Megaliths
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[[Image:Dscn5212-mane-braz 800x600.jpg|thumb|222px|right|Megalithic tomb, [[Mane Braz]], Brittany]]
[[Image:clooneen wedge tomb.jpg|thumb|right|222px|Clooneen wedge tomb, the Burren Co. Clare, Ireland]]
{{For|the record label|Megalith Records}}
A '''megalith''' is a large [[Rock (geology)|stone]] which has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. '''''Megalithic''''' means structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.
The word ''megalith'' comes from the [[Greek language|Ancient Greek]] ''{{polytonic|μέγας}}'' ''megas'' meaning ''great'', and ''{{polytonic|λίθος}}'' ''lithos'' meaning ''stone''. "Megalith" also denotes an item consisting of rock(s) hewn in definite shapes for special purposes.<ref>[http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007299634x/student_view0/glossary.html Glossary]. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.</ref><ref>[http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/bos-gloss.html Glossary]. labyrinth.net.au.</ref><ref>[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn Glossary]. wordnet.princeton.edu.</ref> It has been used to describe buildings built by people from many parts of the world living in many different periods. A variety of large stones are seen as megaliths, with the most widely known megaliths not being sepulchral.<ref>Rochester's history ~ an illustrated timeline. [http://www.vintageviews.org/vv-tl/pages/Cem_Glossary.htm glossary of cemetery terms]</ref> The construction of these structures took place mainly in the [[Neolithic]] (though earlier [[Mesolithic]] examples are known) and continued into the [[Chalcolithic]] and [[Bronze Age]].<ref>Johnson, W. (1908) p.67</ref>
==Early stone complexes in eastern Turkey==
[[Image:Gobekli.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|Part of a megalithic structure at [[Göbekli Tepe]] ([[Turkey]]).]]
At a number of sites in eastern [[Turkey]], large ceremonial complexes from the [[9th millennium BC]] have been discovered. They belong to the incipient phases of [[agriculture]] and [[animal husbandry]], from which the European (or Western) Neolithic would later develop. Large circular structures involving carved megalithic orthostats are a typical feature, eg. at [[Nevali Cori]] and [[Göbekli Tepe]]. Although these structures are the most ancient megalithic structures known so far, it is not clear that any of the European Megalithic traditions (see below) are actually derived from them.<ref>Mithen, S. (2003), ''After the Ice - A Global Human History, 20,000-5,000 BC'', London, 62-71</ref> At Göbekli Tepe four stone circles have been excavated from an estimated 20. Some measure up to 30 metres across. The stones carry carved reliefs of boars, foxes, lions, birds, snakes and scorpions.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/apr/23/archaeology.turkey The Guardian report 23 April 2008]</ref>
==European megaliths==
[[Image:paulnabrone.jpg|left|thumb|200px| [[Poulnabrone dolmen]], Ireland]]The most common type of megalithic construction in Europe is the [[dolmen]] – a chamber consisting of upright stones ([[orthostat]]s) with one or more large flat capstones forming a roof. Many of these, though by no means all, contain human remains, but it is debatable whether use as burial sites was their primary function. Though generally known as dolmens, many local names exist, such as ''anta'' in [[Portugal]], ''stazzone'' in [[Sardinia]], ''hunebed'' in [[Holland]], ''Hünengrab'' in [[Germany]], ''dys'' in [[Denmark]], and ''cromlech'' in [[Wales]]. It is assumed that most dolmens were originally covered by earthen mounds.
The second most common tomb type is the [[passage grave]]. It normally consist of a square, circular or cruciform chamber with a slabbed or [[corbelling|corbelled]] roof, accessed by a long, straight passageway, with the whole structure covered by a circular mound of earth. Sometimes it is also surrounded by an external stone kerb. Prominent examples include the sites of [[Bru na Boinne]] and [[Carrowmore]] in Ireland, [[Maes Howe]] in [[Orkney]], and [[Gavrinis]] in [[France]].
The third tomb type is a diverse group known as [[gallery grave]]s. These are axially arranged chambers placed under elongated mounds. The Irish [[court tomb]]s, British [[long barrow]]s and German ''Steinkisten'' belong to this group.
Another type of megalithic monument is the single standing stone, or [[menhir]]. Some of these are thought to have an astronomical function as a marker or foresight, and in some areas long and complex alignments of such stones exist – for example at [[Carnac]] in [[Brittany]].
In parts of [[Great Britain|Britain]] and [[Ireland]] the best-known type of megalithic construction is the [[stone circle]], of which there are hundreds of examples, including [[Stonehenge]], [[Avebury]], [[Ring of Brodgar]] and [[Beltany]]. These too display evidence of astronomical alignments, both solar and lunar. Stonehenge, for example, is famous for its [[solstice]] alignment. Examples of stone circles are also found in the rest of Europe. They are normally assumed to be of later date than the tombs, straddling the [[Neolithic]] and the [[Bronze Age]].
===Tombs===
[[Image:hunebed-d27.jpg|thumb|Large T shaped ''Hunebed'' D27 in [[Borger-Odoorn]], [[Netherlands]].]]
'''Megalithic tombs''' are aboveground burial chambers, built of large stone slabs ([[megalith]]s) laid on edge and covered with earth or other, smaller stones. They are a type of [[chamber tomb]], and the term is used to describe the structures built across [[Atlantic Europe]], the [[Mediterranean]] and neighbouring regions, mostly during the [[Neolithic]] period, by Neolithic farming communities. They differ from the contemporary [[long barrow]]s through their structural use of stone.
There is a huge variety of megalithic tombs. The free-standing single chamber [[dolmen]]s and [[portal dolmen]]s found in [[Brittany]], [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], [[Ireland]], [[Netherlands]], [[Sweden]], [[Wales]] and elsewhere consist of a large flat stone supported by three, four or more standing stones. They were covered by a stone [[cairn]] or earth [[tumulus|barrow]].
Examples with outer areas, not used for burial, are also known. The [[Court Cairn]]s of south west [[Scotland]] and northern [[Ireland]], the [[Severn-Cotswold tomb]]s of south west [[England]] and the [[Transepted gallery grave]]s of the [[Loire]] region in [[France]] share many internal features although the links between them are not yet fully understood. That they often have antechambers or forecourts is thought to imply a desire on the part of the builders to emphasise a special [[ritual]] or physical separation of the dead from the living.
The [[Passage grave]]s of [[Orkney]], Ireland's [[Boyne]] Valley, and north Wales are even more complex and impressive, with cross shaped arrangements of chambers and passages. The workmanship on the stone blocks at [[Maeshowe]] for example is unknown elsewhere in north west Europe at the time.
Megalithic tombs appear to have been used by communities for the long-term deposition of the remains of their dead and some seem to have undergone alteration and enlargement. The organisation and effort required to erect these large stones mean that the societies concerned must have placed great emphasis on the proper treatment of their dead. The [[ritual]] significance of the tombs is supported by the presence of [[Pre-historic art|megalithic art]] carved into the stones at some sites. Hearths and deposits of pottery and animal bone found by archaeologists around some tombs also implies some form of burial feast or sacrificial rites took place there.
[[Image:Annotated.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Cup and ring marks]], England]]
Further examples of megalithic tombs include the stalled cairn at [[Rousay|Midhowe]] in Orkney and the passage grave at [[Bryn Celli Ddu]] on [[Anglesey]]. Despite its name, the [[Stone Tomb]] in [[Ukraine]] was not a tomb but rather a sanctuary.
===Other structures===
Associated with the megalithic constructions across Europe there are often large [[Earthworks (archaeology)|earthworks]] of various designs – ditches and banks, broad terraces, circular enclosures known as [[henges]], and frequently artificial mounds such as [[Silbury Hill]] in [[England]] and [[Sassari|Monte d’Accoddi]] in Sardinia. Sometimes, as at [[Glastonbury Tor]] in England, it is suggested that a natural hill has been artificially sculpted to form a maze or spiral pattern in the turf.
Spirals were evidently an important motif for the megalith builders, and have been found carved into megalithic structures all over Europe – along with other symbols such as lozenges, eye-patterns, zigzags in various configurations, and [[cup and ring marks]]. Whilst clearly not a written script in the modern sense of the term, these symbols are considered to have conveyed meaning to their creators, and are remarkably consistent across the whole of Western Europe.
===Spread of megalithic architecture in Europe===
[[Image:Megalithic architecture.png|thumb|352px|right|Spread of megalithic architecture in Europe.<ref>''The Times Atlas of World History'', Geoffrey Barraclough</ref>]]
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 BC). 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 [[antiquarian]]s [[John Aubrey|Aubrey]] and [[William Stukeley|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 [[Celt]]ic stone cult. This completely unfounded connection between [[druids]] and megaliths has haunted the public imagination ever since{{citation}}. 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.3500-3000 BC. 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.
===Timeline of megalithic construction===
====Mesolithic====
Excavation of some Megalithic monuments (in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and France) has revealed evidence of ritual activity, sometimes involving architecture, from the [[Mesolithic]], ie predating the Neolithic monuments by centuries or millennia. Caveats apply: in some cases, they are chronologically so far removed from their successors that continuity is unlikely, in other cases the early dates, or the exact character of activity, are controversial. Examples include:
* ''Circa'' 8000 BC: Wooden constructions in [[England]] ([[Stonehenge]]).
* ''Circa'' 5400 BC: Possible early dates in [[Ireland]] ([[Carrowmore]]).
====Neolithic====
* ''Circa'' 5000 BC: Constructions in [[Portugal]] ([[Almendres Cromlech|Évora]]). Emergence of the [[Atlantic]] [[Neolithic]] period, the age of agriculture along the western shores of [[Europe]].
* ''Circa'' 4800 BC: Constructions in [[Brittany]] ([[Barnenez]]) and [[Poitou]] ([[Tumulus of Bougon|Bougon]]).
* ''Circa'' 4000 BC: Constructions in Brittany ([[Carnac]]), Portugal ([[Lisbon]]), [[France]] (central and southern), [[Corsica]], England and [[Wales]].
* ''Circa'' 3700 BC: Constructions in Ireland ([[Banbridge District Council|Knockiveagh]] and elsewhere).
* ''Circa'' 3600 BC: Constructions in England ([[Maumbury Rings]] and [[Godmanchester]]), and [[Malta]] ([[Ġgantija]] and [[Mnajdra]] temples).
* ''Circa'' 3500 BC: Constructions in [[Spain]] ([[Málaga]] and [[Guadiana]]), Ireland (south-west), France ([[Arles]] and the north), [[Sardinia]], [[Sicily]], Malta (and elsewhere in the [[Mediterranean]]), [[Belgium]] (north-east) and [[Germany]] (central and south-west).
* ''Circa'' 3400 BC: Constructions in Ireland ([[Newgrange]]), [[Netherlands]] (north-east), Germany (northern and central) [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]].
* ''Circa'' 3200 BC: Constructions in Malta ([[Ħaġar Qim]] and [[Tarxien]]).
* ''Circa'' 3000 BC: Constructions in France ([[Saumur]], [[Dordogne]], [[Languedoc]], [[Biscay]], and the Mediterranean coast), Spain ([[Los Millares]]), Sicily, Belgium ([[Ardennes]]), and [[Orkney]], as well as the first [[henge]]s (circular earthworks) in [[Great Britain|Britain]].
* ''Circa'' 2800 BC: Climax of the megalithic [[Funnelbeaker culture|Funnel-beaker culture]] in Denmark, and the construction of the henge at Stonehenge.
====Chalcolithic====
* ''Circa'' 2500 BC: Constructions in Brittany ([[La Trinité-sur-Mer|Le Menec]], [[Kermario]] and elsewhere), [[Italy]] ([[Otranto]]), Sardinia, and [[Scotland]] (north-east), plus the climax of the megalithic [[Beaker culture|Bell-beaker culture]] in [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]], Germany, and the [[British Isles]] (stone circle at Stonehenge). With the bell-beakers the Neolithic period gave way to the [[Chalcolithic]], the age of copper.
* ''Circa'' 2400 BC: The Bell-beaker culture was dominant in Britain, and hundreds of smaller [[stone circles]] were built in the British Isles at this time.
====Bronze Age====
* ''Circa'' 2000 BC: Constructions in Brittany ([[Locmariaquer|Er Grah]]), Italy ([[Bari]]), Sardinia (northern), and Scotland ([[Callanish]]). The Chalcolithic period gave way to the [[Bronze Age]] in western and northern Europe.
* ''Circa'' 1800 BC: Constructions in Italy ([[Giovinazzo]]).
* ''Circa'' 1500 BC: Constructions in Portugal ([[Alter do Chão|Alter Pedroso]] and [[Peneda-Gerês National Park|Mourela]]).
* ''Circa'' 1400 BC: Burial of the [[Egtved Girl]] in Denmark, whose body is today one of the most well-preserved examples of its kind.
* ''Circa'' 1200 BC: Last vestiges of the megalithic tradition in the Mediterranean and elsewhere come to an end during the general population upheaval known to ancient history as the [[Sea Peoples|Invasions of the Sea Peoples]].
==African megaliths==
===Nabta Playa===
[[Image:Nabta.gif|thumb|222px|left|[[Nabta Playa|Nabta]] megalith]][[Nabta Playa]] at south west corner of western desert was once a large lake in the [[Nubia]]n Desert, located 500 miles south of modern day [[Cairo]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.archaeology.org/online/news/nubia.html|work=Archaeology|title= Neolithic Skywatchers|author= Andrew L. Slayman|date= May 27, 1998|accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> By the 5th millennium BC the peoples in Nabta Playa had fashioned the world's earliest known [[Astronomy|astronomical]] device, 1000 years older than, but comparable to, [[Stonehenge]].<ref name="Wendorf">{{cite paper|url=http://www.comp-archaeology.org/WendorfSAA98.html|title=Late Neolithic megalithic structures at Nabta Playa (Sahara), southwestern Egypt|author=Fred Wendorf and Romuald Schild|date=March 1998|publisher=The Comparative Archaeology WEB|accessdate=2007-03-31}}</ref> Research shows it to be a prehistoric [[calendar]] that accurately marks the [[summer]] [[solstice]].<ref name="Wendorf" /> Findings indicate that the region was occupied only seasonally, likely only in the [[summer]] when the local lake filled with water for grazing [[cattle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hej3.as.utexas.edu/~www/wheel/africa/nabta_01.htm|title=Nabta|author= J. Clendenon|accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref><ref name="Wendorf" />. It is to be mentioned that there are other megalithic stone circles in the south of western desert.
==Megalithic traditions of Asia: the Korean Peninsula==
[[Image:Gochang Dolmen Sites - 3.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Northern-style megalithic burial from Jukrim-ri, Gochang-eub, [[North Jeolla Province]], [[Korea]].]]
Megalithic burials are found in Northeast and Southeast Asia. They are found in [[Liaoning]], [[Shandong]], and [[Zhejiang]] in [[China]], the [[Korean Peninsula]], [[Kyūshū]] in [[Japan]], and parts of [[India]]. A living megalithic tradition is found on the island of [[Sumba]] in Indonesia. Perhaps the greatest concentration of megalithic burials is in Korea. Archaeologists estimate varyingly that there are 15,000 to 100,000 southern megaliths in the Korean Peninsula.<ref>Goindol [Megalith] in ''Hanguk Gogohak Sajeon'' [Dictionary of Korean Archaeology], National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.) NRICH, Seoul. ISBN 89-5508-025-5 pp. 72-75.</ref><ref>Rhee, Song-nai and Choi, Mong-lyong (1992) "Emergence of Complex Society in Prehistoric Korea" in ''Journal of World Prehistory'' 6(1):68</ref>
===Northern style===
Northeast Asian megalithic traditions originated in [[Northeast China]], in particular the [[Liao River]] basin<ref>Rhee and Choi (1992): 70</ref><ref>Nelson, Sarah M. (1999) "Megalithic Monuments and the Introduction of Rice into Korea" in ''The Prehistory of Food: Appetites for Change''. C. Gosden and J. Hather (eds.) Routledge, London. pp.147-165</ref>. The practice of erecting megalithic burials spread quickly from the Liao River Basin and into the Korean Peninsula, where the structure of megaliths is geographically and chronologically distinct. The earliest megalithic burials are called "northern" or "table-style" because they feature an above-ground burial chamber formed by heavy stone slabs that form a rectangular cist.<ref>Rhee and Choi (1992: 68</ref> An oversized capstone is placed over the stone slab burial chamber, giving the appearance of a table-top. These megalithic burials date to the early part of the [[Mumun Pottery Period]] (c. 1500-850 BC) and are distributed, with a few exceptions, north of the [[Han River]]. Few northern-style megaliths in [[China]] contain [[grave goods]] such as [[Liaoning]] bronze daggers, prompting some archaeologists to interpret the burials as the graves of chiefs or preeminent individuals.<ref>Nelson (1999)</ref> However, whether a result of grave-robbery or intentional mortuary behaviour, most northern megaliths contain no grave goods.
===Southern style===
Southern-style megalithic burials are distributed in the southern [[Korean Peninsula]]. It is thought that most of them date to the latter part of the Early Mumun or to the Middle Mumun Period.<ref>Rhee and Choi (1992): 68</ref><ref>Nelson (1999)</ref> Southern-style megaliths are typically smaller in scale than northern megaliths. The interment area of southern megaliths has an underground burial chamber made of earth or lined with thin stone slabs. A massive capstone is placed over the interment area and is supported by smaller propping stones. Most of the megalithic burials on the [[Korean Peninsula]] are of the southern type.
[[Image:Orim-dongmegalithpetroglyph.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Representations of a dagger (right) and two human figures, one of which is kneeling (left), carved into the capstone of Megalithic Burial No. 5, Orim-dong, [[Yeosu]], Korea.]]
As with northern megaliths, southern examples contain few, if any, artifacts. However, a small number of megalithic burials contain fine red-burnished pottery, bronze daggers, polished groundstone daggers, and greenstone ornaments. Southern megalithic burials are often found in groups, spread out in lines that are parallel with the direction of streams. Megalithic cemeteries contain burials that are linked together by low stone platforms made from large river cobbles. Broken red-burnished pottery and charred wood found on these platforms has led archaeologists to hypothesize that these platform were sometimes used for ceremonies and rituals.<ref>GARI [Gyeongnam Archaeological Research Institute] (2002) ''Jinju Daepyeong Okbang 1 - 9 Jigu Mumun Sidae Jibrak'' [The Mumun Period Settlement at Localities 1 - 9, Okbang in Daepyeong, Jinju]. GARI, Jinju.</ref> The capstones of many southern megaliths have 'cup-marks' carvings. A small number of capstones have human and dagger representations.
===Capstone-style===
These megaliths are distinguished from other types by the presence of a burial shaft, sometimes up to 4 m in depth, which is lined with large cobbles.<ref name="Bale">Bale, Martin T. "[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~ekp/resources/studies/bale-yulha-ri.html Excavations of Large-scale Megalithic Burials at Yulha-ri, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsang Nam-do]" in ''Early Korea Project''. Korea Institute, Harvard University. Retrieved 10 October 2007</ref> A large capstone is placed over the burial shaft without propping stones. Capstone-style megaliths are the most monumental type in the [[Korean Peninsula]], and they are primarily distributed near or on the south coast of Korea. It seems that most of these burials date to the latter part of the Middle Mumun (c. 700-550 BC), and they may have been built into the early part of the Late Mumun. An example is found near modern [[Changwon]] at Deokcheon-ni, where a small cemetery contained a capstone burial (No. 1) with a massive, rectangularly shaped, stone and earthen platform. Archaeologists were not able to recover the entire feature, but the low platform was at least 56 X 18 m in size.
==Analysis and evaluation==
Megaliths were used for a variety of purposes. The purpose of megaliths ranged from serving as boundary markers of territory, to a reminder of past events, to being part of the society's religion.<ref>d'Alviella, Goblet, et al. (1892) pp.22-23</ref> Amongst the [[indigenous peoples]] of [[India]], [[Malaysia]], [[Polynesia]], [[North Africa]], [[North America]], and [[South America]], the worship of these stones, or the use of these stones to symbolize a spirit or deity, is a possibility.<ref>Goblet, et al. (1892) p.23</ref> In the early 20th century, some scholars believed that all megaliths belonged to one global "Megalithic culture"<ref>Gaillard, Gérald (2004) ''The Routledge Dictionary of Anthropologists''. Routledge. ISBN 0415228255 p.48</ref> ([[hyperdiffusionism]], e. g. 'the Manchester school',<ref>Lancaster Brown, P. (1976) p.267</ref> by [[Grafton Elliot Smith]] and [[William James Perry]]), but this has long been disproved by modern dating methods.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} Nor is it believed any longer that there was a European megalithic culture, although regional cultures existed, even within such a small areas as the British Isles. The archaeologist Euan Mackie wrote "Likewise it cannot be doubted that important regional cultures existed in the Neolithic period and can be defined by different kinds of stone circles and local pottery styles (Ruggles & Barclay 2000: figure 1). No-one has ever been rash enough to claim a nation-wide unity of all aspects of Neolithic archaeology!" <ref>Mackoe, Euan W, "The structure and skills of British Neolithic Society: a brief response to Clive Ruggles & Gordon Barclay. (Response)", ''Antiquity'' September 2002</ref>
=== Types of megalithic structures ===
The types of megalithic structures can be divided into two categories, the "''Polylithic type''" and the "''Monolithic type''".<ref>Keane, A. H. (1896) p.124</ref> Different megalithic structures include:
{|width=85% cellspacing=3 style="border: 1px; margin-bottom: 3px;"
|cellspacing=3 cellpadding=3 valign="top"|
;Polylithic type
* [[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.
* [[Taula]]: a straight standing stone, topped with another forming a 'T' shape.
* [[Cistvaen]]s
* [[Tumuli]] or barrows
* [[Cairn]]s or [[Galgal]]s
* [[Cromlech]] (ed., a [[Welsh language|Welsh]] term)
* [[Kurgan]]s
* [[Nuraghi]]
* [[Talayot]]s
* [[Sessi]] or [[Stazzone]]
* [[Broch|Round Tower]]s
* [[Marae]] ([[Polynesia]])
* [[Easter Island#Ahu|Ahu]]s with [[Moai]] and [[Pukao]] ([[Easter Island]])
|
|cellspacing=3 cellpadding=3 valign="top"|
;Monolithic type
* [[Menhir]]: a large, single upright standing stone.
* [[Alignement]]s<ref>Lancaster (1976). Page 6. (cf., ''French word alignement is used to describe standing stones arranged in rows to form long ‘processional' avenues'')</ref> (or [[Stone row]] avenues [eg., Linear arrangement of upright, parallel standing stones])
* [[Cycolith]]s (or [[stone circle]]s)
* [[Stantare]]
* [[Trilithon]]: Two parallel upright stones with a horizontal stone (called a lintel) placed on top, e.g. Stonehenge.
* [[Orthostat]]: an upright slab forming part of a larger structure.
* [[Stone ship]]
* [[Statues]] such as most [[moai]]
* Gateways
|}
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Moai Rano raraku.jpg|[[Easter Island]]'s [[Moai]] at [[Rano Raraku]]
Image:Dscn5211-mane-braz 600x800.jpg|Inside the burial chamber, Mane Braz
Image:Almendres_cromlech_3.jpg|Menhirs at the Almendres Cromlech
Image:abakan08.jpg|Megalithic tomb in [[Khakasiya]], [[Russian Federation]]
Image:abakan09.jpg|Megalithic tomb in [[Khakasiya]], [[Russian Federation]]
Image:Guam Dolmen Sites.JPG|Capstones of southern-style megalithic burials in Guam-ri, [[Jeollabuk-do]], [[Korea]]
Image:Ales stenar bred.jpg|[[Ale's Stones]] at Kåseberga, around ten kilometres south east of Ystad, Sweden
Image:BrynCelliDdu3.jpg|[[Bryn Celli Ddu]]
Image:Talaiot.jpg|[[Talaiot]] in [[Mallorca]]
Image:Deer-stone.jpg|Deer stone near [[Mörön]] in [[Mongolia]]
Image:Bretagne Morbihan Locmariaquer 14015.jpg| the [[Broken Menhir of Er Grah|Great Menhir of Er Grah]], the largest known single stone erected by Neolithic man, later deliberately toppled.
</gallery>
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
===Articles===
<div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
* A Fleming, ''Megaliths and post-modernism. The case of Wales''. Antiquity, 2005.
* A Fleming, ''Phenomenology and the Megaliths of Wales: a Dreaming Too Far?''. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 1999
* A Sherratt, ''The Genesis of Megaliths''. World Archaeology. 1990. (JSTOR)
* A Thom, ''Megaliths and Mathematics''. Antiquity, 1966.
* D Turnbull, ''Performance and Narrative, Bodies and Movement in the Construction of Places and Objects, Spaces and Knowledges: The Case of the Maltese Megaliths''. Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 19, No. 5-6, 125-143 (2002) DOI 10.1177/026327602761899183
* G Kubler, ''Period, Style and Meaning in Ancient American Art''. New Literary History, Vol. 1, No. 2, A Symposium on Periods (Winter, 1970), pp. 127-144. doi:10.2307/468624
* HJ Fleure, HJE Peake, ''Megaliths and Beakers''. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 60, Jan. - Jun., 1930 (Jan. - Jun., 1930), pp. 47-71. doi:10.2307/2843859
* J Ivimy, ''The Sphinx and the Megaliths''. 1974.
* J McKim Malville, F Wendorf, AA Mazar, R Schild, ''Megaliths and Neolithic astronomy in southern Egypt''. Nature, 1998.
* KL Feder, ''Irrationality and Popular Archaeology''. American Antiquity, Vol. 49, No. 3 (Jul., 1984), pp. 525-541. doi:10.2307/280358
* Hiscock, P. 1996. [http://arts.anu.edu.au/arcworld/resources/cult/aocult.htm The New Age of alternative archaeology of Australia]. Archaeology in Oceania 31(3):152-164
* MW Ovenden, DA Rodger, ''Megaliths and Medicine Wheels''. Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 1978
</div>
===Books===
<div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
* Goblet d'Alviella, E., & Wicksteed, P. H. (1892). ''Lectures on the origin and growth of the conception of God as illustrated by anthropology and history''. London: Williams and Norgate.
* Keane, A. H. (1896). ''[http://books.google.com/books?vid=0WIvbmgMkcFpA3uy9buKm0V&id=sdwKAAAAIAAJ Ethnology]''. Cambridge: University Press.
* Johnson, W. (1908). ''[http://books.google.com/books?vid=0hI-bGCsGBOuUgFtn7&id=1uwgAAAAMAAJ Folk-memory]''. Oxford: Clarendon press.
* Tyler, J. M. (1921). ''The new stone age in northern Europe''. New York: C. Scribner's Sons.
* Daniel, G. E. (1963). ''The megalith builders of Western Europe''. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
* Deo, S. B. (1973). ''Problem of South Indian megaliths''. Dharwar: Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University.
* Asthana, S. (1976). ''History and archaeology of India's contacts with other countries, from earliest times to 300 B.C.''. Delhi: B.R. Pub. Corp.
* Lancaster Brown, P. (1976). ''Megaliths, myths, and men: an introduction to astro-archaeology''. New York: Taplinger Pub. Co.
* Subbayya, K. K. (1978). ''Archaeology of Coorg with special reference to megaliths''. Mysore: Geetha Book House.
* O'Kelly, M. J., et al. (1989). ''Early Ireland: An Introduction to Irish Prehistory''. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521336872
* Patton, Mark (1993). ''Statements in Stone: monuments and society in Neolithic Brittany''. Routledge. 209 pages. ISBN 0415067294
* Goudsward, D., & Stone, R. E. (2003). ''America's Stonehenge: the ''. Boston: Branden Books.
* Moffett, M., Fazio, M. W., & Wodehouse, L. (2004). ''A world history of architecture''. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
* Nelson, Sarah M. (1993) ''The Archaeology of Korea''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
* Stukeley, W., Burl, A., & Mortimer, N. (2005). ''Stukeley's 'Stonehenge': an unpublished manuscript, 1721-1724''. New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press.
</div>
==See also==
[[Plain of Jars]] ranging from the Khorat Plateau in Thailand in the south, through Laos and to North Cachar Hills of northern India.
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Megaliths}}
* [http://bruno.marc1.free.fr/dolmen Dolmens, Menhirs & Stones-Circles in the South of France]
* [http://site.voila.fr/megalithis/ Megaliths in Charente-Maritime, France]
* [http://www.megalith.ru/en/ Dolmen Path - Russian Megaliths]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/ The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map]
* [http://www.megalithomania.com/ Index of Megalithic monuments in Ireland]
* [http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/ The Modern Antiquarian]
* [http://www.pretanicworld.com/Monuments.html Pretanic World - Megaliths and Monuments]
* [http://www.bigstones.com/ Modern Megalith-Building]
[[Category:African archaeology]]
[[Category:Asian archaeology]]
[[Category:Archaeology of Korea]]
[[Category:Irish archaeology]]
[[Category:Archaeology of death]]
[[Category:Burial monuments and structures]]
[[Category:Earth mysteries]]
[[Category:Megalithic monuments]]
[[Category:Stone Age]]
[[Category:Stones]]
[[ar:ميجليث]]
[[ast:Megalitismu]]
[[bat-smg:Megalėtā]]
[[bg:Мегалит]]
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[[de:Megalith]]
[[de:Hünengrab]]
[[es:Megalitismo]]
[[fa:خرسنگ]]
[[fi:Megaliitti]]
[[fr:Mégalithe]]
[[gl:Megalitismo]]
[[hu:Megalitikus kultúrák]]
[[it:Megalito]]
[[ja:巨石記念物]]
[[ka:მეგალითი]]
[[lt:Megalitinė architektūra]]
[[mk:Мегалит]]
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[[pt:Monumento megalítico]]
[[ru:Мегалиты]]
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[[sl:Kamniti velikani]]
[[sr:Мегалити]]
[[sv:Megalitiska monument]]
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[[uk:Мегаліти]]
[[vi:Cự thạch]]