Megalith

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A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. Megalithic means made of such stones, but uses an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement. The word megalith comes from the Ancient Greek μέγας megas meaning great, and λίθος lithos meaning stone.

Many megaliths were thought to have a purpose in determining important astronomical events such as the solstice and equinox dates (see archaeoastronomy). Cup marks on megaliths have been thought by some to represent stars and thus to show the stellar orientation of megalithic sites.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Distribution of megaliths 1.1 Nabta Playa 1.2 Western European megaliths 2 Types of megalithic structures 2.1 Megalithic graves 2.2 Modern megaliths 3 Examples of megaliths 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Distribution of megaliths

The term can be used to describe buildings built by people from many parts of the world living in many different periods. In the early 20th century, some scholars believed that all megaliths belonged to one global "Megalithic culture" (hyperdiffusionism, e. g. by Grafton Elliot Smith and William James Perry), but this has long been disproved by modern dating methods.

[edit] Nabta Playa

Nabta Playa was once a large lake in the Nubian Desert, located 500 miles south of modern day Cairo.^[1] By the 5th millennium BC the peoples in Nabta Playa had fashioned the world's earliest known astronomical device, 1000 years older than, but comparable to, Stonehenge.^[2]

Research shows it to be a prehistoric calendar that accurately marks the summer solstice.^[2] Findings indicate that the region was occupied only seasonally, likely only in the summer when the local lake filled with water for grazing cattle.^{[3] [2]}

[edit] Western European megaliths

Main article: European Megalithic Culture

In Western Europe and the Mediterranean, megaliths are generally constructions erected during the Neolithic or late stone age and Chalcolithic or Copper Age (4500 - 1500 B.C.E). Perhaps the most famous megalithic structure is Stonehenge in England, although many others are known throughout the world.

The French Comte de Caylus was the first to describe the Carnac stones. Legrand d'Aussy introduced the terms menhir and dolmen, both taken from the Breton language, into antiquarian terminology. He interpreted megaliths as gallic tombs.

In Britain, the antiquarians Aubrey and Stukeley conducted early research into megaliths. In 1805, Jacques Cambry published a book called Monuments celtiques, ou recherches sur le culte des Pierres, précédées d'une notice sur les Celtes et sur les Druides, et suivies d'Etymologie celtiques, where he proposed a Celtic stone cult. This completely unfounded connection between druids and megaliths has haunted the public imagination since.

In Belgium there is a megalithic site at Wéris, a little town situated in the Ardennes. In the Netherlands megalithic structures can be found in the north-east of the current, mostly in the province of Drenthe.

Knowth is a passage grave of the Brú na Bóinne neolithic complex in Ireland, dating from c.3500-3000BC. It contains more than a third of the total number of examples of megalithic art in all Western Europe, with over 200 decorated stones found during excavations.

[edit] Types of megalithic structures

Different megalithic structures include:

• Dolmen: a free standing chamber, consisting of standing stones covered by a capstone as a lid. Dolmens were used for burial and were covered by mounds.
• Menhir: a large, single upright standing stone.
• Orthostat: an upright slab forming part of a larger structure.
• Stone circle (or cromlech in Welsh):
• Stone row: a linear arrangement of upright, parallel standing stones.
• Stone ship:
• Taula: a straight standing stone, topped with another forming a 'T' shape.
• Trilithon: Two parallel upright stones with a horizontal stone (called a lintel) placed on top, e.g. Stonehenge.

[edit] Megalithic graves

Main article: Megalithic tomb

Many megalithic monuments were burial mounds which were often re-used by different generations. The chambered cairn is a common type of collective tomb. Some of these are passage graves generally built of drystone walling and/or megaliths often with a round burial chamber in a round mound with a straight passage leading out. Gallery graves have a long megalithic chamber with parallel sides often in a long mound with an entrance at one end.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Modern megaliths

There are even some modern megalithic structures. The Coral Castle is an unusual stone structure created in the 1920s in Homestead, Florida by Edward Leedskalnin.

[edit] Examples of megaliths

Other megaliths include:

• Almendres Cromlech, Alentejo, Portugal.
• Ale's Stones, Scania, Sweden.
• Bryn Celli Ddu, Anglesey.
• Carrowmore, Ireland.
• Carnac, Brittany, France.
• Callanish stone circle, on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
• Cueva de Menga, Antequera, Spain.
• Easter Island.
• Filitosa, Corsica, France.
• Ġgantija, Gozo, Malta, the oldest known free-standing structure.
• Jeju-do
• Knowth, Ireland
• Ħaġar Qim, Malta.
• Khakassia, Russia (southern Siberia)
• Mnajdra, Malta.
• Newgrange, Ireland.
• Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland.
• Stanton Drew, Somerset, UK.
• The Longstone, Mottistone, Isle of Wight, UK
• Tarxien Temples, Malta.
• Cloghanmore court tomb, Donegal, Ireland.
• Talayots, Balearic Islands.
• Nartiang, Meghalaya, Northeast India, India.
• Igeum-dong site, South Korea

[edit] See also

• Pre-historic art
• Megalithic art
• Megalithic architectural elements
• Monolith
• Dolmen
• Petroglyph
• Petrosomatoglyph
• Nuraghe

[edit] References

1. ^ Andrew L. Slayman. "Neolithic Skywatchers", Archaeology, May 27, 1998. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Fred Wendorf and Romuald Schild (March 1998). "Late Neolithic megalithic structures at Nabta Playa (Sahara), southwestern Egypt". The Comparative Archaeology WEB. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
3. ^ J. Clendenon. Nabta. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.

[edit] External links

• Dolmens, Menhirs & Stones-Circles in the South of France
• Dolmens, Menhirs and Megaliths in the Languedoc, South of France
• Megaliths in Charente-Maritime, France
• Dolmen Path - Russian Megaliths
• The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map
• Index of Megalithic monuments in Ireland
• The Modern Antiquarian
• Pretanic World - Megaliths and Monuments
• Modern Megalith-Building
• Image Collection
• International Megalithic Conference 2007