Question

what is the important of a megalith to the paleolithic society

Answer 1

The presence of megaliths in cultural heritage is of great importance for most countries throughout the world. These objects exist on all continents, creating a unique network of priceless cultural geosites. Areas on which megalithic buildings are located create a uniquely mysterious aura; they intrigue, stimulate the imagination, and often evoke the feeling of communing with something supernatural. Since the dawn of time, these places have been surrounded by a specific cult, playing an important role in the development of civilization. The oldest megaliths can be found on the African continent, notably in the Sahara and the Central African Republic. They are dated to the 6th century B.C., and in Europe to the 5th century B.C. In total, throughout the world, megalithic formation developed for about 7-8 thousand years. Currently, megaliths no longer play a decisive role in beliefs, but there are exceptions: for example, for some African tribes, especially those who live in the belt south of the Sahara, they are still an important cultural element. Megalithic constructions are one of the most typical features of the European Neolithic; however, they functioned in the Bronze Age, being a crucial element of the landscape. In the history of the world, the periods when megalithic structures flourished were characterized by the intensive economic, cultural and spiritual development of societies, and the creation of a specific belief system and advanced living standards. This resulted in the creation of proto-civilization on the Iberian Peninsula, and in India, in the Iron Age. Similarly, in Central America, the Olmec, at the turn of the second and first century B.C. created a civilization and also, in Japan, a civilization was created in the first century A.D.

Megalithic monuments – heritage of ancestors

Megaliths are large stones or large stone blocks or structures made of such stone structures and systems. The denomination comes from two Greek words: “megas” – big and “logos” – stone. Interestingly, in all areas megaliths exhibit similar features, such as: form, shapes, the ideology conditioning their use, as well as architectural layouts, therefore not every single stone is a megalith. Megalithic buildings are found all over the world from Africa to Asia, Europe, America, Australia and Oceania. In Europe, the highest concentration of megaliths is observed in the western, northern and south-western regions. In countries in the south of Europe they are relatively rare, but they are abundant on Mediterranean islands (e.g. in Malta). There are several theories concerning the origin of megaliths; however, an important question in these theories is whether they were created independently of each other, on different continents, or, whether they come from a single centre. Most researchers believe that the cradle of megalithic culture in general was Sahara and Central Africa, from where it spread to other continents. Among the megalithic monuments the following, among others, can be distinguished: chamber tombs, corridor tombs, gallery tombs, tholoi tombs, stone box graves, rock – cut tombs, transept graves, barrow graves, long barrows, circles, menhirs, menhirs statuary, covered alleys, stone houses and megalithic forts.

Megalithism was associated primarily with the religion of the Great Mother and the cult of ancestors. This cult was present among most tribes and peoples from all continents. One of the most important elements of this religious concept was to maintain communication with the spirits of ancestors, who were identified as intermediaries and representatives with their contacts with the gods, as well as with members of their community. The dead were present in the entire life of the people of that time and stayed in specially made corridor tombs and in the tholoi in the burial mound. The symbolism of these tombs refers to the womb of the Great Mother, where the deceased after laying in the tomb awaits rebirth in her womb. The megalithic tombs and graves were places of both individual and collective burial. An example of collective burial is the cemetery at Los Millares in Spain. The site includes a settlement, and the cemetery, which consists of a collective burial mound and about 100 tombs, ‘tholos tombs’, where the remains of about 1500-2000 people were discovered. In the graves, not only families, but also members of a given tribe or a given community were buried. There are also tombs of the elite. Many additional artifacts were discovered in tombs, such as clay pots, stoneware, ornaments, hatchets, etc. The following example of such tombs can be listed: the tholos “Cuevera del Romeral” in Antequera in Spain or the tholos Praia das Maçãs in Portugal. Equally interesting elite tombs were discovered in Great Britain and Ireland, with stones covered with signs and various symbols (e.g. Newgrange, Knowth, Slieve in County Meath in Ireland, Clynnog in Caernarvonshire, Wales. There was also a significant number of skeletons in these graves, while sometimes the body of a person important to the local society was buried in a separate chamber, and ordinary members of the clan/community in simple box graves. In Poland, in the mounds of funnel beaker cultures and globular amphora culture, there were people accompanying the priest, who were to serve him in the underworld and therefore their burial was more modest. There were also skeletons of people who were probably sacrificed. The aim of the memory cult of the ancestors was to give a guarantee to the deceased’s soul that they would experience eternal life. Many elements characteristic for shamanic religions, including the shamanic posthumous initiation, can be found.

4 Religion and spirituality versus megaliths

Celestial bodies were an important element in the megalithic religion, especially the Sun and the Moon. Entrances to megalithic buildings, ceremonial centres and especially tombs, were oriented towards the rising sun, so that life would wake up again every day. Orienting the megaliths towards the west is very rare (for example in Balnauaran of Clava and in Gussage St. Michael in England). Among the complexes of megalithic monuments, huge, almost spectacular objects can be found that were associated with astronomical orientation, such as Stonehenge in England, or Callanish on the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides – they are considered to be sui generis calendar computers, allowing the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. Their true purpose is not known. They could have been used either for ritual practices, representing “cosmic centres” or in agriculture, as a calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest.

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