Ancient Moonshots: Megalithic Mysteries from before Technology by Vincent R. Lee

Architect Vincent Lee is an expert on the subject of megalithic construction in antiquity and, for anyone interested in the subject, Ancient Moonshots is a gold mine of information. I still recall my first visit to Sacsayhuaman, standing like a transfixed idiot in front of the great stone terrace and wondering how did they DO that? Relief is at hand: Ancient Moonshots is lavishly illustrated with drawings and photographs as the author takes us on a wild ride from Egypt to Peru to Easter Island and points in between. Along the way, we learn how huge blocks of stone were moved, raised, fitted, and finished as we travel from Stonehenge to Baalbek and from Sacsayhuaman to Rano Raraku.

Part One of the book deals with stone, tools, power, transporting, raising and lowering, etc. Part Two includes Inca masterworks, the unfinished Obelisk, and Baalbek. Rapanuiphiles will be particularly intrigued by Chapter 10, “Awakening the Giant”, which is an in-depth study of the famed statue El Gigante, still lying in the quarry on Easter Island. Here, Lee provides a scenario for finishing the statue, moving it across the island, erecting it at its intended location, and placing a pukao on its head. Great stuff!

Anyone who has pondered how the huge statues on Easter Island were moved and erected, or how the Inca made those megalithic stone structures, will find this book fascinating. And Lee’s far-ranging studies provide comparative information for the Egyptian Colossus, various obelisks, and other amazing monuments of stone made by so-called primitive peoples in many parts of the globe. The text is augmented by numerous line drawings that illustrate the various techniques for moving the seemingly immovable.