There is a megalithic single-stone pyramid in Monte San Martino near Piacenza in Val Chiarone, Italy, 60 kilometers south of Milan.
This stone pyramid has been informally named "the pyramid monolith," and it has been studied extensively by two Italian journalists: Lorena Bianchi and Antonella Verdolino.
The pyramid monolith is composed of sandstone and is five meters by five meters by five meters. It sits at the base of Monte San Martino in a cultivated vineyard which is part of a larger megalithic complex very similar to Bulgarian stone sanctuaries such as Beglik Tash and Perperikon, as well as Markov Kamen in Serbia. Scattered throughout the Monte San Martino complex are megalithic stones and fallen Menhirs weighing tons each.
On the sides of this four-sided, square-based pyramid are lines and rounded markings (holes or "cups") suggesting a deliberately produced rendering, possibly of astronomical significance. Indeed, Bianchi and Verdolino believe that the markings on the monolith match the constellation of Cygnus (the swan) in 13,500 B.C., when Cygnus contained the polar star. These markings parallel the markings on the Povlen stone ball in Serbia. The hole/"cup" indentations resemble those in the megalithic stone temple in Bandol, Bosnia.
On the top of Monte San Martino are more monoliths, some up to 10 meters in height. These monoliths also feature hole/"cup" marks and lines representing stellar constellations. Also cut into these monoliths are niches that may have served as supports for wooden beams, which may been the support for a platform for religious and/or star-observation purposes. Stairs cut into the mountaintop stones have also been found. Across the valley from this megalithic site is a mountain called Monte Baldo, and the shape of Monte Baldo has been found carved into one of the main monoliths at Monte San Martino. It should be noted that mountains were considered to be sacred because they were thought to be dwelling places of the gods.
If indeed the monolith was created in or around 13,500 B.C., it would be the oldest use of the pyramid symbol heretofore found in the world.
The first organized agricultural settlements in and around Val Chiarone, where the pyramid monolith is situated, dates back to the Neolithic period, and afterward during the middle Bronze Age.
Legend has it that two female saints, Faustina and Liberata, came from Val Chiarone. In Val Chiarone, there is a fortress named Olgisio, which is situated on a plateau near the megalithic site and near the pyramid monolith.
The whole steep rock facing the two rivers, the Rio Tinello and the Chiarone, is covered with holes for pilings, stairs, and basins to collect water. In the vicinity, there is also a very big cave with steps carved into the sandstone rock, suggesting the existence of an underground hypogeum. The cave was dedicated to the cult of Saint Faustina and Liberata, the two female saints/priestesses.
The abundance of water in the area is a result of the filtration through the sandstone layers, from which originate many natural springs. This suggests that the saints may have inhabited the caves during the prehistoric age and suggests an association with the holy element of water. This hypothesis is also supported by a recent discovery of a “cave of saints” in Capo di Ponte, an area famous for prehistoric rock art, which is linked to Faustina and Liberata.
The cave, which was already mentioned in ancient tales, exhibited walls built with masonry partially decorated with zigzag patterns which Lithuanian archaeologist Marija Gimbutas demonstrated is typical of Old European iconography and represents the element of water. In this light, the two saints, or holy women, represent divine ambivalence. Interestingly, this human double imagery reflects the animal double imagery of the Old European Snake/Bird Goddess.
Finally, the two cave-dwelling saints, Faustina and Liberata, were believed to be bearers of children. Their legendary ability to bear children, an ability unusual for saints, is symbolically mirrored by the real-world womb-like caves, caves that in Neolithic times have been consistently associated with the life-giving, and therefore holy, element of water. Water, the zigzag symbol for water, caves, and the fecund saints combine in this resonant legend to express the divine principle of creation in the Val Chiarone area in which the pyramid monolith stands.
JUMP TO GALLERY
References and sources:
- Gabriela Lukacs' site European-Pyramids.eu
- Lorena Bianchi & Antonella Verdolino Sator ws
- Federico Troletti, "The continuity between pagan and Christian cult"
B©SNIAN-PYRAMID.ORG 2011
0 comments:
Post a Comment