Claim: Mechanism of the Baalbek Trilithon Movement

Do rollers, sledges, and hydraulic lubrication fully explain the ~800-ton trilithon transfers, or does the evidence point to a different mechanism?

Mechanism Transport Speculative Site: Baalbek Trilithon

Claim Header

The Trilithon blocks’ movement is attributed to rollers, sledges, and timed water releases that reduce friction, keeping the engineering within known Roman-era capabilities.

Evidence ID: EA-0129 Provenance: Field team S-198 Reported: Jan 2026

Evidence Panel

Collected artifacts and observation records that anchor this hypothesis.

Trilithon gallery
Primary

Source: Baalbek Field Journal S-198

Date: Jan 8, 2026

Location: Quarry slope, Baalbek

Contributor: Nora M.

Stone transport sketch
Secondary

Source: Transport Hypotheses Brief

Date: Feb 3, 2024

Location: Baalbek summit

Uploader: Field archive

Logistics map
Low-confidence

Source: Historical survey 1979

Date: Mar 12, 1979

Location: Baalbek valley

Photographer: E. Alamein

Structured Arguments

Best supporting arguments

  • EA-0012: Roller impressions along the quarry road match parallel grooves seen in the trilithon bases.

    Evidence ID: EA-0012

  • EA-0045: Field diary notes describe a water-release experiment that reduced sled drag by 38%.

    Evidence ID: EA-0045

  • EA-0099: Sediment samples contain mineral sheen consistent with lubrication residues.

    Evidence ID: EA-0099

Strongest counterpoints

  • EA-0031: The southern ramp gradient would require more force than recorded workforce can deliver.

    Evidence ID: EA-0031

  • EA-0077: Nearby Roman texts describe pulley assemblies, suggesting mechanical advantage beyond sled-only models.

    Evidence ID: EA-0077

Alternative explanations

  • EA-0052: Genetic analysis of oxen bones suggests specialized beasts were brought in for single heavy lifts.

    Evidence ID: EA-0052

  • EA-0063: Reuse theory implies later civilizations repositioned already-split trilithons rather than moving intact blocks.

    Evidence ID: EA-0063

What would change our mind

Criteria for decisive evidence.

  • Discovery of preserved rollers with matching wear aligns with trilithon bases (EA-0101).
  • New stratigraphic profile revealing a levelling ramp sunk in Roman-era concrete (EA-0114).
  • Direct account from local archives describing hydraulic sluice management for heavy loads (EA-0120).

Revision history

  • v0.3 — added counterpoint evidence from textual archives.
  • v0.2 — clarified the claim scope and added uncertainty status.
  • v0.1 — initial draft with transport hypothesis outline.