Interesting basalt stonework from the Urartian site of Cavustepe in Turkey dating to the 8th century BC:
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LARGE, FULL VIEW
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HERE
It appears they refurbished an older site. And to think all they needed to perfectly cut this igneous rock was iron. Hmmm.
More from this site:
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Storage jars:
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Another interesting site that also utilized basalt is the c. 1200BC Hittite temple of Ain Dara in Syria:
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The lion is estimated to weigh at least 30 tons and is only one remaining of a pair.
Dating of this site isn't exact with ranging from the 13th-10th centuries. Given the substantial nature of the site, however, it would stand to reason it was built closer to the height of the Hittite empire which would have been the 14th-13th centuries. Of note is that the 13th century was also a period of significant and well documented conflict with Egypt, particularly the time of Ramses II.
Both basalt and granite rate about a 6-7 on the mohs scale meaning there is no difference in the tooling and effort required to carve these statues and blocks, yet there they are. Yet more handiwork of the LC? Other than iron, there was no difference in stone working technology in 1200BC compared to the 3rd millennium.
LARGE, FULL VIEW
HERE
It appears they refurbished an older site. And to think all they needed to perfectly cut this igneous rock was iron. Hmmm.
More from this site:
Storage jars:
Another interesting site that also utilized basalt is the c. 1200BC Hittite temple of Ain Dara in Syria:
The lion is estimated to weigh at least 30 tons and is only one remaining of a pair.
Dating of this site isn't exact with ranging from the 13th-10th centuries. Given the substantial nature of the site, however, it would stand to reason it was built closer to the height of the Hittite empire which would have been the 14th-13th centuries. Of note is that the 13th century was also a period of significant and well documented conflict with Egypt, particularly the time of Ramses II.
Both basalt and granite rate about a 6-7 on the mohs scale meaning there is no difference in the tooling and effort required to carve these statues and blocks, yet there they are. Yet more handiwork of the LC? Other than iron, there was no difference in stone working technology in 1200BC compared to the 3rd millennium.