
• Here on the mountain slopes stands small houses built of flat stones.
• There are holes on the facades that can be close with a stopper.
• The surprising fact is that the plates’ weight is calculated in tons, but they fit so precisely that not even a knife blade could fit between them.
• The age of these constructions reaches 5000 years. Some dolmens, such as Volkonsky, are famous for their healing properties.