View source for Georgia Guidestones

{{Short description|Former granite monument in Georgia, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox monument
|monument_name = Georgia Guidestones
|native_name   =
|image         = Georgia Guidestones, Elbert County, GA, US (05).jpg
|caption       = Georgia Guidestones in 2020
|location      = [[Elbert County, Georgia]], US
|type          =
|material      = [[Granite]]
|length        =
|width         =
|height        = {{cvt|19|ft|3|in|m}}
|begin         =
|complete      =
|open          = {{start date|1980|03|22}}
|dedicated_to  =
|coordinates   = {{Coord|34.23206|N|82.89440|W|type:landmark_region:US-GA|display=inline, title}}
|dismantled=July 6, 2022}}
The '''Georgia Guidestones''' was <!-- DO NOT CHANGE FROM WAS. It was a singular monument --> a [[granite]] [[monument]] that stood in [[Elbert County, Georgia]], United States, from 1980 to 2022. It was {{convert|19|ft|3|in|m}} tall and made from six granite slabs weighing a total of {{convert|237746|lb}}.<ref name="Sullivan 2009">{{cite magazine |last=Sullivan |first=Randall |date=April 20, 2009 |title=American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones?currentPage=1 |url-status=live |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |volume=17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327093934/http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones?currentPage=1 |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=March 7, 2017 |number=5}}</ref> The structure was sometimes referred to as an "American [[Stonehenge]]".<ref name="NGE">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Ouzts |first=Clay |author-link= |encyclopedia=New Georgia Encyclopedia |title=Georgia Guidestones |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/georgia-guidestones/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |date=2022-07-11 }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite news |last=Stelloh |first=Tim |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Georgia Guidestones monument is destroyed after explosion |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/georgia-monument-called-satanic-gubernatorial-candidate-destroyed-expl-rcna37039 |url-status=live |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707191555/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/georgia-monument-called-satanic-gubernatorial-candidate-destroyed-expl-rcna37039 |archive-date=July 7, 2022}}</ref> The monument's creators believed that there was going to be an upcoming social, nuclear, or economic calamity and they wanted the monument to serve as a guide for humanity in the world which would exist after it.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Bill |date=June 21, 1981 |title=Elbert's Guidestones get help from mystery man |work=[[Atlanta Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105183680/georgia-guidestones/ |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708041045/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105183680/georgia-guidestones/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Controversial from its time of construction, it ultimately became the subject of [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] which alleged that it was actually connected to [[Satanism]],<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last=Amy |first=Jeff |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing |language=en-US |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-oddities-religion-georgia-92400e093db648d605f65228ef79cfdb |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707081332/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-oddities-religion-georgia-92400e093db648d605f65228ef79cfdb |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> as opposed to [[Christianity]] as its creator claimed.<ref name="NGE" /><ref name=":0" />

On the morning of July 6, 2022, the guidestones were heavily damaged in a bombing from a [[vandalism|vandal]],<ref name="NGE"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Alund |first=Natalie Neysa |date=6 July 2022 |title=Georgia Guidestones: Rural monument that some call satanic damaged in bombing, police say |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/06/georgia-guidestones-explosion-police-say-monument-damaged-bombing/7823958001/ |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707104035/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/06/georgia-guidestones-explosion-police-say-monument-damaged-bombing/7823958001/ |archive-date=2022-07-07}}</ref> and the debris and guidestones were removed by the local government later that day.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Albeck-Ripka |first=Livia |date=2022-07-06 |title=Explosion Destroys Mysterious Monument in Georgia, Authorities Say |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/us/georgia-guidestones-explosion.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220706231516/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/us/georgia-guidestones-explosion.html |archive-date=2022-07-06 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2022-07-06 |title=The Georgia Guidestones demolished after explosion 'destroyed' portion, GBI says |work=[[WAGA-TV]] |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-guidestones-explosion-elberton |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194134/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-guidestones-explosion-elberton |archive-date=2022-07-06 |quote=Investigators said unknown people detonated an explosive device at around 4 a.m. Elbert County investigators arrived and they noted that a large portion of the structure was damaged.}}</ref> In late July, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves announced plans to rebuild the monument.<ref name="RebuildingGraves" /> In August, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners voted to donate the remains of the monument to the Elberton Granite Association, and return the {{convert|5|acre|0}} of land on which the monument was erected to its previous owner.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/2022/08/10/georgia-guidestones-bombing-elbert-county-decides-not-rebuild-donating-remains/10279337002/|title=Elbert County won't rebuild bombed Georgia Guidestones, will donate monument's remains|first=Wayne|last=Ford|website=Online Athens}}</ref>

==History==
=== Construction ===
In June 1979, a man using the [[pseudonym]] Robert C. Christian approached the Elberton Granite Finishing Company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans", 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".<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/> The man reportedly used the pseudonym as a reference to the Christian religion.<ref name="NGE"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=March 24, 1980 |title=Stones bear note for the future |work=[[The Herald (Rock Hill)|The Herald]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105132194/georgia-guidestones-associated-press/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707104036/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102262886/the-item/ |archive-date=July 7, 2022}}</ref> Christian said that he wanted to build a granite [[monument]] that would rival the British [[Neolithic]] monument [[Stonehenge]], which he drew inspiration from after paying it a visit.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=LaGrone |first=Jeff |date=January 16, 1980 |title='Georgia's Stonehenge' getting Final Touches |work=[[Anderson Independent]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102262701/anderson-independent/ |access-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707110631/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102262701/anderson-independent/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=March 23, 1980 |title=Elberton Unveils Mystery Stones |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36439689/georgia-guidestones-dedicated-march/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707104038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36439689/georgia-guidestones-dedicated-march/ |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |access-date=July 7, 2022 |work=[[The Atlanta Constitution]] |agency=[[United Press International]]}}</ref> However, he said that while it was impressive, Stonehenge had no message to communicate.<ref name=":1" />

Joe Fendley of Elberton Granite believed that Christian was "a nut", and attempted to discourage him by providing a price quote for the commission which was several times higher than any project which the company had previously undertaken, explaining that the construction of the guidestones would require additional tools and consultants. To Fendley's surprise, Christian accepted the quote.<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/>

When arranging payment, Christian claimed that he represented a group which had been planning to construct the guidestones for 20 years and wanted to remain anonymous.<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/> Christian said he had chosen Elbert County because of its abundance of local granite, the rural nature of its landscape, its mild climate, and family ties to the region.<ref name="NGE"/><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=LaGrone |first=Jeff |date=March 23, 1980 |title=Message Left for future Generations: Georgia's Stone Monument Unveiled |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102262605/anderson-independent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708025009/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102262605/anderson-independent/ |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |access-date=July 8, 2022 |work=[[Anderson Independent]]}}</ref> The total cost of the project was not revealed, but it was over US$100,000 ({{Inflation|US|100000|1979|fmt=eq|r=-5}}).<ref name=":8" />

Christian delivered a scale model of the guidestones and ten pages of specifications.<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/> The {{convert|5|acre|ha|abbr=off|lk=on|adj=on|0}} site was purchased by Christian from a local farm owner.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Robert L. |date=November 21, 1993 |title=What are Stonehenge-style monuments doing in rural Georgia? |work=[[The Charlotte Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105124003/the-charlotte-observer/ |access-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708052510/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105124003/the-charlotte-observer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The owner and his children were given lifetime cattle grazing rights on the guidestones site.<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/> The monument was located off [[Georgia State Route 77]] around {{convert|7|mi|km}} north of the city of [[Elberton, Georgia|Elberton]].<ref name="Rhodes2015">{{cite book | author = Don Rhodes | date = 1 October 2015 | title = Georgia Myths and Legends: The True Stories Behind History's Mysteries | edition = 2 | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | page = 4 | isbn = 978-1-4930-1599-3 | quote = Perhaps the strangest and most mysterious use of granite from the Elberton area can be seen seven miles north of the city on a hill that contains the mysterious Georgia Guidestones | oclc = 1162494331 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jcp_CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 | access-date = July 8, 2022 | archive-date = July 8, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220708025009/https://books.google.com/books?id=jcp_CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Hauck2002">{{cite book | author = Dennis William Hauck | date = 2002 | title = Haunted Places: The National Directory : Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations | publisher = Penguin | page = 137 | quote = The Guidestone are on a grassy knoll along Highway 77, about seven miles north of Elberton. | isbn = 978-0-14-200234-6 | oclc = 1001864537 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kAK1p91zJEwC&pg=PA137 | access-date = July 8, 2022 | archive-date = July 7, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220707212543/https://books.google.com/books?id=kAK1p91zJEwC&pg=PA137 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="McDonald2016">{{cite book | author = Janice McDonald | date = 1 August 2016 | title = Georgia Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun | quote = Georgia Guidestones is on GA 77, 7.2 miles north of town. | edition = 11 | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | page = 207 | isbn = 978-1-4930-2590-9 | oclc = 1100885029 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZR9ADAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 | access-date = July 8, 2022 | archive-date = July 8, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220708025009/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZR9ADAAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 | url-status = live }}</ref>

On March 22, 1980, the monument was unveiled by congressman [[Doug Barnard Jr.|Doug Barnard]] before an audience of between 200 and 300 people.<ref name="NGE"/><ref name=":1" /> At the unveiling, the [[Master of ceremonies|Master of Ceremonies]] read a message to the gathered audience:

{{blockquote|In order to avoid debate, we the sponsors of the Georgia Guidestones have a simple message for human beings, now and for the future. We believe our precepts are sound, and they must stand on their own merits.|Purported statement of Georgia Guidestones sponsors<ref name=":7" />}}

Christian later transferred ownership of the land and the guidestones to Elbert County.<ref name=":9" /> In 1981, [[barbed wire]] fencing was erected around the monument to keep cattle out, as they had been using it for a [[scratching post]].<ref name=":8" />

A man who identified himself as Robert Christian published a book titled ''Common Sense Renewed'' (1986), which described the [[ideology]] of the guidestones. The author wrote:

{{blockquote|I am the originator of the Georgia Guidestones and the sole author of its inscriptions. I have had the assistance of a number of other American citizens in bringing the monument into being. We have no mysterious purposes or ulterior motives. We seek common sense pathways to a peaceful world, without bias for particular creeds or philosophies.|"Robert Christian" (1986)<ref>{{cite book |last=Christian |first=Robert |author-link= |date=1986 |title=Common Sense Renewed |url= |location=Lake Mills, Iowa |publisher=Graphic Publishing Company |page=7 |isbn=}}</ref>}}

Fendley believed that the monument would become a regional [[tourist attraction]].<ref name=":3" /> In 2022, 20,000 annual visitors were reported.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |author=Moore, Stephanie |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Videos released of explosion at Georgia Guidestones; structure demolished, GBI says |url=https://www.wyff4.com/article/georgia-guidestones-possible-explosion/40525569# |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706141307/https://www.wyff4.com/article/georgia-guidestones-possible-explosion/40525569 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |access-date=July 6, 2022 |work=WYFF4}}</ref>

''Dark Clouds Over Elberton: The True Story of the Georgia Guidestones'' (2015) is a documentary film purporting to expose the true identity of Robert Christian.<ref>{{YouTube|id=AEa3sK1iZxc |time=13m50s |title=Rocks: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Web Exclusive)}}</ref> The makers of the documentary claimed to have investigated and interviewed a banker who was involved in the financial arrangements for the construction of the monument.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blinder |first=Alan |date=2013-09-17 |title=A Monument's Mysteries Include Whether It Can Draw Tourists |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/us/a-monuments-mysteries-include-whether-it-can-draw-tourists.html |work=The New York Times |location= |access-date=2022-07-09}}</ref>

=== Reaction ===
[[File:Georgia Guidestones vandalism.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The stones defaced with aerosol paint and graffiti.]]
In 2008, the stones were defaced with [[aerosol paint]] and graffiti with slogans such as "Death to the [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]]".<ref name="BBC News 2022">{{cite web |date=7 Jul 2022 |title=Georgia Guidestones: 'America's Stonehenge' demolished after blast |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62073675 |access-date=8 Jul 2022 |website=[[BBC News]] |quote= |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707070130/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62073675 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Wired'' magazine called the defacement "the first serious act of vandalism in the guidestones' history".<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/> In September 2014, an employee of the Elbert County maintenance department contacted the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] when the stones were vandalized with graffiti including the phrase: "I Am [[Isis]], goddess of love."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-09-08/vandals-deface-mysterious-georgia-guidestones-elbert-county|title=Vandals deface mysterious Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County|author=Ford, Wayne|work=Online Athens|date=September 8, 2014|access-date=October 3, 2014|archive-date=October 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001041551/http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2014-09-08/vandals-deface-mysterious-georgia-guidestones-elbert-county|url-status=live}}</ref> After the acts of vandalism, security cameras were installed on the site.<ref name=":5" />
[[File:GG (1).jpg|alt=The Guidestones defaced with aerosol in 2009.|thumb|The Guidestones defaced with paint in 2009.]]
Kandiss Taylor, a candidate in the [[2022 Georgia gubernatorial election|2022 Georgia Republican gubernatorial primary]], called the Guidestones "[[Satanism|Satanic]]" in a campaign ad; her campaign platform called for the monument to be removed.<ref name="NGE"/><ref name=":2" />

=== Destruction ===
[[File:Georgia Guidestones explosion.webm|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Footage of the bombing of the Georgia Guidestones monument, July 6, 2022.]]
On July 6, 2022, an explosive device was detonated at the site, destroying the Swahili/Hindi language slab and causing significant damage to the capstone. Nearby residents reportedly heard and felt explosions at around 4:00&nbsp;a.m.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{cite web |date=July 6, 2022 |title=Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County vandalized |url=https://www.wgauradio.com/news/local/georgia-guidestones-elbert-county-vandalized/GWAPDZUFWJAFRPMNBHI5AULTKE/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706145553/https://www.wgauradio.com/news/local/georgia-guidestones-elbert-county-vandalized/GWAPDZUFWJAFRPMNBHI5AULTKE/ |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |access-date=6 July 2022}}</ref> [[CCTV]] footage recorded a vehicle leaving the scene and police investigated the incident.<ref name=":5" /> The remaining stones were dismantled by authorities for safety reasons later in the day with a [[backhoe]], according to the [[Georgia Bureau of Investigation]] (GBI).<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Gorman |first=Steve |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Explosion rocks Georgia Guidestones, dubbed 'America's Stonehenge' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/explosion-rocks-georgia-guidestones-dubbed-americas-stonehenge-2022-07-07/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707084152/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/explosion-rocks-georgia-guidestones-dubbed-americas-stonehenge-2022-07-07/ |archive-date=2022-07-07 |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=Reuters}}</ref> ''The Elberton Star'' reported that digging showed no evidence that there was ever a time capsule located beneath the Georgia Guidestones.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Alleged time capsule disproved |url=https://www.elberton.com/local-regional/alleged-time-capsule-disproved|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709081731/https://www.elberton.com/local-regional/alleged-time-capsule-disproved |archive-date=2022-07-09 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=The Elberton Star}}</ref>

====Aftermath====
The Elbert County Sheriff's Office investigated the bombing, with assistance from the GBI.<ref>{{cite web |title=Explosion 'destroyed' portion of Georgia Guidestones, GBI says |url=https://www.fox5ny.com/news/georgia-guidestones-explosion-elberton.amp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706202609/https://www.fox5ny.com/news/georgia-guidestones-explosion-elberton.amp |archive-date=2022-07-06 |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.fox5ny.com}}</ref> On the evening of the bombing, the GBI released a video showing both the explosion, and a vehicle of interest leaving the scene shortly before.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-07-07 |title=GBI releases surveillance videos of explosion at Georgia Guidestones, car speeding away |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/gbi-releases-surveillance-video-explosion-georgia-guidestones-car-speeding-away/LTC55PEKYBBPVMJE3GOMBR4KSQ/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707015502/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/gbi-releases-surveillance-video-explosion-georgia-guidestones-car-speeding-away/LTC55PEKYBBPVMJE3GOMBR4KSQ/ |archive-date=2022-07-07 |access-date=2022-07-07 |website=WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta |language=en}}</ref> No motive has been publicly shared, and no suspects publicly identified.<ref>{{cite news |date=2022-07-06 |title=Georgia Guidestones: 'America's Stonehenge' damaged in bomb attack |language=en |website=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/georgia-guidestones-damaged-explosion-stonehenge-b2117290.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706173918/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/georgia-guidestones-damaged-explosion-stonehenge-b2117290.html |archive-date=2022-07-06}}</ref> On July 14, 2022, and again on July 25, 2022, the GBI gave an update, with no significant progress on the case being made since the bombing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/2022/07/14/gbi-still-trying-crack-mystery-who-bombed-georgia-guidestones/10050173002/ |title=GBI still trying to crack mystery of who bombed the Georgia Guidestones |publisher=Onlineathens.com |date=2022-07-06 |accessdate=2022-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/georgia-authorities-have-yet-to-identify-suspect-in-guidestones-explosion/ | title=Georgia Authorities Have Yet to Identify Suspect in Guidestones Explosion | website=[[National Review]] | date=July 25, 2022 }}</ref> Prosecutors suggested that as the guidestones were maintained by the county, they were considered a public building, thus their destruction would carry a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/07/21/battleground-ballot-box-after-the-georgia-guidestones-bombing-community-picks-the | title=Battleground: Ballot Box &#124; After the Georgia Guidestones bombing, a community picks up the pieces | date=July 21, 2022 }}</ref>

In late July 2022, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves said the town planned to rebuild the monument exactly as it was, adding "We're just getting geared up and excited about rebuilding them. It's going to happen. It may take us six months to a year to do it, but we are going to do it."<ref name="RebuildingGraves">{{cite web |last1=Fowler |first1=Stephen |title=After the Georgia Guidestones bombing, a community picks up the pieces |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2022/07/21/battleground-ballot-box-after-the-georgia-guidestones-bombing-community-picks-the |website=GPB News/NPR/PBS|date=July 21, 2022 }}</ref> On August 8, 2022, the Elberton city council voted to begin legal proceedings to return the five acres of land the monument had been built on to its previous owner, a local farm. The city council announced that the remains of the monument, which had been moved to a third-party location for safety reasons, would be given to the Elberton Granite Association. Both the Elberton Granite Association and the Elberton city council expressed doubt that the guidestones would be rebuilt, but expressed hope that one day it could happen.<ref name="auto"/>

==Description==
===Inscriptions===
[[File:Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County, GA.jpg|thumb|Inscriptions as laid out on the Guidestones]]
A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles was engraved on the Georgia Guidestones 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 were [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Chinese language|Traditional Chinese]], and [[Russian language|Russian]].<ref name=":0" /> The languages were chosen because they represented most of humanity, except for Hebrew, which was chosen because of its connections to Judaism and Christianity.<ref name=":0" />

According to the monument's sponsors, the inscriptions are meant to guide humanity to [[Nature conservation|conserve nature]] after a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]], which the creators thought was an imminent threat.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The inscriptions dealt with four main themes: "governance and the establishment of a [[world government]], [[population control|population]] and reproduction control, the [[natural environment|environment]] and humankind's relationship to nature, and [[spirituality]]."<ref name="NGE" />

The inscriptions read:<ref name="NGE" /><ref name="BBC News 2022" />

[[File:GG (2).jpg|alt=Cyrillic alphabet inscriptions.|thumb|[[Cyrillic]] alphabet inscriptions.]]
[[File:GG (3).jpg|alt=The Guidestones as they stood in 2009.|thumb|The Guidestones as they stood in 2009.]]
{{blockquote|
Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.

Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.

Unite humanity with a living new language.

Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.

Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.

Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.

Avoid petty laws and useless officials.

Balance personal rights with social duties.

Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.

Be not a cancer on the Earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.
}}

===Explanatory tablet===
[[File:Georgia Guidestones 10.jpg|thumb|An explanatory tablet was set alongside the stones]]

A few feet to the west of the monument, an additional granite ledger had been set level with the ground. This tablet identified the structure and the languages used on it and listed various facts about the size, weight, and astronomical features of the stones, the date it was installed, and the sponsors of the project. It referred to a [[time capsule]] buried under the tablet, but blank spaces on the stone intended for filling in the dates on which the capsule was buried and was to be opened had not been inscribed, so it was uncertain if the time capsule was ever actually put in place. During the removal of the monument in July 2022, county officials dug six feet down underneath this tablet to check for a time capsule, but found nothing.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-07-08 |title=Alleged time capsule disproved |url=https://www.elberton.com/local-regional/alleged-time-capsule-disproved |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708200928/https://www.elberton.com/local-regional/alleged-time-capsule-disproved |archive-date=July 8, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=[[The Elberton Star]] |language=en-US }}</ref>

The text of the explanatory tablet was somewhat inconsistent with respect to punctuation and misspelled the word "pseudonym". The original spelling, punctuation, and line breaks in the text have been preserved in the transcription (letter case is not). At the top center of the tablet was written:

{{blockquote|
The Georgia Guidestones<br />
Center cluster erected March 22, 1980
}}

Immediately below this was the outline of a square, inside which was written:

{{blockquote|
Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason
}}

Around the edges of the square were written translations to four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from the top and proceeding clockwise, they were: [[Akkadian language|Babylonian]] (in [[cuneiform]] script), [[Classical Greek]], [[Sanskrit]] and [[Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]] (in [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyphs]]).<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":0" />

[[File:Georgia Guidestones 04.jpg|thumb|The guidestones' "Astronomic features"]]
[[File:Georgia Guidestones 19.jpg|thumb|Undated instructions for the site's time capsule]]

On the left side of the tablet was a column of text (metric conversion added):

{{blockquote|
'''Astronomic features'''<br />
1. Channel through stone<br />
indicates celestial pole<br />
2. Horizontal slot indicates<br />
annual travel of sun<br />
3. Sunbeam through capstone<br />
marks noontime throughout<br />
the year

'''Author:''' R.C. Christian<br />
(a pseudonyn) {{sic|nolink=y}}

'''Sponsors:''' A small group<br />
of Americans who seek<br />
the Age of Reason

'''Time Capsule'''<br />
Placed six feet [''1.83 m''] below this spot<br />
On<br />
To be opened on
}}
The words appeared as shown under the time capsule heading; no dates were engraved.

===Physical data===
On the right side of the tablet was a column of text (metric conversions added):
{{blockquote|
PHYSICAL DATA
<!-- DO NOT use the {{convert}} template in this transcription -- this is a direct quotation and the template does not use the same representation as the original stone does. Also, metric equivalents are not part of the quotation and so must be in square brackets; the template produces parentheses. The format really wanted for the continuation lines is a hanging indent. If someone knows how do to that in Wikiformatting, please change it. -->
:1. OVERALL HEIGHT – 19 FEET 3 INCHES [5.87 m].
:2. TOTAL WEIGHT – 237,746 POUNDS [107,840 kg].
:3. FOUR MAJOR STONES ARE 16 FEET,
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FOUR INCHES [4.98 m] HIGH, EACH WEIGHING
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;AN AVERAGE OF 42,437 POUNDS [19,249 kg].
:4. CENTER STONE IS 16 FEET, FOUR-
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;INCHES [4.98 m] HIGH, WEIGHS 20,957
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;POUNDS [9,506 kg].
:5. CAPSTONE IS 9-FEET, 8-INCHES [2.95 m]
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LONG, 6-FEET, 6-INCHES [1.98 m] WIDE;
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1-FOOT, 7-INCHES [0.48 m] THICK. WEIGHS
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24,832 POUNDS [11,264 kg].
:6. SUPPORT STONES (BASES) 7-FEET,
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4 INCHES [2.24 m] LONG 2-FEET [0.61 m] WIDE.
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1 FOOT, 4-INCHES [0.41 m] THICK, EACH
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WEIGHING AN AVERAGE OF 4,875
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;POUNDS [2,211 kg].
:7. SUPPORT STONE (BASE) 4-FEET,
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2½ INCHES [1.28 m] LONG, 2-FEET, 2-INCHES [0.66 m]
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WIDE, 1-FOOT, 7-INCHES [0.48 m] THICK.
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WEIGHT 2,707 POUNDS [1,228 kg].
:8. 951 CUBIC FEET [26.9 m³] GRANITE.
:9. GRANITE QUARRIED FROM PYRAMID
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;QUARRIES LOCATED 3 MILES [5 km] WEST
:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;OF ELBERTON, GEORGIA.
}}

===Guidestone languages===
Below the two columns of text were written the caption "GUIDESTONE LANGUAGES", with a diagram of the granite slab layout beneath it. The names of eight [[modern languages]] were inscribed along the long edges of the projecting rectangles, one per edge. Starting from due north and moving clockwise around so that the upper edge of the northeast rectangle was listed first, they were [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Swahili language|Swahili]], [[Hindi]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], and [[Russian language|Russian]]. At the bottom center of the tablet was the text:

{{blockquote|
Additional information available at Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit<br />
College Avenue<br />
Elberton, Georgia
}}

===Astronomical features===
The four outer stones were oriented to mark the limits of the 18.6 year [[Lunar standstill|lunar declination cycle]].<ref name=GeorgiaMountains>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiamountains.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=28|title=Georgia Guidestones|work=Northeast Georgia Mountains Travel Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112220117/http://www.georgiamountains.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=28|archive-date=January 12, 2009|quote=The four large upright blocks pointing outward are oriented to the limits of the migration of the Moon during the course of the year.|url-status=unfit}}</ref> The center column featured a hole drilled at an angle from one side to the other, through which the [[North Star]] could be seen. The same pillar had a slot carved through it which was aligned with the Sun's [[solstices]] and [[equinoxes]]. A {{fraction|7|8}}-in (22&nbsp;mm) aperture in the [[Coping (architecture)|capstone]] allowed a ray of sun to pass through at noon each day, shining a beam on the center stone indicating the day of the year.<ref name="Sullivan 2009"/>
[[University of Georgia]] Astronomer Loris Magnani referred to these features as "mediocre at best" and sees them as "an abacus compared to Stonehenge’s computer".<ref name="Discover2013" />
<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px">
File:Georgia Guidestones, Elbert County, GA, US (02).jpg|Hole
File:Georgia Guidestones, Elbert County, GA, US (04).jpg|Slot
</gallery>

==Interpretations==
When commissioning the guidestones, Christian described them as a guide for future generations to manage limited resources, potentially in the face of [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].<ref name=":1"/> [[Yoko Ono]] said the inscribed messages were "a stirring call to rational thinking".<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /> However, the guidestones' inscriptions have also been accused of promoting [[eugenics]] and [[genocide]].<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-oddities-religion-georgia-92400e093db648d605f65228ef79cfdb|title=Georgia slabs called satanic by some torn down after bombing|last=Amy|first=Jeff|work=Associated Press|date=July 6, 2022|accessdate=July 8, 2022|archive-date=July 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707081332/https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-oddities-religion-georgia-92400e093db648d605f65228ef79cfdb|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/georgia-guidestones-destroyed-in-an-explosive-attack-180980383/|title=The Georgia Landmark Known as 'America's Stonehenge' Is Destroyed in an Explosive Attack|last=Recker|first=Jane|work=Smithsonian Magazine|date=July 8, 2022|accessdate=July 8, 2022|archive-date=July 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708155305/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/georgia-guidestones-destroyed-in-an-explosive-attack-180980383/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Conspiracy theories ===
The guidestones became a subject of interest for [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorists]].<ref name="NGE"/> ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' stated that unspecified opponents have labeled them the "[[Ten Commandments]] of the [[Antichrist]]".<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /> Some [[Christian right|conservative Christians]] have called the monument Satanic.<ref name=":2" />

[[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] activist [[Mark Dice]] demanded that the guidestones should "be smashed into a million pieces, and then the rubble should be used for a construction project",<ref name="Jones Elberton">{{cite news|work=The Elberton Star|title=The Georgia Guidestones: Tourist Attraction or Cult Message?|author=Gary Jones|url=http://www.elberton.com/articles/2005/05/18/news/news03.txt|date=May 18, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421094844/http://www.elberton.com/articles/2005/05/18/news/news03.txt|archive-date=April 21, 2012}}</ref> claiming that the guidestones are of "a deep Satanic origin", and that R. C. Christian belongs to "a [[Luciferianism|Luciferian]] secret society" related to the [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]].<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /> At the unveiling of the monument, a local minister proclaimed that he believed that the monument was "for [[Solar deity|sun worshipers]], for [[cult]] worship and for [[Satanism|devil worship]]".<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /><ref name="Jones Elberton" /><ref name="Moran-2004">{{cite book |last1=Moran |first1=Mark McGuire |url=https://archive.org/details/weirdus00mark/page/193 |title=Weird U.S. |last2=Sceurman |first2=Mark |date=2004 |publisher=[[Barnes & Noble]] |isbn=0-7607-5043-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/weirdus00mark/page/193 193] |url-access=registration}}</ref>

[[Conspiracy theory|Conspiracy theorist]] Jay Weidner has said that the pseudonym of the man who commissioned the stones – "R. C. Christian" – resembles [[Christian Rosenkreuz|Rose Cross Christian, or Christian Rosenkreuz]], the founder of the [[Rosicrucian Order]].<ref name="Sullivan 2009" /> Others who agree with Weidner point to the Rosicrucian's first manifesto written in 1614, which states “The word R.C. should be their seal, mark and character”. They also see similarities between the writing on the capstone, and the title of (Rosicrucian) [[Thomas Paine]]'s ''[[The Age of Reason]]''.<ref name="Discover2013">{{cite web |title=Georgia's Own Doomsday Stonehenge Monument |url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/georgias-own-doomsday-stonehenge-monument#.Ui84ccakqU8 |website=Discover Magazine |access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[America's Stonehenge]]
* [[List of destroyed heritage of the United States]]
* [[Stonehenge replicas and derivatives]]
* [[Tablets of Stone]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*McWhirter, Cameron.(2022). "The ‘Stonehenge of America’ Still Has Visitors Asking, ‘What Is This Place?’" ''Wall Street Journal'' May 12, 2022.
* {{cite book |author=Schemmel, William |title=Georgia Off the Beaten Path|publisher=Globe Pequot |year=2006 |page=206 |isbn=0-7627-4199-6 }}
* {{cite magazine |first= Randall |last= Sullivan |date= May 2009 |title= American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse |magazine= [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |volume= 17 |issue= 5 |publisher= [[Condé Nast]] |issn= 1059-1028 |url= https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_guidestones?currentPage=all |access-date= April 19, 2009 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.guidestonesmovie.net The Georgia Guidestones Movie]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160203182236/http://archive.wired.com/images/multimedia/magazine/1705/Wired_May_2009_Georgia_Guidestones.pdf The Georgia Guidestone Guidebook&nbsp;– Elberton Granite (1981)]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110514145706/http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/guidestones.html Roadside Georgia]}}
* [https://www.wired.com/2009/04/ff-guidestones/ American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse]
* [https://leahandmark.com/blog/2009/06/15/georgia-guidestones/ Georgia Guidestones Video and Photos by Travelers LeahAndMark.com]
* {{Skeptoid|id=4198|number=198|title= The Georgia Guidestones|date=March 23, 2010}}
* [https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/georgias-own-doomsday-stonehenge-monument#.Ui84ccakqU8 Georgia's Own Doomsday Stonehenge Monument]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150421104050/http://www.wsgcradio.com/piece-of-ga-guidestones-recovered-after-nearly-four-years/ Piece of GA Guidestones Recovered After Nearly Four Years]

{{Wikisource|Georgia Guidestones Text}}

[[Category:1980 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:1980 sculptures]]
[[Category:2022 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Akkadian inscriptions]]
[[Category:Arabic-language works]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 2022]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Elbert County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Chinese-language works]]
[[Category:Codes of conduct]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories in the United States]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories involving religion]]
[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Destroyed sculptures]]
[[Category:Egyptian inscriptions]]
[[Category:English-language works]]
[[Category:Granite sculptures in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Greek inscriptions]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Multilingual texts]]
[[Category:Outdoor sculptures in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Russian language]]
[[Category:Sanskrit inscriptions]]
[[Category:Spanish language in the United States]]
[[Category:Spanish-language works]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Elbert County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Vandalized works of art in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Works of unknown authorship]]
[[Category:Hebrew inscriptions]]