A
trilithon (or
trilith) is a structure
consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third
stone set horizontally across the top (lintel). Commonly used in
the context of
megalithic monuments.
The most
famous trilithons are those of Stonehenge
in England
and those
found in the Megalithic
temples of Malta
, which are a
UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
The word
trilithon is derived from the
Greek "having three stones" (
τρι- -
tri- "three",
λίθος - lithos' "stone") and was first
used by
William Stukeley.
The term
also describes the groups of three stones in the Hunebed tombs of the Netherlands
and the three massive stones forming part of the
wall of the Roman Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek
,
Lebanon. Far from Europe and the
Middle East, another famous trilithon is
the Haʻamonga ʻa
Maui
in Tonga
, Polynesia.
Baalbek
The
trilithon stones of Baalbek weigh over
1000 tons, the largest of which weighs 1200 tons, making it the
largest stone ever quarried by man.
See also
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