Megalith

A megalith is a monument made up of one or more stones large-sized divided into circles, set up (or raised) by the men, generally during the Préhistoire, without the assistance of mortar or Ciment to fix the structure. The name comes from the Greek terms megas (μέγας), large and lithographies (λίθος), stone .

If the term of megalith can be used to describe monuments set up everywhere on planet at various times, it goes without saying the attention of the researchers concentrates on the oldest monuments Neolithic correspondent at the periods , Chalcolithique or even the Bronze Age, according to the areas.

There was at the beginning of the 20th century an archaeological theory connecting the totality of these monuments to only one civilization, but the modern methods of dating refuted it.

Types of megaliths

The term “megalith” recovers various structures. Among the prehistoric megaliths, one distinguishes mainly:
  • the Menhir S, which are drawn up stones planted vertically out of ground
  • the Dolmen S, were tombs made up of often monumental flagstones or covered gone , made of several drawn up stones (or orthostats) covered by one or more flagstones (or counts).

These megaliths can be solitary or constitute broader structures, like alignments, Cromlech S (circles of menhirs), Cairn S, Galgal S…

There exist also rarer monuments megalithic, as the group of Trilithe S which one finds with Stonehenge, arches formed by a horizontal stone supported by two vertical stones, or the Taula S of the Balearic Islands, vertical stones surmounted by another horizontal.

There exists also many circles megalithic in Great Britain or West Africa (but some are of historical time corresponding to the European Middle Ages).

Considering the great number of these monuments which one finds today throughout the world, which survived the multiple factors of destruction (in particular those of the man himself) to which they were confronted during the centuries, it seems well that one can consider that the reasons which led to their construction had a considerable importance for humanity, so much at the first times of his development than at present.

The majority of the researchers concerned, agree today to recognize a multiple role to them, that is to say (by order of importance): Social, cultural (religious and funerary), Astronomical, Astrological, artistic, agricultural, etc But all these erections did not have all these functions.

In a strict sense and archaeological of the term, the megaliths indicate the constructions made with large high stones but especially at the time prehistoric .

Distribution of the oldest megaliths

These monuments were set up almost on all planet at the various historical times like prehistoric:

Western Europe

In Western Europe the megalithic origin of the movement coincides with the first constructions of the east coast of the Atlantic (Cairn de Barnenez),… It can be dated from the thousand-year-old Ve front J. - C., is more 2  000 years before the first pyramid. These extremely many constructions generally date from the Neolithic or the Chalcolithique (4  500 with 1  500 av. J-C.) the such alignment S of Carnac or Stonehenge. Without forgetting the important Mediterranean group megalithic of Malta (Ġgantija, 3  500 before J-C), Corsica and Sardinia.

Asia

In India, the monuments megalithic date from the thousand-year-old IIe front J. - C. until half of the thousand-year-old Ier front J. - C. (- 2  000/-500). The dolmens more in the East, in Korea are thousand-year-old Ier and in Japan of the VII E to the II E.

Africa

Dolmens and menhirs of High-Egypt (Abou-Simbel, Nabta Playa…) who would be dated from the thousand-year-old VIIe front J. - C. (- 6  500). The megaliths of North Africa appear only at the end of the thousand-year-old IIIe front J. - C. (- 2  200). In Mauritania, with the Mali (in the area of Niafunké, the site of Tundidaro includes/understands more than 150 drawn up stones). With the Niger, the Togo and the Chad, the drawn up stones protect the burials; With the Sénégambie, 29  000 volcanic stone circles megalithic, in a space limited between the rivers Gambia to the south and Saloum to the north of Senegal dated from the thousand-year-old IIIe front J. - C. (there is approximately: 4500 years). In Central African Republic, with Bouar, megalithic constructions date from the VI E. In Ethiopia, finally, in the mountainous solid masses of the Harrar and in the east of Addis-Abeba, one finds megaliths engraved after J.C.

America

The Colombia has dolmens. San Augustin and Alto of los Idolos, the two sites principal are distant that of a few kilometers. They are staged of the VI E until the 15th century. With the Brazil: A team of Brazilian archeologists discovered on the site of Calçoene (Amazonian State of Amapá) close to the French Guiana, an astronomical observatory dating from the Antique time, probably going back to 2000 years. (study of the ceramics found on the spot). According to the archeologist Mariana Petry Cabral, Scientific and Technological Research institute of Amapá (IEPA), only an organized company could be able to set up such a monument. The observatory consists of 127 blocks of granite, each one a 3 meters height, laid out in regular circles in a clearing of the Amazon forest. The provision of the monument points out that of Stonehenge.

Examples of megaliths

Prehistoric megaliths

Ancient megaliths

  • the trilith of Baalbek, built by the Romans and having to be used as base with the Jupiter temple;
  • of the monoliths drawn up in Ethiopia and India at the time history and of which some exceed 15 meters height.
  • the statues of the Easter Island were set up about the 10th century. It is well of large drawn up stones but not of the megaliths in a strict sense of the term.

Obelisks

See in this article: Obelisk

Modern megaliths

  • Base of the equestrian statue of Pierre Large the:

Of the enormous stones was moved by the men at almost all the times. Most considerable of them is the base of the equestrian statue of Pierre Large the with Saint-Pétersbourg, monument raised by Catherine II of Russia. This block of granite of 450 m ³ and weighing 1250 ton was conveyed through marshes by the force of only 64 men, and the ingeniousness of a 65ème, it ((count de Carbury]].

This megalith was moved on a Traîneau of wood whose shoes were dug of a rail furnished with an alloy Cuivre - tin - Calamine; this sledge itself was posed on beams having a hollow rail furnished with same alloy. Metal spheres were placed in this track, reducing friction at least. It was moved by means of Cabestan S, on cold ground, in less than six weeks.

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External bonds

Beats-smg: Megalėtā

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