Adam's Calendar

About Adam's Calendar

On the plateau just above the town of Kaapsche Hoop, overlooking the Barberton Valley, is a peaceful space filled with open sky, incredible views, and a series of standing stones that closely resemble Stonehenge (give or take a few stones).

Adam's Calendar is a series of stones believed to be the oldest man-made structure on Earth. The ancient circular monolithic stones predate any other structure found to date, at 75 000 years old.

Seen in perspective these stones are amongst an estimated one million ancient stone ruins scattered throughout the mountains of southern Africa. Johan Heine, who discovered the stones in 2003, and Michael Tellinger have co-authored a couple of books on the subject.

They believe that Adam's Calendar is the flagship of the ruins and that it remains accurate as a calendar following the shadow of the setting sun cast by the central monolith onto a flat calendar stone next to it.

Pictures taken from the air seem to support the hypothesis.

Is it possible that these stones are indeed the only example of a functional, mostly intact, monolithic stone calendar in the world? His claims have been widely disputed. As of now, the true age, origin, and purpose of Adam's Calendar remains a mystery that is yet to be solved.

A tour of the stones, either with Michael Tellinger or one of his guides, will take over an hour.

You will view the 'workshop' – a scattering of loose dolomite stones said to be the remains of where the stones were worked (the stones are believed to have come from a source of dolomite about 2 kms away).

You will consider the Stone Altar, see the path of initiation that Credo Mutwa and other sangomas agree was used for ceremonies, scrutinise the valley created by a meteor below you and the two mounds thought to be pyramids, and how all of this is tangible evidence of consciousness among the earliest humans in what Tellilnger calls the true Cradle of Humankind.

Whatever your reaction to the claims, the tour through the stones is intriguing, the story riveting and the views and experience fascinating.

Adam's Calendar is protected as part of the Blue Swallow National Heritage Site, and you will need a guide in order to explore the stones.