page_title: Georgia Guidestones
section_title: Explanatory tablet
hierarchical_section_title: Georgia Guidestones / Explanatory tablet
caption_attribution_description: English: Georgia Guidestones
context_page_description: The Georgia Guidestones are 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.
  The monument stands at an approximate elevation of 750 feet above sea level, about 90 miles east of Atlanta, 45 miles from Athens, Georgia and 9 miles north of the center of the city of Elberton.
  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. The structure is sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge". The monument is 19 feet 3 inches tall, made from six granite slabs weighing 237,746 pounds in all. The anonymity of the guidestones' authors and their apparent advocacy of population control, eugenics, and internationalism have made them a target for controversy and conspiracy theory.
context_section_description: 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, and misspells the word "pseudonym". 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
  Around the edges of the square are written translations to four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from the top and proceeding clockwise, they are: Babylonian (in cuneiform script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian (in hieroglyphs).
  On the left side of the tablet is the following column of text:
  Astronomic Features
  
  1. Channel through stone
  
  indicates celestial pole
  
  2. Horizontal slot indicates
  
  annual travel of sun
  
  3. Sunbeam through capstone
  
  marks noontime throughout
  
  the year
  Author: R.C. Christian
  
  (a pseudonyn)  [sic]
  Sponsors: A small group
  
  of Americans who seek
  
  the Age of Reason
  Time Capsule
  
  Placed six feet below this spot
  
  On
  
  To be opened on
  The words appear as shown under the time capsule heading; no dates are engraved.
caption: Undated instructions for the site's time capsule
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