Rujm el-Hiri, located in the central Golan Heights, is one of the largest megalithic monuments in the ancient Near East. Although it was discovered almost 50 years ago and has been surveyed and excavated by several expeditions, there is still no consensus on its date and function, mostly due to the very scanty archaeological evidence found between its walls. In this paper the authors propose an approach to establishing a date and function that differs from what has been suggested previously. The construction of Rujm el-Hiri required a profusion of human and material resources. The monument was an ‘arena of social power’ that undoubtedly played a significant role in the communal and religious life of the population. All this left an imprint on the local landscape. The analysis of various elements of the surrounding area, some of them surveyed and excavated by the authors, demonstrates that it was during the Chalcolithic period that the inhabitants of this area were able to amass the resources required for the construction of such a monument. These conclusions were further reinforced by an OSL study. Based on these data, the authors discuss the role of Rujm el-Hiri in the social and religious life of the Chalcolithic population.

中文翻译：

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Rujm el-Hiri：景观中的纪念碑

Rujm el-Hiri 位于戈兰高地中部，是古代近东地区最大的巨石遗迹之一。虽然它在近 50 年前被发现，并经过多次考察和挖掘，但对其日期和功能仍未达成共识，主要是由于在其墙壁之间发现的考古证据非常少。在这篇论文中，作者提出了一种建立日期和函数的方法，这与之前的建议不同。Rujm el-Hiri 的建设需要大量的人力和物力资源。这座纪念碑是“社会权力的舞台”，无疑在人们的公共和宗教生活中发挥了重要作用。所有这些都在当地的景观中留下了印记。对周边地区的各种要素进行分析，作者调查和挖掘的其中一些表明，正是在铜石器时代，该地区的居民才能够积累建造这样一座纪念碑所需的资源。OSL 研究进一步证实了这些结论。基于这些数据，作者讨论了 Rujm el-Hiri 在铜石器时代人口的社会和宗教生活中的作用。