The first monuments were simple masses of rock, “which the iron had not touched,” as Moses says.
Moses said that in the Book of Exodus, chapter 20, verse 251. He was talking about the instructions that God gave him for building an altar of stones for worship. God told Moses that the stones should not be cut or shaped by tools, because that would defile them. God wanted the altar to be made of natural and uncut stones, as a sign of reverence and humility2.
1: Exodus 20:25 | New International Version | Bible Gateway 2: Exodus 20:25 Commentary - John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
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