Megaliths
Megaliths are enormous stones fixed into ground and originally erected for religious purposes or to mark some important event in the community...
Updated On: 10/8/2007 [Total Votes: 1086, Hits: 4012] Print

Megaliths are enormous stones fixed into ground and originally erected for religious purposes or to mark some important event in the community. They date from the Neolithic Age and they are anything from 5000 to 8000 years old. Many monuments of this kind have been found in Tibet, in India and in Sahara. They are probably the forerunners of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian obelisks and also of the columns erected by the Romans. Other remarkable monuments of ancient times are the Egyptian pyramids, which prove that those early builders has mastered complicated construction techniques and had all the tools and equipment they needed. The Pharaohs had special roads built so that blocks of stone could be dragged on sledges from the quarry to the building site.

Given the mechanical aids available at that period, the pyramids could only have been built by using an enormous work-force. Egypt possessed a vast army of slaves and besides this public buildings were a state monopoly. Nevertheless it is amazing that such colossal construction were possible in those distant times with their limited technology. No wonder some people have imagined that extra-terrestrial forces must have been involved in building the pyramids. Today there are still certain primitive tribes that construct megaliths.

The first great monument in stone date from the Neolithic period. One of the earliest types is the 'menhir', a single vertical stone.

After the menhir, prehistoric man embarked on more complicated construction in stone. The one shown is a 'dolmen' built on the basic principal of a flat horizontal stone supported by vertical pillars.

The sacred monument of Stonehenge, built between 1800 and 1600 B.C. Its form indicates that it was used for sun-worship.

The Parthenon (450 B.C.), is one of the most famous monuments of ancient Greece. The illustration shows a side view of the building. It is an outstanding example of classical Greek architecture.

Related Words:
single vertical stone, Mongol emperor, prehistoric man, construction techniques, Egyptian pyramids, building the pyramids

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