EXPLORING This Unusual MEGALITHIC CYCLOPEAN Building in SICILY

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Come with me to Cefalù on Sicily's north coast where I explore this unusual, ancient cyclopean building that sits on the slope of the hill that overlooks the town. There are only two sets of cyclopean walls on Sicily, but dozens more on the Italian Peninsula. Although the general consensus is that they date to classical antiquity, their megalithic appearance and the legends connected to them suggest a Bronze Age connection that's been lost to history. In this video I deconstruct the myths and claims about this remarkable building in Cefalù. Do I solve the mystery? Not really. But I do find some interesting pieces of research that provide some intriguing insights into these ancient structures.
#ancienthistory #cyclopean #italy
✨ IN THIS EPISODE
00:00 Introduction
01:33 Cyclopean Walls
06:57 The History of Cefalù
09:59 Cefalù’s Cyclopean Building
15:45 The Egyptian Connection
19:02 Astronomical Alignments
20:21 Function of the Temple
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✨ REFERENCES
Laroche, C. and Rosati, G., 2021. Two Egyptian Heart-Scarabs from Sicily and a Parallel from Berlin. Rivista del Museo Egizio, 5.
Gori, D. and Orlando, A., 2016. THE MEGALITHIC TEMPLE OF DIANA ON THE CEFALÙ ROCK (SICILY). Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry, 16(4).
Orlando, A. and Gori, D., 2017. Archaeoastronomical Analysis of the Temple of Diana to Cefalù (Sicily). The Light, The Stones and The Sacred, p.79.
✨ PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS
Google Earth
All location pins
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Scarab discovered near the Temple of Diana, credit: Archivio Fotografico, Museo Archeologico Antonino Salinas
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Map of the Elymian, Sicani areas of Sicily, credit: Halibutt
Rock of Cefalù, credit: Ludvig14
North gate at Mycenae, credit: Patrice78500
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Opus reticulatum, credit: Pouwerkerk
Opus incertum, credit: antonioa89
CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Megaron Temple, Domu de Orgia at Esterzili on Sardina, credit: Aschy
CC BY-SA 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Lion’s Gate, Mycenae, credit: Andreas Trepte
CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Opus isodomum, credit: Carole Raddato
Cefalù, credit: Tamás szabó
Public domain,
Map of Magna Graecia
Painting of the Temple of Diana by Jean Houel
Plan of the Temple of Diana by Nott
Other photographs and videos, credit: MegalithHunter

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22 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 113

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Thank you to my channel members and patrons for supporting the channel! If anyone else would like to join my community here are the links: 😊 Patreon: www.patreon.com/MegalithHunter Membership: ru-vid.com/show-UC0Hs5t0U6Uf993Tba22YmKAjoin

@ikeabuchi1 5 месяцев назад

The amount of knowledge this person has is mind blowing,

@vulpesvulpes5177 5 месяцев назад

I’ll second that. Works hard, too!

@helenamcginty4920 5 месяцев назад

She has a masters degreee in Mediterranean Studies. She therefore not only has background knowledge but will have her own library for reference plus knows where to go to and whom to ask to fill in gaps. She obviously puts in a lot of preparation work on her scripts.

@jessen00001 5 месяцев назад

Are you trying to make a move 😊

@stuartparker1068 5 месяцев назад

Well researched and clear narrative as usual, you are becoming a walking encyclopedia. Excellent! 😊

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Glad you think so!

@barrywalser2384 5 месяцев назад

This was a wonderful, in depth discussion. I really enjoyed this one. The pics and information you provided were brilliant. It amazes me that these walls are in such a well traveled area and yet we don’t know who built them or why. Such a good mystery! Keep it coming. Thanks Laura!

@MagnaMater2 4 месяца назад

I've never been to Sicily, but from several university-excusions on prehistory to the Apennins in the early nineties I remember that those cyclop walls are rather common beneath oscian and umbrian and also tuscan temples and town-walls. I took some photographs (without bothering to write down the place-names, so typically wine-drunk student). I vaguely remember the Tuscian ones were somewhere close Saturnia or Massa Marittima. The other excursion-route went down from Corvaro di Borgorose, then up into the Marsian territory, and passed the locations of Alba Fucens, Assisi, L'Aquila and Gargano and the small town that had it's fortification on the post-stamps, known for its renaissance-. One of these old temples had also impressingly large foundation-monoliths. There exist even some italian tourist-books from the late 80's and early 90's that list those monuments. I seem to remember some very good ones, probably by Massimo Pallottino we all used as main literature for writing our local reports we had been assigned with holding on spot.

@billmiller4972 5 месяцев назад

Not OT: Excellent video. You really make this long bygone area visible and alive again. There's still so much to know about the Bronze Age. And when I hear Sikulae I immediately think Shekelesh and make the connection to the Sea Pepoples.

@pauliecook432 5 месяцев назад

I'm going there in few months❤

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

It’s an awesome site. See if you can find the cyclopean masonry on the seafront. I didn’t manage to find it but there are rumours it’s there.

@garyworokevich2524 5 месяцев назад

You may have not solved the mystery.........but thankfully you have made me aware.

@FortunateXpat 2 месяца назад

It’s a long hike up the mountain from the city of Cefalù. An amazing building. The remains of the castle is also interesting to visit.

@MegalithHunter 2 месяца назад

Sure is! But was worth it.

@californianorma876 6 дней назад

At around minute 11, the stone house. The people who built that had no idea that we would see it today. They obviously took such pride in their work and creating beauty. It's wonderful. ❤

@davidj8065 5 месяцев назад

Excellent - curious mystery. Great channel, and great presentation, thanks

@floydriebe4755 5 месяцев назад

hooray! the 1st full vid on your trip! you can count on my being here, Laura👍🤩 til then, M'lady⚔ ps(love the trailer idea.....a sneak peek😊 )

@tuvoca825 5 месяцев назад

Every answer leads to more questions... that's just science. 😊

@cliffordfreeman7829 5 месяцев назад

Fantastic stone work.That is a real lost art form.

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Totally

@californianorma876 6 дней назад

Hawaiians keep this knowledge. I visited a girlfriend on the Big Island and we drove by a rock wall that she said it had been recently rebuilt! It was fabulous and perfect. A retaining wall for the highway. Perfectly joined. 👍🏽

@WickedFelina 5 месяцев назад

Excellent research! Letting you know that your hard work, and dedication is greatly appreciated. Loved the video footage of the site especially. In regard to sites of lesser interest, most of the time we will only find our own research, a photo or. drawing at best. You residing at such a strategic location, have the best opportunity to look deeply into what we, may never know? Thank you again for all your efforts.

@kariannecrysler640 5 месяцев назад

There was a secondary raised outcrop closer to the center of the overall outcrop. I’m curious what archaeological prospecting has been done on it. Seems to me like that would have been an excellent representation of a dwelling for “the gods”, since many cultures from the time used mountain tops to interact with “the gods”.

@LordDustinDeWynd 5 месяцев назад

Btw, Greetings and Salutations from Temple, Texas, USA!

@laurence7181 5 месяцев назад

Love this. I've been fascinated with this building for years. (I've been to Sicily a couple of times. Sciacca, on the south coast, where two of my grandparents grew up. But never Cefalu.) Cefalu has the most lovely cathedral, too. like a child's toy. Your veiws of the interior of the "temple" were great. The whole video was. The single topic focus helps with absorbing all the information, but I'm still going to watch it over again. I think that in the past the area might have been wetter. There might have been a stream or even a spring. I'm so glad you made this video. Grazie mille!

@LordDustinDeWynd 4 месяца назад

(reposted for brevity)The "Star"! Sorry, I forgot! At 12:50, top of star is even with top of lintel. The upward "ray" is fourth stone to right of lintel, the one immediately between the black stones. At bottom of the top ray/stone, there are rays extending down and sideways left right. The down ray has one or two stones, while the sideways stones' top edges have been worked to fit under the top ray.

@billmiller4972 5 месяцев назад

Very much OT: Nice blouse, very classy.

@liamredmill9134 5 месяцев назад

My favourite subject,well done for spotting the second wall/outer defence wall,nice work,thsnks

@floydriebe4755 5 месяцев назад

so.....Mr Cy Clops built some structures in the distant past. then, along came some puny humans, found the ruins, were amazed and, perhaps, a bit intimidated by the scope of said structures. being they were built at desirous sites; a spring or creek, cave, maybe, a commanding view or whatever, the puny humans thought they should rebuild, using the cyclopean walls as the basis of their structures. maybe? repurposing older structures seems to be, more or less, a human thing. idk, just thinking aloud.....sort of..... the mystery continues......and will....until we get the darned flux capacitor working! Doc! where are you? we need you!😅 great footage of some intriguing sites, Laura! thanks for doing all the hard work for us! eagerly awaiting your next episode🤩 Bye.......for now👋

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

If you have a shed maybe you can get to that shed and work on the flux capacitor haha! I'm convinced there has to be a spring or some sort of water source at this place. This is what I love about looking at older memories and work. I think the ancients were drawn to these sorts of places for obvious reasons.

@floydriebe4755 5 месяцев назад

@@MegalithHunter agreed! and, if one group settles there, later groups will, too, perhaps. water, shelter and food sources are commodities we all want and need. as for a shed......well....they're both stuffed to the gills! hafta wait til i can work outdoors.....maybe in May, i hope. however, not sure this withered brain is up to the task🤯 might need some help.... Barry? Fox? Lynn? anyone? how 'bout you, Laura? you've got a good brain!

@barrywalser2384 5 месяцев назад

@@MegalithHunter. Agree. There must have been a reason why certain sites were chosen. A spring would be a good reason.

@barrywalser2384 5 месяцев назад

They had VERY solid foundations, why not reuse them. Fascinating stuff!

@floydriebe4755 5 месяцев назад

@@MegalithHunter agreed! when a group settles at a site there are reasons for doing so; water close by, food resources, shelter, etc. then, later , other folks come along, find the ruins and are impressed and, perhaps, a bit intimidated by the scope of the structures. must have been some large entities, to build with such enormous stones. well, no sign of them, now.....let's use these for the base of our structure.....oughta be good and strong and there is water or food or both plus, look at that view! can see anyone coming for miles! seems to be a human thing to re-use old, structurally sound ruins..... and, yes, have a couple of sheds.....stuffed to the gills, tho. have to wait til it warms up enough to work outside......May? however, might be too large an undertaking for this withered brain....could use some help.....Barry? Fox? Lynn? how 'bout you, Laura? you have a lovely mind.....

@roddevere2975 2 месяца назад

Nice research, analysis, and presentation. Thanks.

@MegalithHunter 2 месяца назад

Thank you! 😊

@shermanatorosborn9688 5 месяцев назад

Excellent 👍

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Many thanks :)

@stephennicolay1940 5 месяцев назад

A question: Have you ever been involved in archaeology professionally?

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

No.

@stephennicolay1940 5 месяцев назад

I have been an archaeologist since 1986 and I must say you come across as being very knowledgeable.

@ikeabuchi1 5 месяцев назад

I think she would be a great asset to archaeology.

@judewarner1536 5 месяцев назад

The attainment of knowledge need not be either academic or professional. Some of the greatest minds in Arts and Sciences were and are autodidacts... self-taught.

@petrapetrakoliou8979 5 месяцев назад

You can find a lot of these polygonal walls from classical period Greece illustrated in the book of Adam on Greek military architecture (architecture militaire grecque 1982). The higher parts of the walls of the Cefalu house you are showing seem to be from a later phase as there the stones are carved flat and seem to follow courses.

@liamredmill9134 5 месяцев назад

I like the diversion of mediteranean influences, Etruscan,palastrian/Greek,, and the rich in bronze trading big islands of the Egyptians and sumerians

@briankleinschmidt3664 4 месяца назад

When someone pointed out that most of our archeology comes from people who lived inland, off the coast, I put it together. Modern humans began to build boats and harvest sea resources. They soon occupied the coasts and the river ways. The other races (Denisovan and Neanderthal) were overwhelmed and absorbed into ours.

@petrapetrakoliou8979 5 месяцев назад

Very interesting. Cyclopean polygonal walls are not confined to the Bronze Age in Greece. You can find them in the classical and hellenistic periods; one notable example I visited is the city of Lato in Crete where they are dated mainly to the 4th-3rd centuries BC. You have them also in the city of Samothrace from the same period in buildings and also the city walls that I visited. I suppose you find them in many other places too that I have not visited. I would say that the technique was widespread in the classical and hellenistic periods in the Mediterranean as a whole, but I can't really say for Great Greece which I haven't visited. Would be nice if you could explain how the technique of constructing these walls may have worked.

@jimbojiveable 5 месяцев назад

i'm fascinated by cyclopean architecture. i'm curious what your opinion on who built it is.

@sixeses 5 месяцев назад

Thanks Laura. My grandmother's one brother-in-law was from Cefalu RU-vid really packed in the ads on this one.

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Very cool! Oh I can’t control the ads. Maybe I will make some money on this one 😂😅

@brucecycles464 5 месяцев назад

It seems like everything is a place of worship or sacrifice? Why not a place of study or some ones home thats been built alined just so. Maybe a school, or BBQ joint.

@semiramis47 5 месяцев назад

I'm waiting for a cyclopean bowling alley to turn up:)

@Itsthejourneypodcast Месяц назад

Thank you for making this! I was at that temple in 2019 but didn't know all of this. Fascinating! Do you know if there has been any structures discovered underwater near Cefalu"?

@MegalithHunter Месяц назад

Apparently there are some walls along the seafront but I didn’t get a chance to see them. I haven’t read about anything being found under the water.

@madderhat5852 5 месяцев назад

Well that was great addition to the Cyclopean mystery. No pressure but if you could have a firm solution with complete explanation of the Mediterranean structures by next week would be cool.🙃

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Haha

@claudiopiteri8621 5 месяцев назад

I visited Mycenea and the cyclopic walls were made not exactly in rock solid, but mansonry : sand and even shells are still visible.

@judewarner1536 5 месяцев назад

Over geological time periods, when complex life was already developed, there are instances of animals of very different classes with very similar appearances, even though unrelated in species and from very different epochs. This results from CONVERGENT EVOLUTION. Nature in selecting forms to solve similar ecological problems, vastly separated in time, comes up with the same answers. In the development of megalithic structures, whether pre- or post-mortar invention, polygonal constructions are the most earthquake resistant... it's an engineering fact. Polygonal, cyclopean construction is typically found in earthquake zones. IMO the builders, severally and individually, learned by trial and error, or by some leap of genius, that cyclopean polygonal construction was more earthquake resistant than simple dry-wall or ashlar constructions whether mortared or not. There is no need to presume some central origin from which the method spread. The existence of cyclopean architecture in Central and South America supports the idea of CONVERGENT ARCHITECTURAL PROBLEM SOLVING, unless one proposes Bronze Age transatlantic trade, which is possible... but unlikely!

@geoffhunter7704 5 месяцев назад

There is a similar structure near Mycanae in Greece but this one has the incised cutouts for poured molten metal pins as also seen in S America and Egypt this particular ruin the locals say was dedicated to the Goddess Hera.

@semiramis47 5 месяцев назад

interesting offering as always...I'm curious as to whether there's any evidence that cyclopean structures were painted either with solid colours or symbolic images or were any of the walls plastered over...of course evidence has probably been lost to time, but .peoples penchant for personal adornment seems to go pretty far back and I'm wondering if that kind of decorative instinct extended beyond their person to their buildings

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Good question!

@LordDustinDeWynd 5 месяцев назад

Isn't the Mediterranean Sea in the way?

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Lol

@waynesworldofsci-tech 5 месяцев назад

Guess we’ll find out!

@SuperRobinjames 5 месяцев назад

Thanks

@LordDustinDeWynd 5 месяцев назад

You'll probably cover it, the stone star seems a bit anomalous. Was the building reconstructed? It looks like nicely dressed stone except for the rubble/repairs in the middle. I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, of course. 🙃

@judewarner1536 5 месяцев назад

Mediaeval cathedrals were often constructed with double-walls having a rubble filling between in order to save on stone dressing for the entire thickness.

@LordDustinDeWynd 5 месяцев назад

@@judewarner1536 This was the main outside wal, in the sunlight,l looks like a gash going across, from roof to ground, patched/repaired with rubble.

@vulpesvulpes5177 5 месяцев назад

Ok. Respectfully. There are cyclopian walls, then cyclopian walls. Compare that to Peru or the foundation stones of the pyramids…I could see a motivated gang of guys moving those stones. But no so the larger ones previously mentioned. Still it’s clearly old and a chore for whomever made it.

@floydriebe4755 5 месяцев назад

hey, Fox! sssooo, who did it? my thot is it was Mr Cy Clops, long ago.....but, whadda i know? whoever they were, they were purty fart smellers......uh....smart fellers🙃

@phucpedotube 5 месяцев назад

Heard about you through Randall Carlson. Great show. Going to look up the rest and subscribe. Have a great day. Keep up the awesome work.

@wilhelmmeyer89 2 месяца назад

at 6:30: What mainland? Greece or Italy? And what about the other side: North Africa. The Punics/Phoenicians were there. So are there any clues or finding in North Africa? To me it is quite unthinkable that teh Phoenicians had no trade with the Crete.

@scottzema3103 5 месяцев назад

The Etruscans. What about the Etruscan alphabet? What about the Greek colonies of Marseilles and Corsica? When I Google 'Etruscan ruins ' I'm seeing some monuments that appear to embody some megalithic masonry. Looks to me like a Mycenean/Etruscan connection may have been possible. I'm beginning to think that the impulse to build huge stone monuments that occured in the late Late Bronze Age and extending back in time were because they had no real way to build imposing permanent structures otherwise. Same with the Incas. Tell me what you think!

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Interesting. The Etruscans didn’t have a presence in Sicily though. There’s no evidence for it.

@scottzema3103 5 месяцев назад

I'm talking about northern Italy and not Sicily or the directly colonized Greek areas. Overall in researching things I determined that in all of these places with the possible exception of southern France evidence can be seen of a tradition of Megalithic stone structures. In northern Italy there must have been strong Greek influence on the established Etruscan population. The Etruscans used a Greek alphabet. That itself speaks of a very strong Greek influence in Northern Italy. Sources also label the island of Corsica itself Etruscan but host also to a Greek colony in the early Greek classical period during the height of the Etruscan period. An ideal location to mix cultures, so to me it seems there is plenty to describe not primitive tribes but simply cultures in all these areas going through their standard cultural phases as big stone builders.@@MegalithHunter

@One-eyedgiantbuildingwall 5 месяцев назад

Another one: Elio Zoni as a video about the polygonal walls in Cefalu that shows off the ones facing the sea. That you mentioned you couldn't find

@One-eyedgiantbuildingwall 5 месяцев назад

video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y5nnkInGRd0.html

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Excellent! Thank you!

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

That's my video. lol. You put the wrong link.

@One-eyedgiantbuildingwall 5 месяцев назад

affff sorry@@MegalithHunter ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hQFmfm2tCvs.htmlsi=GzMHKu3MRbxHY8XU

@williamolivadoti3867 5 месяцев назад

Cefalu and Naxos appear to align with Baalbek? The Greeks say Hephaestus built the polygonal "well-built walls" [a special word] with the help of two Cyclops. That`s why they are called "Cyclopian walls" in Greece.

@petrapetrakoliou8979 5 месяцев назад

Mycenaen temples are not built with cyclopean masonry, just fortifications as far as I know. This really seems more like a Greek building of the classical or hellenistic period or from the time of the Roman conquest. Egyptian scarabs were widely used or reused by the Romans, I know of several ones remounted on Roman jewellery.

@lynwoodreed9032 5 месяцев назад

Do we make a distinction between Cyclopean construction and Polygonal construction? In my opinion they are different. Cyclopean being gigantic stones, mostly blocks, and polygonal made up of oddly shaped stones fitted closely together.

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

I use the terms interchangeably

@lynwoodreed9032 5 месяцев назад

I understand.@@MegalithHunter

@andycandal5934 5 месяцев назад

Michael Corleone visited that place...

@One-eyedgiantbuildingwall 4 месяца назад

Did you know there are over 10 other similar building in Greece? And been dated from early bronze age.

@DirtySanchez658 Месяц назад

I live just down the street

@johnnyllooddte3415 5 месяцев назад

we live in sicily

@jeupater1429 5 месяцев назад

Museo Egizio is pronounced with a soft G. E-ji-tsio

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

Thank you

@anthonybaransky137 5 месяцев назад

I believe that ALL cyclopean stone architecture was constructed before the Roman empire. I've seen pics of said roman architecture and cyclopean stone architecture is not a part of their skill set

@TheDAT9 5 месяцев назад

What's with the Cyclopean thing. What does Cyclops have to do with the pre YD megalithic civilisations?

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

When the ancient Greeks came across such structures they started the legend that Cyclops built them.

@TheDAT9 5 месяцев назад

@@MegalithHunter Which of course they didn't. It's just the name is very misleading

@doktorreginapeters529 4 месяца назад

There are many polygonal walls in Greece before the classic era. They were not built by the so called "pelasgians".

@1206anton 5 месяцев назад

Can it be a watchtower?

@MegalithHunter 5 месяцев назад

It’s only half way up the hill. Ideally a watchtower would be on top.

@Stonecutter334 5 месяцев назад

We both know the Greeks had nothing to do with those walls or that type of construction.

@nikkigrzesnski6760 5 месяцев назад

More likely it was connected to Mycenae Greeks

@billmiller4972 5 месяцев назад

As Laura pointed out, there's a lack of mycenean artifacts at those sites. Maybe they hired an architect plus some stonemasons and their few belongings are long gone.

@workaholic5318 5 месяцев назад

Polygonal masonry is world wide. There is little reason to attribute the remaining damaged walls that were built upon by succeeding cultures to an earlier worldwide culture, since the mainstream doesn't acknowledge that possibility. For them, it is better to ignore them rather than to adjust their paradigm. As it is said, progress goes forward one death at a time. Sadly the disaster that overtook those who created polygonal structures appears to be cyclical and will overtake this culture before honesty and pragmatic examination defeats academic stasis.

@shammusomalley8986 5 месяцев назад

"cyclopean" is wrong. No strength was needed to lift any blocks, because they were poured in place, which is obvious

@thundercatt5265 5 месяцев назад

Not Egypt...ATLANTIS 2:15 time ,the bottom layer is ATLANTEAN ,the upper part of smaller stones are the work of Civilized man,same with Baalbek it's not Roman and the Great Pyramid is not Egyptian

@californianorma876 6 дней назад

i'm not that big. I could fit in your luggage! I won't be any trouble at all!🫵🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💯💯💯💯💯💯💯