This is a list of monoliths organized according to the size of the largest block of stone on the site. A monolith is a large stone which has been used to build a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. In this list at least one colossal stone over ten tons has been moved to create the structure or monument.
In most cases ancient civilizations had little, if any, advanced technology that would help them move these monoliths. The most notable exception is that of the Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks and Romans, who had cranes and treadwheels to help lift colossal stones (see list of ancient Greek and Roman monoliths).
This article also includes a list of modern experimental archaeology efforts to move colossal stones using technologies available to the respective ancient civilizations.
Most of these weights are based on estimates by published scholars; however, there have been numerous false estimates of many of these stones presented as fact. To help recognize exaggerations, an introductory description shows how to calculate the weight of colossal stones from first principles.
In situ monoliths This section lists monoliths that have been at least partially quarried but not moved.
Weight Name Type Country Location Builder Comment 1,650 t Forgotten Stone Block Lebanon Baalbek Roman Empire 19.6 m long, 6 m wide, ≥5.5 m high 1,242 t Stone of the South Block Lebanon Baalbek Roman Empire 19.5–20.5 m long, 4.34–4.56 m wide, 4.5 m high 1,100 t Unfinished obelisk Obelisk Egypt Aswan Ancient Egypt 41.75 m long, 2.5–4.4 m wide 1,000 t Stone of the Pregnant Woman Block Lebanon Baalbek Roman Empire 20.31–20.76 m long, 4–5.29 m wide, 4.21–4.32 m high Gommateshwara statue Statue India Shravanabelagola of Karnataka Chavundaraya tall, over wide 207 t Granite column Column Egypt Mons Claudianus Roman Empire
Moved monoliths
This section lists monoliths that have been quarried and moved.
Weight Name/Site Type Location Builder Comment 1,250 t Thunder Stone Boulder, Statue pedestal Saint Petersburg, Russia Russian Empire, 1770 Moved 6 km overland for shipment, and cut from 1,500 t to current size in transport 1,000 t Ramesseum Statue Thebes, Egypt Egyptian Empire Transported by ship from Aswan 800 t each Trilithon (3×) Blocks Baalbek, Lebanon Roman Empire Plus about 24 blocks 300 tons eachAlouf, Michael M., 1944: History of Baalbek. American Press. p. 129 700 t each Colossi of Memnon (2×) Statues Thebes, Egypt Egyptian Empire Transported from el-Gabal el-Ahmar (near modern-day Cairo) over land without using the Nile.Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ramses II: Magnificence on the Nile (1993) 520 tons, 170 tons, and 160 tons Great Stele, King Ezana's Stele, Obelisk of Axum Stelae Axum, Ethiopia The stelae were moved about . King Ezana's stele and the "Obelisk" of Axum were among seven such monuments set up in Axum in the 4th century AD. The Great Stele was never successfully erected and broke into pieces at its present site. 400 tSiliotti, Alberto, Zahi Hawass, 1997 "Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt" p. 62 Temple in complex for Khafre's Pyramid Giza, Egypt 300–500 t Masuda no iwafune Asuka, Nara, Japan Large stone structure approximately 11 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 4.7 meters In height 340 t Levitated Mass Los Angeles, California, United StatesSculpture by Michael Heizer, 2012 Moved 106 miles.330 tThe Broken Menhir of Er GrahMenhirLocmariaquer, Brittany, FranceNeolithic(4700 BC)Moved 10–20 km. It once stood but was later broken in 4 250–300 tHarry M. Jol, Paul D. Bauman and Dan Bahat: Looking into the Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel. in: Dan Bahat, The Jerusalem Western Wall Tunnel, Israel Exploration Society, 2013, pp. 395–400. Western Stone, Temple Mount Block Jerusalem, Israel Herod, King of Judea during the Second Temple periodWeight is disputed; a 2006 analysis estimated the depth of this stone at only 1.8–2.5 m, for a weight of 250–300 t. Weight formerly said to be 550 to 600 t.The History Channel, in "Lost Worlds of King Herod", cited a 16.5 m depth and 567 tonnes estimateDan Bahat: Touching the Stones of our Heritage, Israeli ministry of Religious Affairs, 2002 230 t Mausoleum of Theodoric Roof slab Ravenna, Italy Ostrogothic Kingdom 220 tEdwards, Dr. I.E.S.: The Pyramids of Egypt 1986/1947 pp. 147–163 Menkaure's Pyramid Giza, EgyptFourth Dynasty of Egypt Largest stones in mortuary temple 200 tsource: Edwards, Dr. I.E.S.: The Pyramids of Egypt 1986/1947 pp. 175–176, 180–181, 275 Sahure's pyramid Saqqara, EgyptFifth Dynasty of Egypt Largest stones over king's chamber 200 t Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites Korea Largest stone at the site Weight Name/Site Type Location Builder Comment
Colossal statue of Tlaloc, in Coatlinchan. Made of basalt, weighing 168 tons.Time Life Lost Civilizations series:Aztecs: Reign of Blood and Splendor (1992) pp. 45–47 The Kerloas menhir, Brittany, France. Largest, 150 tons. Pyramid of Khendjer at Saqqara, Egypt. 150-ton, one-piece quartzite burial chamber.Edwards, Dr. I.E.S.: The Pyramids of Egypt 1986/1947 pp. 246–249 Tiwanaku, Bolivia. Several ashlars, 100 to 130 tons, were transported .Browman, D. L., 1981, New light on Andean Tiwanaku. New Scientist. vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 408–419.Coe, Michael, Dean Snow, and Elizabeth Benson, 1986 "Atlas of Ancient America" p. 190 Sacsayhuamán, wall near Cusco, Peru. Largest stones over 125 tons. Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, Greece. Largest lintel stone, 120 tons. The Pyramid of Amenemhet III, at Hawara, Egypt. 110-ton, one piece quartzite burial chamber.Edwards, Dr. I.E.S.: The Pyramids of Egypt 1986/1947 pp. 237–240Siliotti, Alberto, Zahi Hawass, 1997 "Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt" Brownshill Dolmen, 100 metric tons. Baths of Caracalla, Rome, Italy. Granite columns close to 100 tons. Fortress of Mycenae, Greece. Largest stones close to 100 tons. Menhir de Champ-Dolent, Brittany, France. Menhir of about 100 tons. Pyramid of Nyuserre Ini. 12 megalithic limestone beams 10 meters long weighing 90 tons each, forming the roof of burial chamber and antechamber.Lehner, Mark The Complete Pyramids, London: Thames and Hudson (1997) pp. 148–149 Moai at Easter Island. Largest moai 70 to 86 tons. The tallest one, Paro, was moved . Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt. Largest slabs on burial chamber, 80 tons. The granite was transported from Aswan by barge on the Nile river. Karnak, Egypt. Obelisk, 328 tons. Largest architraves, 70 tons. Sandstone transported from Gebel Silsila .Walker, Charles, 1980 "Wonders of the Ancient World" pp. 24–27Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ramses II: Magnificence on the Nile (1993) pp. 53–54 Trajan's Column, Rome, Italy. Pedestal blocks: 77 t Ishibutai Kofun in Asuka, Nara, Japan. Largest stone, 75 tons. Pantheon, Rome, Italy. Granite columns, 39 feet (11.8 m) tall, five feet (1.5 m) in diameter, and 60 tons in weight were transported from Egypt by barge. Olmec heads, Mexico, gulf coast. Largest Olmec head, almost 50 tons. Transported 37 to . Ħaġar Qim, one of the Megalithic Temples of Malta. Its largest stone weighs 57 tons and measures approximately long by tall by thick. The Maltese temples are the oldest free-standing structures on Earth. Ashoka Pillars, weighing up to about 50 tons, were transported throughout India to territory ruled by Ashoka. Göbekli Tepe, Turkey. Megaliths from 10 to a 50-ton pillar still in its quarry transported up to a 1/4 mile. Stonehenge, England. Largest stones over 40 tons were moved ; smaller bluestones up to 5 tons were moved . Trajan's Column Rome, Italy. Forty-ton drums. The capital block of Trajan's Column weighs 53.3 tons.Lynne Lancaster,"Building Trajan's Column," American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 103, No. 3. (Jul. 1999) p. 426 Rameses IV reopened the stone quarries of Wadi Hammamat and had stones dragged across land to the Nile, then freighted on barges to temples and his tomb in Thebes. Some of these weighed over 40 tons.Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Ramses II: Magnificence on the Nile (1993) p. 133 Dur-Sharrukin, Iraq. Largest colossal bull, 40 tons.Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings pp. 118–119 Nineveh, Iraq. Largest colossal bulls, 30 tons each, were transported 30 miles (48 km) from quarries at Balatai, then lifted 65 feet (20 m) once they arrived at the site. Nimrud, Iraq. Largest colossal bull, 30 tons.Time Life Lost Civilizations series: Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings. (1995) pp. 112–121 Maeshowe Orkney Islands, Scotland. Largest flagstone, 30 tons.Lost Worlds: The Pagans (of Britain) History Channel series with contributions from historian Prof. Ronald Hutton, Archeologists Erika Guttmann and Martin Carruthers Caesarea Maritima, harbor of Caesarea, Israel. Largest stone 20 tons. Teotihuacan, Mexico. 22-ton water deity on top of the Pyramid of the Moon.Walker, Charles, 1980 "Wonders of the Ancient World" pp. 150–253 Aztec calendar stone at Tenochtitlan, Mexico. 24 tons.Aztecs: Reign of Blood and Splendor. Virginia:Time Life, 1992. Palenque, Mexico. The largest stones weigh 12 to 15 tons. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Largest stones 10 tons. Nubian pyramids. Sarcophagus, weighing 15.5 tons, and heavier granite statues up to at least 18 feet tall.Lehner, Mark The Complete Pyramids, London: Thames and Hudson (1997) pp. 196–197 . 400 tonne block of the pyramid temple of Khafre.Siliotti, Alberto, Zahi Hawass, 1997 "Guide to the Pyramids of Egypt" pp. 62 Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. Columns close to, if not more than, 100 tons.
Lifted monoliths
This section includes monoliths that were quarried, moved and lifted.
Erected in upright position Monoliths known to have been lifted into an upright position:
Weight Name/Site Type Location Builder Comment Alexander Column Column Saint Petersburg, Russia Russian Empire Lifted in upright position in 1832 Lateran Obelisk and Obelisk of Theodosius Pair of Obelisks Rome, Italy & Istanbul, Turkey Thutmose III Lifted in upright position originally in 15th century BC as a pair outside the temple of Amun at Karnak, Thebes; both subsequently shipped to Alexandria in the 4th century AD – one then shipped to Rome and erected in 357 AD by Constantius II and the other to Constantinople and installed in 390 AD by Theodosius I. Both partly broken, now 32.18m (Rome) and 19.6m (Istanbul) high. Vatican Obelisk Obelisk St. Peter's Square, Vatican City Ancient Egypt Removed to Rome in ancient imperial times and re-erected. Relocated in an upright position by Domenico Fontana in 1586 for Pope Sixtus V. 285 t Pompey's Pillar Column Alexandria, Egypt Diocletian Column shaft 20.75 m long, of pink granite (lapis syeneites) quarried in Aswan. Erected 298–303 AD and crowned with a grey granite Corinthian capital and 7 m-tall statue in porphyry. Luxor Obelisk Obelisk Paris, France Louis-Philippe I Relocated and lifted in upright position by Apollinaire Lebas in 1836 170 tons & 160 tons King Ezana's Stele the Obelisk of Axum Stelae Axum, Ethiopia Kingdom of Axum – Ezana of Axum and before. The stelae were moved about from their quarries. They were the largest Axumite stelae to survive installation; larger attempts failed. The "Obelisk" of Axum was removed from a standing position in 1937, cut into five pieces, and taken to Rome to be re-erected. It was again set up in Ethiopia at its original location in 2005.
Lifted clear off the ground Monoliths that have been placed on a towering structure:
Weight Height of the tower Name/Site Type Location Builder Comment80 t 66 m (Vimana) Brihadisvara Temple Amalaka block Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India Chola Empire (1010 AD) Block of granite, a square of 7.8 m 25 t 66 m (Vimana) Brihadisvara Temple Khapuri block Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India Chola Empire (1010 AD) Cupolic granite dome
Monoliths known or assumed to have been lifted clear off the ground by cranes into their position: