Amazing megalithic structures and their photographs. Famous megalithic structures What other megalithic structures can you imagine?

Megalithic structures appeared and spread widely during the Bronze Age. Megaliths include the following structures:

• menhirs;
• dolmens;
• alinemans;
• cromlechs;
• covered walkways;
• and other buildings made of large stone blocks and slabs.

Megalithic structures can be found in every corner globe: in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in Western and Northern Europe (England, France, Denmark, Holland), in India, Iran, on the Balkan Peninsula, in North Africa and other countries.

Figure 1. Megalithic structures. Avtor24 - online exchange of student works

History of the appearance of megalithic structures and types

The appearance of various types of megalithic structures is often associated with cults of veneration of ancestors, the sun or fire, and totems. Large-scale work on processing and moving stone blocks was carried out using huge amount people under a primitive community of labor organization. The most common monuments of this type are dolmens.

Definition 1

Dolmens are burial structures that consist of several slabs arranged vertically and covered with a horizontal slab.

The weight of the slabs reached several tens of tons. Initially, dolmens reached a length of two meters, their height did not exceed 150 centimeters. However, over time, their size became larger; the approach to them was arranged in the form of a stone gallery. The length of such galleries could reach 20 meters. Another type of megalithic structures are menhirs.

Definition 2

Menhirs are vertically installed stone pillars, which have a round cross-section, a height of up to 20 meters, and a weight of about 300 tons.

Menhirs are located near dolmens, so there is an assumption that funeral rites connect them. Menhirs can often be found in small groups that are arranged in parallel rows. It happens that the length of such rows reaches 30 kilometers.

An example is Carnac in Brittany, where the number of menhirs reaches 3000. It is believed that each menhir is a monument to a deceased person.

Note 1

Menhirs did not arise out of vital necessity, when a person needed to build a home or warehouses. The creation of menhirs was based on an idea that is not related to the struggle for existence. But, despite this, considerable efforts were made to extract, deliver and hoist these blocks, which reached impressive sizes and considerable weight.

The fact of such a rapid spread of this type of megalithic structure indicates that menhirs were a kind of expression of ideas that were the same for the people of that era, regardless of their actual location.

It is no coincidence that these stones were enormous in size and weight. If we take into account their historical relationship with subsequent structures that had architectural features, then a menhir is a funerary monument or monument that is similar in its memorial column, but a dolmen is a crypt, tomb or sarcophagus. The cromlech at Stonehenge is already a kind of temple, albeit a very primitive one.

Definition 3

Cromlechs are large groups of menhirs that are arranged in closed circles. Sometimes circles consist of several rows of vertically placed stones.

An example of a complex megalithic structure is Stonehenge. This is a circle with a diameter of 30 meters, which consists of vertically placed stones. From above they are covered with horizontal slabs. In the middle of the structure there are two rings of low stones, and between them there is a third ring of tall blocks arranged in pairs. In the center is a single stone, which is believed to be an altar. Stonehenge is a famous megalithic structure, which already has such architectural elements as center, rhythm, symmetry.

In this type one can see a structure in which a technical problem not only found a certain type of solution, but also received an aesthetic embodiment, which indicates the architect’s mastery of a sense of rhythm, space, form, scale and proportions. Other megaliths do not possess such qualities, since according to all the above characteristics, they are all closer to amorphous natural creatures than to the work of human hands.

Despite this, the cromlech located in Stonehenge also cannot be called an architectural structure. It is too massive in relation to the horizontals, its verticals are too heavy. The technicality of the appearance in this case prevails over its artistic composition. Exactly the same as in all other structures that preceded the formation of the cromlech:

• dugouts;
• semi-dugouts;
• huts;
• above-ground adobe structures that had a utilitarian purpose.

The artistic form arose only when the utilitarian form reached perfection. It was also at the final stage of the Bronze Age, when crafts and the artistic industry actively emerged.

A huge number of megalithic structures have been collected in the Caucasus. Stone alleys, which in Armenia were called the stone army, became widespread here. There are also stone images of fish, which were the personification of the deity of fertility.

Magical architecture of megalithic structures

The origins of architecture date back to the late Neolithic. At that time, stone was already used to create monumental structures. All megaliths of antiquity can be divided into two large groups:

• Ancients architectural structures prehistoric societies: cromlechs, menhirs, dolmens, temples of Malta. Almost unprocessed stones were used to build such structures. Cultures that used such structures are called megalithic. This culture also includes labyrinths made of small stones, as well as individual stone blocks with petroglyphs. Megalithic architecture also includes dolmens of the Korean nobility and tombs of Japanese emperors.
• Megalithic structures of more developed architecture. These are structures made of large stone blocks that have a regular geometric shape. Such megalithic architecture is characteristic of early powers, which were not built in later times. These include Mediterranean monuments: megalithic structures Mycenaean civilization, pyramids in Egypt, the temple mount, which is located in Jerusalem.

The most beautiful megalithic structures in the world

Gobekli Tepe, Türkiye. The complex is located on the Armenian Highlands. This megalithic structure is considered the oldest in the world. According to historical data, it was formed in the 10th–9th millennium BC. People at that time were engaged in gathering and hunting. The shape of this megalithic temple resembles circles, of which there are more than 20 pieces. According to experts, this architectural complex was deliberately covered with sand. Its height reached 15 meters, and its diameter was 300 meters.

Megaliths in Carnac (Brittany) France. Many megalithic structures were represented as ceremonial centers in which cults for the burial of the dead were carried out. This includes the megalith complex in Carnac (Brittany), which is located in France. It contains about 3000 stones. The megaliths reached a height of 4 meters, they were arranged in the form of an alley, the rows ran parallel to each other. This architectural complex can be dated back to the 5th–4th millennium BC. There were legends that Merlin ordered the ranks of Roman legionnaires to be turned to stone.

Figure 8. Megaliths at Carnac (Brittany), France. Avtor24 - online exchange of student works

Nabta Observatory, Nubia, which is located in the Sahara. Some megalithic structures were previously used to determine astronomical events (equinox and solstices). At that time, a megalithic structure was found in the Nubian desert in the Nabta Playa area, which was used for astronomical purposes. Thanks to the special arrangement of the megaliths, it was possible to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people then lived seasonally, only when there was water in the lake. That's why they needed a calendar.

Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury. Stonehenge is a megalithic structure, which is presented in the form of 82 columns, 30 stone blocks and five huge trilithons. The weight of the columns reaches 5 tons, stone blocks - 25 tons, and huge stones weigh 50 tons. The stacked blocks form arches that previously pointed to the cardinal directions. According to scientists, this structure was erected in 3100 BC. The ancient monolith was not only a lunar and solar calendar, but was also an exact cross-section of the solar system.

Figure 9. Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury. Avtor24 - online exchange of student works

By comparing the mathematical parameters of the geometric figures of the cromlech, it was possible to establish that they all reflect the parameters of the various planets of the solar system, and also model the orbits of their rotation. What is surprising is that Stonehenge is a representation of the 12 planets of the solar system, although today it is believed that there are only 9 of them. Astronomers have long believed that there are two more planets beyond the outer orbit of Pluto, and the asteroid belt is the remains of a previously existing 12th planets. How could the ancient builders of the cromlech know about this?

There is another interesting version about the purpose of Stonehenge. During the excavation of the path along which ritual processions were carried out, the hypothesis that the cromlech was built along the relief of the Ice Age was once again confirmed. This place was special: natural landscape was located along the solstice axis, connecting heaven and earth.

Cromlech Broughgar or Sun Temple, Orkney. Initially, this structure had 60 elements, but today only 27 rocks have survived. The place where the cromlech is located is ritual. It is “stuffed” with various mounds and burials. All the monuments here are united into a single architectural complex, which is preserved by UNESCO. Today, archaeological excavations are being carried out on the islands.

Temples of Ggantija in Šara. It is located in the central part of the island of Gozo and is one of the world's most important attractions. The megalithic structure is presented in the form of two separate temples, each of which has a concave façade. In front of the entrance there is a platform made of stone blocks. Most ancient temple The architectural complex consists of several semicircular rooms arranged in the shape of a trefoil.

Figure 10. Ggantija Temples in Šara. Avtor24 - online exchange of student works

Scientists believe that such a trinity is a symbol of the past, present and future. According to historians, temple complex- This is a sanctuary for worshipers of the goddess of fertility. However, there is a version that the Ggantija temple is a tomb, because the population of the megalithic era followed traditions. They revered their ancestors and erected tombs, and later these places became sanctuaries where they worshiped the gods.

Megaliths, huge structures made of massive stone blocks, are also found in our country. There are quite a lot of similar structures in Russia, but they are not as well known as the famous Stonehenge in the UK or Ollantaytambo in Peru. We will get acquainted with the ancient megalithic structures found on the territory of Russia further.

The first place we start our journey is Mount Vottovaara - highest point West Karelian Upland - 417.3 m above sea level. The area of ​​the mountain is 6 square meters. km.
The place is simply full of strange artifacts after which you begin to think about ancient highly developed stone processing technologies, let's take a better look at the photo.

Mount Vottovaara.
Megalith blocks are scattered.

Was the near block cut at an angle of 90 degrees or a play of nature?

It’s like using a laser:) geologists believe that the cracks and faults were formed as a result of a strong earthquake about 9 thousand years ago. The even planes of the stones are the result of the properties of the local rock - quartzite, the structure of which determines such even planes when split.

So is it nature or man-made? Let's take a closer look.

More like perfectly cut blocks tightly fitted to each other. It’s hard to imagine an ancient ancestor with a copper chisel somewhere on a mountain turning out such even blocks.

Good angle, perfectly straight wall.

Who lost the ball?)

There is clearly no high technology Was there something wrong with stone processing or is it just a play of nature? :)

Mount Pidan.
At first glance, it looks like an unremarkable pile of cracked rock.

But getting closer it looks more like megalithic masonry.

Looking between the blocks, where the stones were less exposed to erosion from wind and rain, you can see the man-made nature and how smooth edges have been preserved.

In the place where the joint of the blocks split apart, an even cut can be seen and the technology for laying these blocks opens before us.

Stone City in the Perm region.
According to scientists, the Stone City is the mouth of a river that flowed into the Permian Sea millions of years ago; this is what explains the beautifully and evenly, at right angles, carved stones, their neat laying and the “channels” of the “mouth” perpendicular to each other.

Stone city.

Look how smooth the sides of the megaliths are, as if they were cut down.

Again the old method of looking between the blocks inside the masonry, look at the far block in the center, an even cut along the entire length of the block.

They say somewhere Kola Peninsula This pool is located right in the rock.

In the south of Western Siberia in the mountainous Shoria in the Mezhdurechensky region there is a small geological village called Kameshki.
Several educated, talented geologists live in this village. These are Alexander Bespalov, Vyacheslav Pochetkin and others. These people have been doing research all their lives. mountain systems Western Siberia. One day they came across strange megalithic structures in the mountains, which they could not explain to themselves. These were walls made of giant stone blocks and strange buildings with vertically mounted stone obelisks. They contacted Georgy Sidorov via the Internet, and the first expedition was assembled.

Mountain Shoria.
Some granite blocks below were made of red granite, topped with blocks of gray granite, and above lay a polygonal masonry of various blocks, both red and gray granite.

The granite in some places melted from exposure to enormous temperatures and flowed under the weight of the upper rows. Kungurov would say about this that these are traces of melting from a thermonuclear explosion :)

The wall is made of polygonal masonry made of multi-colored blocks.

The size of the blocks is impressive; according to one version, the find is a man-made structure over 100 thousand years old.

In the photo, Georgy Sidorov, in his opinion, this entire megalithic structure may be the ruins of an ancient power plant or power plant, which transferred seismic energy to some others.

Looking inside the masonry again, where the blocks were less susceptible to erosion, smooth straight edges are visible, look at how the two blocks lie tightly, the handicraft is better visible here.

Polygonal masonry.

Mountain Shoria. Huge blocks.
at the Department of Radiophysics at Tomsk State University they showed photographs on the screen, talked about various types masonry, about stone castles that hold together giant granite blocks and not a single physicist said that all this has natural origin. What surprised them most was how the ancients could lift giant stone blocks to a height of more than 1000 meters and install them there on a special platform.

Then, in the Tomsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the photographs were studied by geologists and geographers. Both of them came to the conclusion that the presented artifacts were man-made.

Sklyarov was asked to comment on the find. And what did he say? That all the artifacts found are nothing more than rocks cracked at right angles. That there is nothing man-made here. Just a game of nature, nothing more.
After these words, I am not surprised why LAI does not study Russian megaliths.

Between blocks.

For comparison, on the left is the megalith in Baalbek, on the right is the megalith in the mountainous Shoria, it looks like the author is the same :)

Mount Shaman near the village. Nizhnetambovskoe, Khabarovsk region.

Ancient megalithic masonry.

Again, the handiwork and straight lines are better visible between the blocks.

Large megalith block.

A large megalith block on small stones, this is done for better earthquake resistance.

The megalithic masonry resembles Mountain Shoria.

Kabardino-Balkaria, cave in the Baksan Gorge.
First you need to squeeze into a hole measuring 40 by 120 cm, then climb down a narrow vertical shaft on a rope. It is formed by two parallel stone slabs. After 9 meters there is the first “knee”: the hole goes to the side and immediately breaks down again. Already here you will be covered in absolute silence - not a sound penetrates from outside. Another 23 meters deep - and a new “knee”. To reach the bottom of the cave, you need to overcome more than 80 meters, and it will take a whole hour. But, having passed the “bottleneck”, you will find yourself in a huge room, which the researchers called the “flask”. Inside we will see processed walls made of tuff and granite, composed of polished megaliths of different sizes, tightly fitted to each other.

Descent into the cave.

The edges of the blocks and the seams between them are clearly visible.

The smooth masonry is amazing and the seams are clearly adjusted to each other.

The triangular blocks have moved slightly apart.

Barely noticeable seams of blocks on the left half-lunar wall and on the wall behind it.

How do you like the seams?

Rotate the cave at an angle of 90 degrees. Two large megalithic blocks stand on top of each other.

The technologies for processing stone are amazing, and even more amazing is the comment of the head of the Kabardino-Balkarian geological exploration expedition, Vera Davidenko, but she is a realist and believes that nature can do everything and concluded: “Tuff is an accumulation of products of volcanic ejection - ash, fragments of lava , volcanic glass and, to a small extent, rock fragments that make up the crater walls. The ejecta material was hot during accumulation and therefore, when it solidified, cracks formed separately - that is, the entire tuff massif appeared to be broken into blocks. The depression discovered in the area of ​​the village of Zayukovo is one of these gravitational separation cracks, which is characterized by smooth contact surfaces,” but this is the head of the geological exploration expedition, she probably knows better.

Scheme of the structure.

A little fantasy for the finale) Arakul Shikhan, a strange structure in the middle of the forest. I have everything, kick me :)

Today, people look at giant skyscrapers and consider them the pinnacle of human engineering. At the same time, many are not even aware of technological miracles ancient history- buildings and temples that seemed impossible to build in that distant time. This review contains little-known examples of amazing ancient buildings.

1. Pueblo Bonito

USA

Located in northwestern New Mexico, Pueblo Bonito is the largest and most famous example of a "palace village" built by the Anasazi culture. The settlement began to be built in the first half of the 10th century AD, and was completed only 180 years later. At its peak, Pueblo Bonito had approximately 800 individual structures, some as many as five stories tall. The ancient settlement was first discovered in 1849 by US Army Lieutenant James H. Simpson. Since then, Pueblo Bonito has become one of the most excavated and explored archaeological sites in the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, a number of buildings were damaged when part of the cliff behind the settlement collapsed. What is especially interesting is that many mysterious petroglyphs were found in Pueblo Bonito, made somewhere at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.

2. Chatal

Türkiye

The ancient settlement of Catal, discovered in southern Turkey, is estimated by modern scientists to have existed since 7500 BC. until about 5700 BC It was built by an unknown Neolithic culture, which scientists believe was highly advanced at that time. Excavations have been ongoing since the discovery of Chatal in the late 1950s by British archaeologist James Mellaart. A number of interesting items have been discovered, including (presumably) the earliest famous map and some of the highest quality daggers of the period. The houses in Chatal have one intriguing feature: they do not have doors, and one had to enter the house through the roof, climbing up the stairs. In addition, the dead in this ancient settlement were buried under the floors of houses, in particular under fireplaces.

3. Lokmarak

France

French region Brittany is famous for its group of the largest prehistoric European megaliths. The largest megalith, created around 4500 BC, measures almost 21 meters in length and weighs between 200 and 280 tons. Today, no one will know why this megalith, known as the “Fairy Stone,” was broken thousands of years ago. This may have been caused by an earthquake, but most likely it was done by people. What is especially striking is that the “Fairy Stone” was delivered in one solid piece from a quarry located more than 10 kilometers away. How this was done is unknown.

4. Colossi of Memnon

Egypt

Built as a monument to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and placed near his now-destroyed temple, the Colossi of Memnon are a pair of 23-meter-tall statues. Also on these statues (to be more precise, at the foot of the thrones of the statues) you can find reliefs of Amenhotep’s wife, daughter and mother. The statues were named after Memnon, the hero of the Trojan War. There were legends that before the statues were damaged by an earthquake, the northern statue would make a sound in the morning that resembled bell ringing(possibly due to increased temperature). The Egyptians believed that this sound expressed the approval of the gods.

5. Pillar of Pompey

Egypt

Pompey's Pillar was erected as a monument to the Roman Emperor Diocletian after he suppressed a rebellion in Alexandria. It is often mistakenly believed that it was built in honor of the Roman consul Gnaeus Pompey the Great, but the inscription on its base clearly indicates that the pillar was made in honor of Diocletian by the people of Alexandria. The story that when Pompey was defeated by Julius Caesar and fled Rome for Egypt, he was killed in Alexandria and his head placed in a funerary jar on top of a pillar (thus giving the pillar its name) is a myth. The 27-meter-tall pillar was built during the fourth century AD and was once part of the temple of the Roman god Serapis, which was later destroyed.

6. Dolmen Menga

Spain

Dating back to around 2000 BC, the Menga Dolmen (also known as Cueva de Menga) is a large megalithic burial mound located in southern Spain. Rows burial chambers(their walls, roof and pillars) were created from huge stone blocks weighing up to 180 tons. As for the name, legend has it that a leper named Menga took up residence inside the dolmen after her husband died. Archaeologists believe that this dolmen is the largest such structure in Europe, and several hundred different skeletons inside it may have belonged to the rulers of the culture that built Menga. However, who these builders were remains a mystery to this day.

7. Quirigua

Guatemala

Built by the Mayans between 200 and 800 AD. The city of Quirigua contains remarkable examples of Mayan architecture, as well as some of the largest existing steles (carved stone monuments). “Stele E” alone weighs an incredible 65 tons. Quirigua was abandoned around 900 AD, which was probably due to the decline of the jade trade.

8. Dur Sharrukin

Iraq

Dur Sharrukin, which translates from Akkadian as "Sargon's Fortress", was built by the Assyrians sometime between 717 and 707 BC. in the northern part of modern Iraq. The size of the city was almost 2.6 square kilometers, and especially notable in it were the temple of Nabu (the god of vegetation) and Royal Palace. However, the most interesting artifact recovered from the ruins is the Assyrian bull - a stone statue weighing about 40 tons. The city was abandoned soon after its construction was completed because King Sargon II of Assyria was killed in battle.

9. Hajar Kim

Malta

Located in Malta, the megalithic temple complex of Hajar Qim is believed to have been built by a culture unknown to modern scientists between 3200 and 2500 BC. It is believed that this culture was destroyed as a result of famine or natural disaster. One of the earliest examples of religious beliefs can be found in Hajar Qim, with a number of statues of the fertility goddess preserved in the local temple. Interestingly, Hajar Qim was built hundreds of years earlier than Stonehenge.

10. Tiwanaku

Bolivia

The prehistoric capital of the Tiwanaku culture, the city of Tiwanaku is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. It was originally a small village, but between 400 and 900 AD. the city literally blossomed and many of the largest stone structures in South America. However, the city suddenly became deserted around 1000 AD, most likely due to floods. Eventually the Tiahuanaco civilization was conquered by the Incas. The city, which was once home to more than a million people, was only rediscovered in 1876.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Megaliths(from mega... and Greek líthos - stone), structures made of large blocks of wild or roughly processed stone. These include dolmens, menhirs, cromlechs, stone boxes, and covered galleries. M. are distributed throughout the world, except Australia, mainly in coastal areas. In Europe, stones generally date back to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (3rd to 2nd millennium BC), with the exception of England, where stones date back to the Neolithic era. M.'s purpose cannot always be established. For the most part they served for burials or were associated with the funeral cult. Apparently, M. are communal buildings. Their construction represented a most difficult task for primitive technology and required the unification of large masses of people.

Lit.: Artsikhovsky A.V., Introduction to Archeology, 3rd ed., M., 1947; Niederle L., Humanity in Prehistoric Times, translation from Czech, St. Petersburg, 1898; Obermayer G., Prehistoric man, translation from German, St. Petersburg, 1913.

MEGALITHES
Megaliths Megaliths or megalithic monuments are prehistoric structures made of large stone blocks or slabs, stone (Neolithic), bronze, and partly of later eras, which served either as tombs, monuments, or sanctuaries, and these different types partly overlap. M. monuments are especially numerous and varied in Brittany, where they attracted the attention of scientists earlier than in other areas (in former times they were called “Druidic,” that is, they served for the religious purposes of Druids or Gallic priests); therefore, to designate such monuments, names borrowed from the Breton language are used, namely menhir (men - stone, Mr - long, high) - a high standing stone, probably erected in memory of some event or person, or to designate a famous place; dolmen (dol - table, men - stone) - a chamber of 4 standing slabs perpendicular to each other, covered on top with a large horizontal slab; cromlech (crom - circle) - a circle of stones, independent or surrounding a dolmen. Special types of M. monuments are chambers with corridors (allees couvertes, for example in Provence); rows of stones (alignements, for example in Carnac, in Brittany, sometimes stretching for a mile or more; cup stones - large blocks with cup-shaped depressions in them, apparently of natural origin, but sometimes served, it seems, for religious (sacrificial) purposes; swinging stones (pierres branlantes) - placed on a narrow plane so that they can be easily set into oscillatory motion, but despite their colossal size, remaining in the same form for centuries (also, apparently, of natural origin, although humans could sometimes contribute to their installation); box-shaped graves (made of large slabs placed in a pit); boat-shaped graves - made of stones arranged so that the outline of a boat is obtained, sometimes very large, and with transverse partitions simulating benches. for sitting (such graves are known in Sweden and the Baltic region; they served for the burial of Vikings, etc.). M. monuments are most numerous in France, Spain and the Balearic Islands, in England, in the north. Germany, in Algeria, in Palestine, here in the Crimea and the Caucasus, also in places in Siberia (menhirs and kromlekhs in the Minusinsk region), in Mongolia ("deer stones", i.e. with images of deer), etc. In some areas In India, dolmens, cromlechs, etc. are being erected to this day. In addition to general works on prehistoric archaeology, cf. Ferguson, “Rude StoneMonuments” (L., 1872; important for many facts and drawings, but incorrect in the main idea, namely in the desire to attribute almost all of these monuments to the historical era); Carthailac "La France prehislorique" (1893). D.L.
F. Brockhaus, I.A. Efron. encyclopedic Dictionary

Megaliths
- buildings made of huge, roughly processed stones, the first architectural structures of primitive society; appeared in the Bronze Age. There are three types: a) dolmens - quadrangular structures made of large stone slabs, placed on an edge and covered with a slab. They served as tombs, less often as dwellings; b) menhirs - vertical pillars covered with relief, sometimes designed in the form of a human figure (stone women in the south of Russia, Siberia), or an animal; c) cromlechs are the most complex structures of antiquity. Usually these are menhirs, installed on a large area in concentric circles around the sacrificial stone, sometimes covered in pairs with a slab. These are the first places of worship. One of the most famous cromlechs is Stonehenge in England (1900 - 1500 BC).
World of dictionaries

Megaliths(from mega... and Greek lithos - stone) - ancient structures made of large blocks of stone, sometimes roughly processed. They often served for burials or were associated with a funeral cult, but it has not yet been possible to accurately establish their purpose. In all likelihood, megaliths are communal structures, since their construction required the joint efforts of many people. European megaliths date back to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (3rd-2nd millennium BC), with the exception of England, where they date back to the Neolithic era. Distributed throughout the world, except Australia (the artificial origin of the world's largest stone monolith, Uluru, in the Australian desert (perimeter 9 km, height 348 m) has not been proven).

Megaliths include various types of buildings, including dolmens (several giant blocks covered with a similar slab on top), menhirs (single upright stones), cromlechs (a group of menhirs forming a (semi) circle), thaulas, stone boxes, covered galleries and etc.

Many different hypotheses have been put forward about the meaning of megaliths. The most common is that the buildings were ancient altars, temples, tombs or observatories. Among the most exotic, we can mention the hypothesis that dolmens served as dwellings for animals or dwarfs. Burials under structures, as a rule, took place much later than the construction of the megalith itself.

In Russia, most of the megaliths are known from Black Sea coast Caucasus.

The latest discoveries of mysterious structures occurred in Altai and near Ryazan. On South Chelyabinsk region functioning historical park- the settlement of Arkaim, discovered 15 years ago by students and teachers of the archaeological laboratory of ChelSU under the leadership of G.B. Zdanovich. The cultural archaeological complex (remains of ancient sites and settlements, funerary and religious structures in the form of earthen mounds, stone fences and stelae, etc.) is part of the so-called “Country of Cities”, steppe region Southern Urals, where in the 20th-17th centuries BC a vibrant Bronze Age civilization flourished, contemporary with the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and the famous palaces of the Cretan-Mycenaean culture. It has been established that Arkaim is one of the ancient observatories of the world, similar to Stonehenge.

Sanctuary during excavations on Spasskaya Luka in Ryazan region V central Russia, on a hill above the confluence of two rivers - Oka and Pronya, archaeologists discovered at the beginning of the 21st century.

The age of the religious building, located at the very top of the hill, is 4,000 years. The structure of the monument led archaeologists to think about its astronomical purpose, and the objects found indicate the religious rites that took place here.

A circle with a diameter of seven meters is marked by pillars half a meter thick, between which there is the same distance. In the center of the circle is a large rectangular hole and a pillar. The wooden pillars have not survived, but the round holes from which they protruded are clearly visible in the ground. Along the edges of the site there are two more pits with pillars. A few meters to the east, another pit with a similar pillar was excavated, and to the south there is a pillar that was discovered several years earlier. Within the circle, two pairs of pillars form a gate through which, when viewed from the center, sunset can be seen in summer. Another pillar, behind the circular fence, indicates the sunrise.

The size of the pits ranges from 44 by 46 cm to 75 by 56 cm. In the central pit lay a small ceramic vessel from the Bronze Age with a subtle ornament: a zigzag reminiscent of the rays of the sun and wavy lines - a symbol of water. Externally, the vessel resembles the products of the steppe peoples who lived in the south of Eurasia. In the center of one of the pits with a pillar outside the temple, fragments of long human bones and teeth were unearthed - probable traces of a sacrifice. In 1979, another expedition was excavating at this site; its workers laid a trench and missed by only a meter, revealing only pillars, the meaning of which remained unclear.

As scientists from Gorno-Altai State University (GASU) found out in early 2006, working on compiling a map of archaeological sites Gorny Altai using GPS receivers and satellite remote sensing data, many ancient archaeological sites and megalithic structures on the territory of the high-mountainous Ukok plateau (mounds, steles, barbals, stone displays, megaliths like the famous Stonehenge) are subject to strict spatial patterns. They have a north-south orientation, are located at a certain distance from each other and are tied to certain geological and geographical conditions. That is, the ancient builders consciously placed ritual and burial complexes in certain conditions. According to researchers, these complexes were used for orientation in space (when moving along caravan trails) or, possibly, in some astronomical cults.

The most famous megalithic structures in the world, in addition to Stonehenge, include: the temple in Baalbek (Lebanon), the La Roche-aux-Fées dolmen in Brittany, and the complex in Karnac (Egypt).
Text: Olga Portugalova.
From the website Gazeta.ru

Early megalithic structures of Asia Minor

Large ceremonial buildings from the 9th millennium BC. e. were discovered in Asia Minor. They date back to the era of the emergence of agriculture and cattle breeding in society, under the influence of which or directly from it the Middle Eastern and European Neolithic subsequently arose. The structures are large, rounded structures, supported by megalithic columns (3 m or more) made of monolithic hewn stone. The most ancient of the currently known are the temples of Gobekli Tepe and Nevali Chori. In Göbekli Tepe, only four temples out of about two dozen have been excavated to date. The diameter of some reaches 30 m. The columns have bas-relief images of animals (foxes, wild boars, lions, birds, snakes and scorpions). Although these temples represent the oldest megalithic structures on Earth, it is unknown how they are related to the European megaliths.

European megaliths

Megaliths are distributed throughout the world, mainly in coastal areas. In Europe, they mainly date from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages (3rd - 2nd millennium BC), with the exception of the British Isles, Portugal and France, where megaliths date back to the Neolithic era (for example, Carrowmore in Ireland, Almendros in Portugal, Barnen in Brittany and the Bougon necropolis in the Poitou-Charente department, France). Megalithic monuments are especially numerous and varied in Brittany. Also, a large number of megaliths are found on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, Portugal, parts of France, west coast England, Ireland, Denmark, south coast Sweden and Israel. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was widely believed that all megaliths belonged to one global megalithic culture, but modern research and dating methods refute this assumption.

The most common megalithic structure in Europe, the dolmen, is a chamber or crypt of vertically hewn monoliths on which rest one or more large flat stones that make up the “roof.” Many, although not all, contain the remains of people buried inside. Whether burial was the main purpose of the building, or whether people were sacrificed, were buried inside due to the performance of some rituals here during their lives, or remained in the dolmen for some other reason is unknown. Dolmen is the general name for such a structure; in different languages ​​and dialects of Europe it can also have other names, for example, cromlech (in Wales), anta (in Portugal) or stazzone (in Sardinia).

The second most common type of megalithic burial is the corridor tomb. It usually consists of a rectangular, circular or cruciform chamber with a flat or projecting roof at the edges, to which a long straight passage leads. The entire structure is covered with earth on top, forming a kind of mound, into which an entrance made of stone blocks opens. Sometimes the edge of the mound is bordered by a stone border. The most notable examples are Brú na Bóinne in Ireland, Bryn Kelly Dee in Wales, Maeshowe in Orkney and Gavriny in Brittany.

The third type is a variety of tombs in the form of galleries, for example, the Severn Cotswolds. In plan they have axial symmetry and consist of rows of chambers covered with elongated mounds. Individual or grouped menhirs and stone circles are also common, which in Russian-language literature are also called cromlechs, like Welsh dolmens. The latter type includes Stonehenge, Avebury, the Circle of Brodgar and hundreds of other similar monuments. Like menhirs, they were important astronomical devices for observing the sun and moon and are usually not as ancient as megalithic burials.

Types of megalithic structures

* menhir is a single vertical stone up to 20 m high.
* cromlech - a group of menhirs forming a circle or semicircle.
* dolmen - a structure made of a huge stone placed on several other stones (similar to a gate).
* thaula - stone structure in the shape of the letter "T".
* trilith - a structure made of a block of stone mounted on two vertically standing stones.
* seid - including a structure made of stone.
* cairn - a stone mound with one or more rooms.
* indoor gallery
* boat-shaped grave
* deer stone - massive hewn stone slabs with drawings (most often of a deer).

Purpose

The purpose of megaliths cannot always be determined. For the most part, according to some scientists, they served for burials or were associated with the funeral cult. There are other opinions. Apparently, megaliths are communal buildings (the function is socializing). Their construction represented a most difficult task for primitive technology and required the unification of large masses of people.

Some megalithic structures, such as the complex of more than 3,000 stones at Carnac (Brittany) France, were important ceremonial centers associated with the cult of the dead. Other megalith complexes have been used to determine the timing of astronomical events such as solstices and equinoxes.

In the Nabta Playa area in the Nubian desert, a megalithic structure was found that served for astronomical purposes. This structure is 1000 years older than Stonehenge, which is also considered a kind of prehistoric observatory.

The origins of architecture date back to the late Neolithic. It was then that stone was already used for the construction of monumental buildings. But the purpose of most of the monuments that have come down to us from that period is not known.

Megaliths(from Greek - big stone) - structures made of huge stone blocks, characteristic of the late Neolithic. All megaliths can be divided into two categories. The first includes the most ancient architectural structures of prehistoric (preliterate) societies: menhirs, cromlechs, dolmens, temples of the island of Malta,). For them, stones were either not processed at all or with minimal processing. The cultures that left these monuments are called megalithic. Megalithic culture also includes labyrinths (structures made of small stones), and individual stones with petroglyphs (traces). Constructions of more advanced societies (tombs of Japanese emperors and dolmens of Korean nobility) are also considered megalithic architecture.

The second category consists of structures of more developed architecture. These are mainly structures made of very large stones, which are given a geometrically correct shape. Such megalithic architecture is typical of early states, but was also built in later times. These are monuments of the Mediterranean - Egyptian pyramids, buildings of the Mycenaean civilization, Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In South America - some buildings in Tiwanaku, Ollantaytambo, Sacsayhuaman. Tiwanaku, Sacsayhuamane, Ollantaytambo.

Menhir– it is usually a free-standing stone with traces of working, sometimes oriented in some way or marking a particular direction.

Cromlech – This is a circle of standing stones, in varying degrees of preservation and with different orientations. The term henge has the same meaning. This term is usually used in relation to structures of this type in the UK. However, similar structures existed in prehistoric times also in Germany (Goloring, Goseck Circle) and in other countries.

Dolmen is something like a stone house.

All of them are united by the name “ megaliths”, which simply translates to “big stones”. For the most part, according to some scientists, they served for burials or were associated with the funeral cult. There are other opinions. Apparently, megaliths are communal buildings with a socializing function. Their construction represented a most difficult task for primitive technology and required the unification of large masses of people.

Gobekli Tepe, Türkiye Complex on the Armenian Highlands It is considered the oldest of the largest megalithic structures (approximately X-IX millennium BC). At that time, people were still hunting and gathering, but someone was able to erect circles of huge steles with images of animals. The shape of the temple resembles concentric circles, of which there are about twenty. According to experts, the complex was deliberately covered with sand in the seventh millennium BC, so for more than nine thousand years the temple was hidden by the Gobekli Tepe hill, whose height was almost fifteen meters and its diameter was about three hundred meters.

Some megalithic structures were important ceremonial centers associated with the cult of the dead. For example, a complex of more than 3,000 stones in Carnac (Brittany), France. Megaliths up to four meters high are arranged in slender alleys, the rows run parallel to each other or fan out, and in some places form circles. The complex dates back to the 5th–4th millennium BC. There were legends in Brittany that the great Merlin turned the ranks of Roman legionnaires to stone.

Megaliths at Carnac (Brittany) France

Other megalith complexes have been used to determine the timing of astronomical events such as solstices and equinoxes. In the Nabta Playa area in the Nubian desert b A megalithic structure was found that served for astronomical purposes. This archaeoastronomical monument is 1000 years older than Stonehenge. The location of the megaliths makes it possible to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people lived here seasonally, when there was water in the lake, and therefore needed a calendar.

Nabta Observatory, Nubia, Sahara

Stonehenge is a structure of 82 five-ton megaliths, 30 stone blocks weighing 25 tons and 5 huge so-called trilithons, stones weighing up to 50 tons. Folded stone blocks form arches that once served as a perfect indicator of the cardinal directions. Scientists suggest that this monument was built in 3100 BC by those who lived on British Isles tribes to observe the Sun and Moon. The ancient monolith is not only solar and lunar calendar, as previously assumed, but also represents an accurate cross-sectional model of the solar system.

Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury.

A mathematical comparison of the parameters of various geometric figures of the cromlech made it possible to establish that they are all a reflection of the parameters of various planets of our system, and model the orbits of their rotation around the Sun. But the most amazing thing is that Stonehenge depicts the orbits of 12 planets solar system, although today it is believed that there are only 9 of them. Astronomers have long hypothesized that beyond the outer orbit of Pluto there are two more planets unknown to us, and the asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, is the remains of a once-existing twelfth planet Solar system. How could the ancient builders know about this?

There is another interesting version about the purpose of Stonehenge. Excavations of a path along which ritual processions walked in ancient times confirm the hypothesis that Stonehenge was built along the Ice Age relief, which ended up on the solstice axis. The place was special: an amazing natural landscape was located on the very axis of the solstice, as if connecting earth and sky.

Cromlech Brougar or Temple of the Sun , Orkney Islands. Initially it had 60 elements, but now it consists of 27 rocks. Archaeologists date the Cromlech of Brodgar or the ring of Brodgar to 2500 - 2000 BC. The area where the Brodgar monument is located is ritual, sacred, and communicative. It is literally stuffed with mounds, group and individual burials, even a “cathedral,” as well as the dwellings and villages of Neolithic people. All these monuments are united into a single complex, protected by UNESCO. Archaeological research is currently being carried out in Orkney.

Cromlech Broughgar or Sun Temple, Orkney

Dolmens. Scientists believe that the approximate age dolmens are 3–10 thousand years old. The most famous dolmens are located in Scandinavia, on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts Europe and Africa, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in the Kuban region, in India. However, most of them are in the Caucasus - about 2.5 thousand! Here along the Black Sea coast (megaliths generally gravitate towards the seas) you can find “classical” tiled dolmens, monolithic dolmens, entirely hollowed out in the rock, dolmen structures made from a combination of stone slabs and blocks laid in two or more rows. They also talk about the spiritual content of these amazing structures, their energy charges.

Dolmen in the valley of the Zhane River

Maltese temples were built long before Egyptian pyramids- in the Bronze Age. Their age is more than 5000 years. It is curious that all these structures were built without the use of iron tools. The scale of all megaliths is so grandiose that local residents They were believed to have been built by giant giants. The question still remains open of how ancient people managed to build such tall buildings from huge stones up to 7 meters in size and weighing up to 20 tons, without using a binding solution, if we remember that temples were built even before the invention of the wheel. Scientists have established that the cultures of prehistoric Malta are largely related to Sicily, so it is possible that Malta was the cult center of the Sicilian Neolithic peoples.

There is not a single temple that has reached in its original form to the present day. It is believed that only four of them have survived relatively intact - the temples of Ggantija, Hadjar Kvim, Mnajdra and Tarshin. Although they also suffered the sad fate of a not entirely reliable reconstruction.

Temples of Ggantija in Šara(Xaghra - “giant”) are located in the center of the island of Gozo and are one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Today, the Ggantija temples are believed to have been built around 3600 BC.

The structure consists of two separate temples with different entrances, but a common back wall. Each of the temples has a slightly concave facade, in front of which there is a platform of large stone blocks. The oldest temple in the complex consists of three semicircular rooms arranged in the shape of a trefoil.

Modern scientists believe that such a trinity symbolizes the past, present and future or birth, life and death. According to a common version, the temple complex was a sanctuary for the worship of the goddess of fertility. Findings discovered during archaeological work help to draw this conclusion. But there is another version, according to which Ggantija is nothing more than a tomb. People of the megalithic era really devoted too much time and effort to observing traditions. Honoring their ancestors, they built grandiose tombs, and later, these places were used as sanctuaries where they worshiped the gods.