Though they've
been ravaged by a history of armed conflict, earthquakes and
the natural erosion and desecration of time,
the Baalbek
ruins continue to incite awe in everyone fortunate to visit
them.
Located near the Lebanon capital of Beirut, these
ruins mark the remains of an ancient Roman temple complex
which served as one of the most important holy sites in the
history of civilization.
Balbeek Megaliths provides a brief,
but illuminating tour of the ruins as it attempts to piece
together the site's colorful history.
Located amongst the remnants is the
Temple of Jupiter, the
structure that sparks the most boisterous debates within the
archeological community.
Much is unknown about the origins,
design or construction of the temple.
The temple is believed
to be over 2,000 years old, and its building blocks are
composed of large slabs of lime stone; in fact, they are the
largest stones ever used for construction with each
exceeding over a thousand tons.
The film provides a wealth of footage from the site.
Viewers
are able to soak in the features that make these ruins so
awe-inspiring both in their construction and the lingering
mysteries surrounding them.
The intricate stone carvings,
imposing structures and painstaking accuracy of each slab
joint aside, the sources of greatest fascination are the
heavy blocks that make up the temple's foundations.
Archeologists have long debated the practicality of the
site.
Who ordered their construction?
How were they cut?
Perhaps most puzzling of all is how these mammoth stones
managed to be transported.
The film attempts to consider
each of these questions, and run through a variety of
potential theories.
The recorded history of this type of
construction is sketchy at best, so many of the conclusions
that have been reached over the years have been speculative
at best.
Still, the film traces other Roman landmarks
throughout history that bear similarities to the Baalbek
ruins in the hopes of drawing more definitive comparisons.
Certainly, Baalbek Megaliths is a treat for fans of Ancient
Roman architecture.
But it's also a revealing tribute to the
pursuit of truth surrounding the histories of the world that
have long remained elusive.
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