// PRE- HISTORY // MONOLITH AND MEGALITH // MENHIRS // DOLMENS // CROMLECH //

Pre- Historic Period

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PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD

// PRE- HISTORY // MONOLITH AND MEGALITH // MENHIRS // DOLMENS // CROMLECH //

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: less architectural value // stones

PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD- the age of stones

and monuments.

among prehistoric remains of archaeological

interest, but of little architectural value are;

 MONOLITH OR MENHIRS
 DOLMEN OR CROMLECH
 BURIAL MOUNDS / TUMULI
 LAKE DWELLINGS

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• MONOLITHS are single/ large

upright stones, known in Western
France as “MENHIRS”

• MENHIRS (from the words maen

means a stone and hir means high/
long), such as those at Carnac in
Brittany

• also a standing stone, orthostat, lith

or masseba / matseva

SINGLE/ UPRIGHT STONE

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

may be found singly as monoliths (as shown on the previous slide), or as part of a group of
similar stones. Size can vary considerably, but their shape is generally uneven and squared,
often tapering towards the top.

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

MENHIR COLLECTION- CARNAC STONES, BRITTANY

an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in
Brittany, consisting of alignments, dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs.

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

MENHIR COLLECTION- CARNAC STONES, BRITTANY

an alignments of megalithic standing stones; the Carnac Stones in Brittany is considered as

the LARGEST MEGALITHIC SITE IN THE WORLD

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

!!!
CARNAC ALIGNMENTS
there are “three major groups of stone rows or stone alignments” in Carnac which
may have once formed a single group, but have been split up as stones were
removed for other purposes.

1 2 3
MENEC ALIGNMENT KERMARIO ALIGNMENT KERLESCAN ALIGNMENT

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• Eleven converging rows of menhirs stretching for 1,165 by 100 meters

• Ménec alignments, the most well-known megalithic site among the Carnac stones
MENEC ALIGNMENT- CARNAC STONES BRITTANY

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• The largest stones, around 4 metres high, are at the wider, western end; the stones then
become as small as 0.6 metres high along the length of the alignment before growing in
height again toward the extreme eastern end.
MENEC ALIGNMENT- CARNAC STONES BRITTANY

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• It consists of 1029 stones in ten columns, about 1,300 meters in length.

• A stone circle to the east end, where the stones are shorter.
KERMARIO ALIGNMENT- CARNAC STONES BRITTANY

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• A smaller group of 555 stones, further to the east of the other two sites.
• Composed of 13 lines with a total length of about 800 meters.
KERLESCAN ALIGNMENT- CARNAC STONES BRITTANY

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Monoliths and Menhirs

• At the extreme west, where the stones are tallest, there is a stone circle which has 39 stones.
There may also be another stone circle to the north.
KERLESCAN ALIGNMENT- CARNAC STONES BRITTANY

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

DOLMENS AND CROMLECH

• DOLMENS (dol = table + maen stone)
A prehistoric monument consisting of
two or more large upright stones
supporting a horizontal stone slab

(single chamber megalithic structure)

is the name sometimes applied to
two or more upright stones
supporting a horizontal slab.

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

DOLMENS AND CROMLECH

• CROMLECH (crom = bent + leac = flat
stone) are often used as
interchangeable terms

while the term Cromlech may be

used for three or more upright
stones, capped by a flat stone (same
as dolmen) now virtually obsolete in
archaeology. Also, prehistoric
monument consisting of a group of
megaliths, sometimes arranged in a
circle or in concentric circles

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

e.g. POULNABRONE DOLMEN (IRELAND) • aka PORTAL TOMB

• Hole of the quern stones/ Hole of the sorrows
• Funerary/ burying place
• Unofficial Public Observatory

• Single chamber dolmen (Ireland)

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

e.g. BROWNSHILL DOLMEN (IRELAND)

• Heaviest capstone in Europe

• Also, the largest dolmen in Europe
• Built by Farmers*

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

• Largest concentration of dolmens in the world/ 35,000 dolmens

• UNESCO World Heritage Site (Gochang, Hwasun, Gangwa)
• No theory on the origin
e.g. KOREAN DOLMEN (GOINDOL- MEANS SUPPORTED SLAB)

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

• The last and the most famous cromlech/ prehistoric monument in the world;
• Built in several stage/ 100 upright circular stones
• UNESCO WORLD Heritage Site (1986)
e.g. STONE HENGE (ENGLAND)

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

• Burial Site/ Ceremonial Rites/ Religious Pilgrimage Destination

• Final resting place of Royalty
• Astrological Phenomenon (Astronomical Calendar/ Equinox/ Solstice/ eclipse)
e.g. STONE HENGE (ENGLAND)

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

OPEN END

BLUESTONES

LINTELS

TRILITHONS

SARSEN STONES

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 PRE- HISTORIC PERIOD: KEY: Dolmens and Cromlech

• Consists of 3 stone circles

• Largest stone circles in the world
• UNESCO WORLD Heritage Site (1986)
e.g. AVEBURY NEOLITHIC HENGE (ENGLAND)

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