Kamyana Mohyla (Stone Grave)
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member UKRDOUG
N 46° 56.987 E 035° 27.960
36T E 687650 N 5202535
Often compared to Stonehenge in Britain, Kamyana Mohyla has been an unsolved mystery on the steppes of Ukraine.
Waymark Code: WME2Y2
Location: Ukraine
Date Posted: 03/27/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member snaik
Views: 4

Kamyana Mohyla (Rocky Grave)

Often compared to Stonehenge in Britain, Kamyana Mohyla has been an unsolved mystery on the steppes of Ukraine. These 35-feet tall boulders are strewn in a mound compassing an area ¾ of an acre (3000 square meters). How did they get here and what was there purpose?
Many old legends exist such as ancient Baghaturs being involved in a rock fight. When the area had fallen under Islam, a Muslim tale emerged about a Baghatur hero named Bogur who had sinned against Allah. As punishment he was ordered to tear rocks from a nearby mountain and build a stone mountain where one could see the steppe in all directions from the top. To finish more quickly, Bogur piled the rocks incompactly leaving many caves. Allah discovered this trick and caused Bogur to trip and fall into one of his holes where he became stuck and died of hunger. Allah then covered the stone mountain with sand.
Some of the locals today have tried to give a more scientific explanation while attempting to remain in legend form. Since the type of rock exists nowhere within hundreds of miles of Ukraine, they must have been dragged here by domesticated dinosaurs the explanation goes.
While it is true that these sandstone boulders cannot be found anywhere near Ukraine above ground, they do exist abundantly underground. The ancient Sarmatian Sea once covered this region prior to the modern Ice Age. The bed of this ancient sea hardened into a large sheet of sandstone. After the Ice Age the Pontic Sea was formed which deposited limestone over the ancient sandstone. Eventually the sea retreated leaving behind a desert. As the earth began to warm the northern glaciers melted and a great river began to flow through this region carving through the limestone. A rocky island emerged in the middle exposing the sandstone shield that collapsed under its weight to form the huge sandstone boulders seen today.
Because of its uniqueness, ancient civilizations used it as a sanctuary. These hunter-gatherers would gather here to pray and sacrifice to their gods for blessings on the hunt. Inside the caves between the boulders they would draw their religious art as good luck totems. The existence of mammoth drawings attests to the antiquity of these people.
Type: Menhir

Number: 100.00

Size:
3000 Square meters 35 feet tall boulders


Source:
Sarmatian Sea bed


Purpose:
Hunter-gatherers would gather here to pray and sacrifice to their gods for blessings on the hunt. Inside the caves between the boulders they would draw their religious art as good luck totems.


Parking: Not Listed

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