Triliton | Photo: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
The largest known worked blocks of stone were found near Baalbek (in Lebanon). It is about the so-called trilitons, i.e. three boulders from the vicinity of the sanctuary from the period of Roman rule in this area. They were supposed to weigh 800 tons each, although it is estimated that the largest weighed over 1,000 tons. They formed the basis for the Temple of Jupiter (the Great Temple), which was completed in the 1st century CE.
For comparison, one of the trilitons with the blocks used to build the Giza pyramid. Stones used to build Egyptian tombs weighed from several to several dozen tons (according to various calculations, up to 30-50 tons). Probably the blocks were manoeuvred in a manner similar to that in which stones were transported in Egypt. Experiments show that 45 people are able to transport a load weighing 16.5 tons. This shows how much work the erection of ancient buildings required.
