The Georgia Guidestones is a granite monument erected in 1980 in Elbert County, Georgia, in the United States. A set of 10 guidelines is inscribed on the structure in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient language scripts: Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The monument stands at the highest point in Elbert County, about 90 miles (140 km) east of Atlanta, 45 miles (72 km) from Athens, and 9 miles (14 km) north of the center of Elberton. The stones are visible from Georgia Highway 77 (Hartwell Highway) and are reached by turning east on Guidestones Road.
The structure is sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge".[1] The monument is 19 feet 3 inches (5.87 m) tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds (107,840 kg) in all.[2] One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it. A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned. An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the structure, provides some notes on the history and purpose of the Guidestones.
History:
In June 1979, a man approached the Elberton Granite Finishing company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans" and under the self-confessed pseudonym Robert C. Christian, and commissioned the structure. Christian explained that the stones would function as a compass, calendar and clock, and should be capable of withstanding catastrophic events. Joe Fendley of Elberton Granite assumed that Christian was "a nut" and attempted to discourage him by giving a quote several times higher than any project the company had taken, explaining that the Guidestones would require additional tools and consultants. Christian accepted the quote.[2] When arranging payment, Christian explained that he represented a group which had been planning the Guidestones for 20 years, and which intended to remain anonymous.[2]
Christian delivered a scale model of the Guidestones and ten pages of specifications.[2] The five-acre[2] land was apparently purchased by Elbert County on October 1, 1979,[3][4][non-primary source needed] from farm owner Wayne Mullinex.[2] Mullinex and his children were given lifetime cattle grazing rights on the Guidestones site.[2] The monument was unveiled on March 22, 1980, before an audience variously described as 100[5] or 400 people.[2] Christian later transferred ownership of the land and the Guidestones to Elbert County.[2]
In 2008, the stones were defaced with polyurethane paint and graffiti with slogans such as "Death to the new world order".[6] Wired magazine called the defacement "the first serious act of vandalism in the Guidestones' history".[2] In September 2014, an employee of the Elbert County maintenance department contacted the FBI when the stones were vandalised with graffiti including the phrase "I Am Isis, goddess of love".[7]
Inscriptions:
A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles is engraved on the Georgia Guidestones[8] in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Moving clockwise around the structure from due north, these languages are: English, Spanish, Swahili, Sanskrit , Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.
1.Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2.Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
3.Unite humanity with a living new language.
4.Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
5.Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6.Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7.Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8.Balance personal rights with social duties.
9.Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
10.Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
Explanatory tablet:
A few feet to the west of the monument, an additional granite ledger has been set level with the ground. This tablet identifies the structure and the languages used on it, lists various facts about the size, weight, and astronomical features of the stones, the date it was installed, and the sponsors of the project. It also speaks of a time capsule buried under the tablet, but spaces on the stone reserved for filling in the dates on which the capsule was buried and is to be opened have not been inscribed, so it is uncertain if the time capsule was put in place.
The complete text of the explanatory tablet is detailed below. The tablet is somewhat inconsistent with respect to punctuation, misspells the word "pseudonym", and incorrectly uses the adjective "hieroglyphic" as a plural noun. The original spelling, punctuation, and line breaks in the text have been preserved in the transcription which follows (letter case is not). At the top center of the tablet is written:
The Georgia Guidestones
Center cluster erected March 22, 1980
Immediately below this is the outline of a square, inside which is written:
Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason
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