THE STONE CIVILIZATION
How is it that the very earliest constructions we have found in the ancient past
used the largest blocks of stone, and as time went by humans came to use smaller
and less substantial building materials? Said to pre-date the Egyptian pyramids
is Stonehenge in England (discussed in my The Mysterious Cursus, chapter 4).
There, the larger 'sarsen stones' each weighing about 25 tons, and capped with
sarsen lintels each weighing about 7 tons, it's said were brought from the
Marlborough Downs about 20 miles to the north of the Stonehenge site. The huge
inner 'sarsen trilithons,' five pairs, had two great uprights, each weighing up to 45
tons with every pair capped by a massive lintel, and these also were somehow
transported to the site. The smaller 'bluestones' came from the Prescelly
mountains in Wales, and the 16 ft long sarsen 'altar' stone came from the
shores of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, about 150 miles west in a straight line,
(although a direct line by land was not feasible because of intervening rivers and
bays). Some 25 miles north of the 'sarsen altar' stone original location appears to have been
where the 'bluestones' came from. This site also was about 150 miles from Stonehenge by a direct
line. All these stones and lintels were carefully dressed and secured with mortice
and tenon jointing. It is apparent that whoever built Stonehenge was not
concerned with logistical problems in transporting any amount of heavy material
from a substantial distance, and chose what was best suited to the construction
regardless of its original location. None of this fits with what our present day
scholars tell us about the people who they say created this edifice: hunter-gatherers, herders, or early farmers. I submit there were skilled engineers and
architects behind this project and many other massive constructions in the Stonehenge area.
These professionals may have caused local inhabitants to do the labouring for
them, but the purpose and use of the projects was not for the benefit of herders
or farmers. Where we have a surviving written language we can prove this. The
Egyptian pyramids were not built for the use of the general Egyptian population.
This same contemptuous disregard for distance is evident in the construction and
siting of 'Le Grand Menhir Brisé' in what is now Brittany in north-west France.
Weighing more than 300 tons it apparently came from about 50 miles away, (see
my The Obelisk, chapter 9). Also in Brittany there are standing stones in rows
stretching for about 2 miles ranging from short at one end to progressively taller
at the other. In my Eden: Fact or Fantasy? we found 'standing stones' at Edirne,
in Turkey, a few miles north-west of Istanbul. At Aksum, now in present day
Ethiopia, in East Africa, is the largest known obelisk in the world, estimated to
weigh about 500 tons. I discussed the origin and use of obelisks in my The
Obelisk.
At Roknia in present day Algeria, north Africa, not far from the coast
opposite the island of Sardinia, there are said by one authority to be about 1000
dolmens, and a site on the Web claims there are about 3000 dolmens in the
general area. Here's a dolmen at Kilclooney, County Donegal in Ireland. You can't be more than
about ten miles from the ocean anywhere in Donegal, which is at the northwestern
tip of Ireland, protruding into the Atlantic:
This dolmen is not, I suggest, as primitive as it might appear at first glance. It's
stood there for 4,500 years or so, which is more than we can say will happen to
any of our Western civilization constructions. The builders seem to have had no
problem getting the underside of the 'cap' or top stone parallel to the ground,
and level. The top, sides, and underside all seem to have been properly dressed
to remove bumps or irregularities. The only final adjustment was to trim the size
of the smaller stone placed on the embedded stone at the left of the construction.
This was done to make the base line horizontal. At the right it seems there was
an intentional representation of some creature head, neck, eye and mouth. Being
so close to the ocean some marine creature may have been intended. As the
earth has been dug away to reveal the stone structure we have to imagine how it
was originally, with only the capstone exposed, the rest being merely structural
support. Apparently there are more than 150 dolmens still existing in Ireland.
The use of huge stones, called 'megaliths' (which means the same using two
words from ancient Greek) dates from about 6500 years ago in Brittany, and
dolmens, menhirs (single standing stones), long barrows, and constructions
like Stonehenge and Callenish, were built during the next two thousand years in
what is now the United Kingdom, Portugal, southern Spain, Scandinavia, the
Shetland Islands, parts of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, and as mentioned
previously, in Algeria, Ethiopia, and Turkey.
The truth is that we just don't know what was going on in the Stone Civilization,
and such obvious mis-statements as to attribute all this work to farmers, hunter
gatherers, herders, and fishermen just will not do. In subsequent world history
there is no evidence whatever of these categories of human beings constructing
major edifices of any kind. Whoever was responsible for and whoever made use
of these henges, barrows, dolmens, and standing stones in arrays, for whatever
purpose, had no problem moving the massive raw material over significant
distances, and was equally at home on land or sea, as many islands are involved
in the work and form part of the culture. For example, in Malta by about 4500
years ago a complex of huge stone 'temples' or megalithic buildings had been
constructed. There are semi-circular rooms walled with stone slabs, professionally
dressed and skilfully fitted together. I can tell you from personal experience that
working in building construction with curves is quite difficult. There are at Malta
carved stone benches laid on cement floors. The walls were plastered and had
designs painted on them. Secret chambers were set into them. All this using huge
blocks of stone.
Here are the plan views of some megaliths in Denmark, at Mols, Slots Bjerby,
Stenstrup, Alsberg, and chambers in long mounds at Sonderholm and
Gunderslevholm:
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
This same contemptuous disregard for distance is evident in the construction and
siting of 'Le Grand Menhir Brisé' in what is now Brittany in north-west France.
Weighing more than 300 tons it apparently came from about 50 miles away, (see
my The Obelisk, chapter 9). Also in Brittany there are standing stones in rows
stretching for about 2 miles ranging from short at one end to progressively taller
at the other. In my Eden: Fact or Fantasy? we found 'standing stones' at Edirne,
in Turkey, a few miles north-west of Istanbul. At Aksum, now in present day
Ethiopia, in East Africa, is the largest known obelisk in the world, estimated to
weigh about 500 tons. I discussed the origin and use of obelisks in my The
Obelisk.
At Roknia in present day Algeria, north Africa, not far from the coast
opposite the island of Sardinia, there are said by one authority to be about 1000
dolmens, and a site on the Web claims there are about 3000 dolmens in the
general area. Here's a dolmen at Kilclooney, County Donegal in Ireland. You can't be more than
about ten miles from the ocean anywhere in Donegal, which is at the northwestern
tip of Ireland, protruding into the Atlantic:
This dolmen is not, I suggest, as primitive as it might appear at first glance. It's
stood there for 4,500 years or so, which is more than we can say will happen to
any of our Western civilization constructions. The builders seem to have had no
problem getting the underside of the 'cap' or top stone parallel to the ground,
and level. The top, sides, and underside all seem to have been properly dressed
to remove bumps or irregularities. The only final adjustment was to trim the size
of the smaller stone placed on the embedded stone at the left of the construction.
This was done to make the base line horizontal. At the right it seems there was
an intentional representation of some creature head, neck, eye and mouth. Being
so close to the ocean some marine creature may have been intended. As the
earth has been dug away to reveal the stone structure we have to imagine how it
was originally, with only the capstone exposed, the rest being merely structural
support. Apparently there are more than 150 dolmens still existing in Ireland.
The use of huge stones, called 'megaliths' (which means the same using two
words from ancient Greek) dates from about 6500 years ago in Brittany, and
dolmens, menhirs (single standing stones), long barrows, and constructions
like Stonehenge and Callenish, were built during the next two thousand years in
what is now the United Kingdom, Portugal, southern Spain, Scandinavia, the
Shetland Islands, parts of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, and as mentioned
previously, in Algeria, Ethiopia, and Turkey.
The truth is that we just don't know what was going on in the Stone Civilization,
and such obvious mis-statements as to attribute all this work to farmers, hunter
gatherers, herders, and fishermen just will not do. In subsequent world history
there is no evidence whatever of these categories of human beings constructing
major edifices of any kind. Whoever was responsible for and whoever made use
of these henges, barrows, dolmens, and standing stones in arrays, for whatever
purpose, had no problem moving the massive raw material over significant
distances, and was equally at home on land or sea, as many islands are involved
in the work and form part of the culture. For example, in Malta by about 4500
years ago a complex of huge stone 'temples' or megalithic buildings had been
constructed. There are semi-circular rooms walled with stone slabs, professionally
dressed and skilfully fitted together. I can tell you from personal experience that
working in building construction with curves is quite difficult. There are at Malta
carved stone benches laid on cement floors. The walls were plastered and had
designs painted on them. Secret chambers were set into them. All this using huge
blocks of stone.
Here are the plan views of some megaliths in Denmark, at Mols, Slots Bjerby,
Stenstrup, Alsberg, and chambers in long mounds at Sonderholm and
Gunderslevholm:
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
This dolmen is not, I suggest, as primitive as it might appear at first glance. It's
stood there for 4,500 years or so, which is more than we can say will happen to
any of our Western civilization constructions. The builders seem to have had no
problem getting the underside of the 'cap' or top stone parallel to the ground,
and level. The top, sides, and underside all seem to have been properly dressed
to remove bumps or irregularities. The only final adjustment was to trim the size
of the smaller stone placed on the embedded stone at the left of the construction.
This was done to make the base line horizontal. At the right it seems there was
an intentional representation of some creature head, neck, eye and mouth. Being
so close to the ocean some marine creature may have been intended. As the
earth has been dug away to reveal the stone structure we have to imagine how it
was originally, with only the capstone exposed, the rest being merely structural
support. Apparently there are more than 150 dolmens still existing in Ireland.
The use of huge stones, called 'megaliths' (which means the same using two
words from ancient Greek) dates from about 6500 years ago in Brittany, and
dolmens, menhirs (single standing stones), long barrows, and constructions
like Stonehenge and Callenish, were built during the next two thousand years in
what is now the United Kingdom, Portugal, southern Spain, Scandinavia, the
Shetland Islands, parts of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, and as mentioned
previously, in Algeria, Ethiopia, and Turkey.
The truth is that we just don't know what was going on in the Stone Civilization,
and such obvious mis-statements as to attribute all this work to farmers, hunter
gatherers, herders, and fishermen just will not do. In subsequent world history
there is no evidence whatever of these categories of human beings constructing
major edifices of any kind. Whoever was responsible for and whoever made use
of these henges, barrows, dolmens, and standing stones in arrays, for whatever
purpose, had no problem moving the massive raw material over significant
distances, and was equally at home on land or sea, as many islands are involved
in the work and form part of the culture. For example, in Malta by about 4500
years ago a complex of huge stone 'temples' or megalithic buildings had been
constructed. There are semi-circular rooms walled with stone slabs, professionally
dressed and skilfully fitted together. I can tell you from personal experience that
working in building construction with curves is quite difficult. There are at Malta
carved stone benches laid on cement floors. The walls were plastered and had
designs painted on them. Secret chambers were set into them. All this using huge
blocks of stone.
Here are the plan views of some megaliths in Denmark, at Mols, Slots Bjerby,
Stenstrup, Alsberg, and chambers in long mounds at Sonderholm and
Gunderslevholm:
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
The use of huge stones, called 'megaliths' (which means the same using two
words from ancient Greek) dates from about 6500 years ago in Brittany, and
dolmens, menhirs (single standing stones), long barrows, and constructions
like Stonehenge and Callenish, were built during the next two thousand years in
what is now the United Kingdom, Portugal, southern Spain, Scandinavia, the
Shetland Islands, parts of Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, and as mentioned
previously, in Algeria, Ethiopia, and Turkey.
The truth is that we just don't know what was going on in the Stone Civilization,
and such obvious mis-statements as to attribute all this work to farmers, hunter
gatherers, herders, and fishermen just will not do. In subsequent world history
there is no evidence whatever of these categories of human beings constructing
major edifices of any kind. Whoever was responsible for and whoever made use
of these henges, barrows, dolmens, and standing stones in arrays, for whatever
purpose, had no problem moving the massive raw material over significant
distances, and was equally at home on land or sea, as many islands are involved
in the work and form part of the culture. For example, in Malta by about 4500
years ago a complex of huge stone 'temples' or megalithic buildings had been
constructed. There are semi-circular rooms walled with stone slabs, professionally
dressed and skilfully fitted together. I can tell you from personal experience that
working in building construction with curves is quite difficult. There are at Malta
carved stone benches laid on cement floors. The walls were plastered and had
designs painted on them. Secret chambers were set into them. All this using huge
blocks of stone.
Here are the plan views of some megaliths in Denmark, at Mols, Slots Bjerby,
Stenstrup, Alsberg, and chambers in long mounds at Sonderholm and
Gunderslevholm:
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
Here are the plan views of some megaliths in Denmark, at Mols, Slots Bjerby,
Stenstrup, Alsberg, and chambers in long mounds at Sonderholm and
Gunderslevholm:
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
Here's a map showing some major megalithic constructions; #1 from Groningen in Holland, and
#2-5 on the map from Germany. Also shown are plan style details,
#2-4 from Holland (Schoonord, Havelte, Emmen), and #5-7 from Germany
(Altendorf, Hiddingsen and
Fritzlar):
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
Along the western coast of France, facing the Atlantic, there are some huge
megaliths. At Tusson in Charente, there is a group of mounds, including three
which are enormous. Le Gros Dognon is 50 m (492 ft) long. Another is La Motte-de-Puitaillé at Assais (Deux-Sèvres) which is 140 m (459 ft) long with a mound of three
interpenetrating parts, surrounded by a wall, and 12 m (39 ft) high. Here's a
schematic reconstruction of a so called 'passage grave' with a corbelled passage,
Les Cous at Bazoges-en-Pareds (Vendèe), also in France:
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
We can understand the use of the term megalithic with one 'Angevin,' France,
megalith at Bagneux, near Saumur. It stands in a courtyard where a 20th c. café
used it as a dance hall. Its interior dimensions are 4.25m (14 ft) wide
at the entrance, 5.4 m (18 ft) at the far end, and 17.3 m (58 ft) long, The slabs in
this case came from several kilometres away. If it was originally enclosed in a
mound it must have been an impressive sight.
There are many megaliths in southern Spain, near Seville, Cordova, Almeria and
Cartagena.
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
Now let's look at this megalith, a dolmen in north-east China, said to be at Chou-Chou Che:
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
There are also megaliths at Satotabaru, Nagasaki, Japan, and in North and
South Korea.
Back in the eastern Mediterranean area, there are many megalithic
sites known as tholos (Greek for 'dome'); in Crete, continental Greece,
the Cyclades, Euboia, the Ionian islands, and in Asia Minor. Here's a reconstruction of a
typical tholos megalith:
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
And here's a map of the Red Sea area showing Ethiopia (and Aksum spelled
Axoum), with some megalithic sites, including dolmens, marked on the map:
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
There are so-called 'chamber tombs' looking quite like the megalith we saw in
China, but these are in the Near East at Ala-Safat, in Jordan. Moving further
east, to the Caucasus, we find there are many more megalithic sites, one type of
dolmen, the most widespread, is a rectangular shape whose vertical sections as
well as the roof and often the base, each seem to be made of one monolithic slab,
similar to the Chinese example we've seen. Many are in the Pchada valley.
In India, among the Khassia mountains, an area between the Assam valley and
the plains of Sylhet, there are reported to be some flat megalithic constructions,
for example, one 30 ft 10 inches by 10 ft and about 1 ft thick. There's another, 30
ft by 13 ft and 1 ft thick. 'They are frequently raised some height from the
ground, and supported on massive monoliths or pillars.' In Tibet, near lake Pang-gong
at Do-ring there are said to be alignments of standing stones in 18 parallel
rows, ending in two concentric semi-circles of standing stones. At the centre is an
'altar made of three blocks.' There is a similar construction at Carnac, France, and
at Mohamdid-al-Hamli in the Arab republic of Yemen.
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different
part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area
of Colombia, where there are more megaliths:
Here is one shown in reconstruction, plan, and elevation:
These Colombian megaliths are said to be much younger, between 4000 and
2600 years old. Even with those more recent dates, it's remarkable that most of
the habitable world seems to have joined in what I have suggested we should call
the Stone Civilization. How did newly established farmers and herders
communicate this culture and its techniques so far apart, over land and sea?
Before we discuss that, we should look more closely at the Carnac area in France,
where it's said there are over 10,000 megalithic sites with some dating to 6500
years ago, and that we'll do in the next chapter.
HOME PAGE
There is apparently at least one 'chamber tomb' with a 'porthole slab' in Pakistan. Finally, in a totally different part of the world, here's a map of Meso-America showing the San Augustin area of Colombia, where there are more megaliths: