The Baalbek Trilithon located in Baalbek, Lebanon | Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations

The Baalbek Trilithon located in Baalbek, Lebanon | Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations: "The largest hewn stone yet discovered, however, was not found in any of these places, but in the Lebanese town of Baalbeck, in the ruins of a city once known as Heliopolis, 'the City of the Sun.'

In the base of the ruins of the Jupiter Baal Temple lie three hewn stones known together as the 'trilithon.' Each is estimated to weigh over 750 tons. Construction on the massive Roman temple of Jupiter began roughly 27 years before the birth of Jesus, and while most scholars agree the blocks were cut by the Romans, there is some evidence that the trilithon may predate their presence in the Middle East. In fact, the stones may predate even Alexander the Great, who founded Heliopolis in 334 BCE."