5 of the oldest man made structures in the world (15 Pics)
Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt (2600BC)
The Pyramid of Djoser was constructed between 2667–2648BC and is the resting place of Djoser – the second king of the 3rd dynasty of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, who reigned for 19 years.
This innovative tomb, which dominates the Saqqara landscape in Egypt, is surrounded by a light Tura limestone wall that’s 10.5m high, with the overall structure imitating mudbrick. The outside wall is completely surrounded by a trench dug in the underlying rock, measuring 750m long and 40m wide.
A roofed passageway entrance with a limestone ceiling was constructed to look like tree trunks and leads to a stone imitation of two open doors – this area houses 20 pairs of limestone columns that were built to look like bundles of plant stems.
The burial chamber was constructed out of four courses of well-dressed granite and had one opening, which was sealed by a 3.5-ton block after the burial. Unfortunately, no body was ever found as the tomb had been robbed.
Newgrange, Ireland, (3200BC)
Situated in County Meath, Ireland, Newgrange is a prehistoric monument and was built around 3200BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
Several amounts of human bones and possible grave offerings have been found inside the tombs. The site consists of a large circular mound with an inner stone passageway and chambers. Human bones and possible grave goods or votive offerings were found in these chambers.
The mound has a retaining wall at the front, made mostly of white quartz cobblestones, and it is ringed by engraved kerbstones. Many of the larger stones of Newgrange are covered in megalithic art. The mound is also ringed by a stone circle.
There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it is believed that it had religious significance. Its entrance is aligned with the rising sun on the winter solstice, when sunlight shines through a 'roofbox' and floods the inner chamber. Several other passage tombs in Ireland are aligned with solstices and equinoxes, stemming from Ireland's pagan druid past.
Megalithic Temples, Malta (3600BC)
Dating back to 3600 BC and 700 BC, the Megalithic Temples of Malta are considered to be the oldest free-standing structures on earth. The temples were built during three phases of cultural revolution – Ġgantija (3600-3200BC), Saflieni (3300-3000BC) and Tarxien (3150BC-2500BC).
The Maltese temples were constructed in several locations across Malta, with each individual site having its own unique features. However, all of the temples share a common architecture, such as the temple’s internal walls being made out of orthostates – a row of large stone slabs. The main variations in the temple’s construction lies in the number of chambers, which are referred to as ‘apses’, with some having three, four, five or even six.
Built with flint and obsidian and enclosed within a wall circuit, the temples had to accommodate propitiatory rites. At the front of the temples, there is a large terrace which was likely used for ceremonies.
In fact, remains of animal bones which were discovered on site and the use of fire as evidenced by the presence of stone hearths, suggesting that there ritualistic animal sacrifices took place.
Knap of Howar, Scotland (3700BC)
Situated in Scotland, the Knap of Howar is a Neolithic farmstead and is considered to be the oldest preserved stone house in Europe. It was occupied between 3700-2800 BC and consists of two adjacent, rectangular buildings facing the sea. One of the buildings served as the living quarters for the family and the second was utilised as a workshop and for storage space.
The stone walls of the farmstead stand to 1.6m would have been freestanding during its time of occupation – there were certainly no raft foundations here. Both the living quarters and workshop were reasonably spacious at 10x5m and were separated by upright slabs. The holes in the slabs suggest the roof would have been formed from turf raised above the walls. The stone beds and shelves have been preserved perfectly intact.
Evidence from the middens shows that the inhabitants were keeping cattle, sheep and pigs, cultivating barley and wheat and gathering shellfish as well as fishing for species which have to be line caught using boats.
Finds of finely-made and decorated Unstan ware pottery link the inhabitants to chambered cairn tombs nearby and to sites far afield including Balbridie and Eilean Domhnuill. The name Howar is believed to be derived from Old Norse word haugr meaning mounds or barrows. The site is in the care of Historic Scotland.[3]
The Cairn of Barnenez, France (4800BC)
Located in Brittany, France, the Cairn of Barnenez is a Neolithic monument and is considered to be one of the earliest megalithic (stone) monuments in Europe.
Inside, there are 11 passage tombs although the cairn’s interior is not open to the public. As a result of the site being used as a quarry until the 1950s, some of the chambers are partially exposed. The cairn was restored between 1954 and 1968, when excavations found Neolithic pottery, axes and arrowheads as well as Bronze Age pottery; some of these finds can be seen in the visitor centre. French speakers can enjoy a 45-minute guided tour of the site while written documentation is available in English for a 30-minute self-guided tour.
Today, the Barnenez is 72m long, 25m wide and over 8m high.
The Carin of Barnenez was constructed in two phases, with the first between 4850-4250BC and the second between 4450-4000BC. It was built using 13,000-14,000 tons of stone and contains 11 chambers made of granite and slate that can be accessed through separate passages. Originally, all the chambers were enclosed by the mound, however, modern quarrying has causing several of them to become partially exposed. There are also nine narrow dry-stone walls which are covered with slabs and lead to corbelled chambers.
