Megalithic Monuments

2012. Review of Landscapes of Neolithic Brittany (Scarre, 2011)

by Katina Lillios

In Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (N.S.) 18: 466-510.

Álvarez Martínez, V.; Menéndez Blanco, A. y Jiménez Chaparro, J. I.: "Percepciones míticas y pautas de comportamiento en torno a los espacios megalíticos de montaña. Un caso de estudio: La Carreiriega de los Gallegos (Ayande, Asturias) en II Jornadas de Jóvenes investigadores en Arqueología, 2009. pp. 189-197

by Jesús Ignacio Jiménez Chaparro

co-authored with Valentín Álvarez Martínez y Andrés Menéndez Blanco

Cronologia e Culture dell'arcipelago Maltese tra VI e IV Millennio Cal BC. Unpubl.Diss., Università Ca'Foscari, Venezia, 2009/10.

by Tiziano Fantuzzi

El megalito de “la Barraca dels Moixonaires” (Cardona, Barcelona). Estudio arquitectónico de una “cista megalítica” Alfons Fíguls i Alonso, Jorge Bonache Albacete, Joan González Huertas i José Bonache Albacete

by Alfons Fíguls i Alonso

La Barraca dels Moixonaires is a 5,87 m3, rectangular ground plan and trapezoid shape “megalithic cist or case ”,... more La Barraca dels Moixonaires is a 5,87 m3, rectangular ground plan and trapezoid shape “megalithic cist or case ”, placed inside a mound made up of sediments, nodules and rocks, with a 7,6m of diameter cromlech.
This cista is situated in a very privileged place, as it is situated in the top of a range dominating the countryside, but it isn’t in the highest point, which is Sant Quintí hill (715 m). It could be understood as not only a dominating presence in the countryside but as: “to see and to be seen”.
It has been checked that the sepulchral camera constitutes the substructure, whereas the mound covers it forming the superstructure. Technically the object of the mound is to waterproof the funerary structure, and at the same time it has an entrance ramp function, but it isn’t used as a support element, this is to say, it is a supported element. The stones inclination is not due to the passage of time but it is due to the construction technique. The re-excavation in 1998 shows that the sepulchral camera is not placed in the geometrical centre of the mound, but it is offcentre. It shows an assymetrical and non-tectonic shape. It may be that it was done deliberately to resolve the uneveness and at the same time to create harmony in the proportions.

El hemidolmen de Cardona o de la Vinya del Giralt (Cardona, Barcelona). Tecnología y mecánica en la prehistoria. Alfons Fíguls i Alonso, Jorge Bonache Albacete i Joan Aranda Gelabert

by Alfons Fíguls i Alonso

This communication reflects on one of the less well-known megalithic structures like the hemi-dolmens.
The lintel... more This communication reflects on one of the less well-known megalithic structures like the hemi-dolmens.
The lintel of the hemi-dolmen of Cardona or Vineyard of Giralt, it is a big stone with a rounded points, has been studied. From the archaeological and geological results, we have analysed the work applying the force of the lever on the roof.

Turmbauten zu Son Fornes (Mallorca)

by Roberto Risch

LULL, V., MICÓ, R., RIHUETE, C. y RISCH, R. (2007), "Turmbauten zu Son Fornes", Archäologie in Deutschland ( 2.2227 märz-april), pp. 56-61.

An island decides: megalithic burial rites on Menorca

by Roberto Risch

GILI, S, LULL, V., MICÓ, R., RIHUETE, C. y RISCH, R. (2006), “An island decides: megalithic burial rites on Menorca”, Antiquity , 80, pp. 829-842.

Interpolity exchange of basalt tools facilitated via elite control in Hawaiian archaic states

by Jennifer Kahn

In Polynesia, the complex Society Islands chiefdoms constructed elaborate temples (marae), some of which reached... more In Polynesia, the complex Society Islands chiefdoms constructed elaborate temples (marae), some of which reached monumental proportions and were associated with human sacrifice in the ‘Oro cult. We investigated the development of temples on Mo‘orea Island by 230Th/U dating of corals used as architectural elements (facing veneers, cut-and-dressed blocks, and offerings). The three largest coastal marae (associated with the highest-ranked chiefly lineages), and 19 marae in the inland ‘Opunohu Valley containing coral architectural elements were dated.  Fifteen corals from the coastal temples meet geochemical criteria for accurate 230Th/U dating, yield reproducible ages for each marae, and have a mean uncertainty of 9 yr (2σ). Twelve out of 41 corals from wetter inland sites show some diagenesis and may yield unreliable ages; however, the majority (32) of inland dates are considered accurate. We also obtained six 14C dates on charcoal from four marae. The dates indicate that temple architecture on Mo‘orea Island developed rapidly over a period of about 140 years (ca. AD 1620-1760), with the largest coastal temples constructed immediately prior to initial European contact (AD 1767). The result of a seriation of architectural features corresponds closely with this chronology. Acropora coral veneers were superceded by cut-and-dressed Porites coral blocks on altar platforms, followed by development of multi-tier stepped altar platforms and use of pecked basalt stones associated with the late ‘Oro cult. This example demonstrates that elaboration of ritual architecture in complex societies may be surprisingly rapid

La Préhistoire et les enfants au CAIRN ( Centre Archéologique d'Initiation et de Recherche sur le Néolithique) 1991

by Bertrand Poissonnier

Published iIn : Paulet-Locard M.-A. (dir.). : 'La Préhistoire et les enfants". Actes de la table-ronde de Manneville-es-Plains, juin 1991. Cahiers de Préhistoire de Haute-Normandie, 1, 1974: 77-83.

(1994) Mégalithisme expérimental au C.A.I.R.N

by Bertrand Poissonnier

Published in :' Les sites de reconstitutions archéologiques. Actes du colloque d’Aubechies, 2-5 septembre 1993'.  Archéosite d’Aubechies, 1994:53-57.

Structure en croissant et pierres de Ben-Bârûr dans le wâdi Alamasse (Fezzân, Libye)

by Bertrand Poissonnier

Co-authored with R. Bernard, published in 'Sahara' 7: 105-107.

Fibiger, L. 2012. Investigating cranial trauma in the German Wartberg Culture. In R. Schulting & L. Fibiger (eds.) Sticks, stones and broken bones. Neolithic violence in a European perspective. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

by Linda Fibiger

Cranial remains of 186 individuals belonging to the Late Neolithic
Wartberg Culture of central Germany were... more Cranial remains of 186 individuals belonging to the Late Neolithic
Wartberg Culture of central Germany were examined for evidence of trauma that could indicate interpersonal violence. The remains came from three collective burials in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hessen, excavated between 1934 and 1993. A total of 13 individuals (7%) presented with evidence for healed trauma whereas unhealed cranial injuries were noted on eight individuals (4.3%). Interpersonal violence appears to have been endemic and to have affected all sections of society.

Brizzi, V. Links between Megalithism and Hypogeism in Western Mediterranean Europe (Review)

by Vittorio Brizzi

published in:  European Journal of Archaeology, Volume 15, Number 1, April 2012 , pp. 159-163(5)

"El grupo megalítico de Villarmayor (Salamanca). Contribución al estudio del Megalitismo del occidente de la Meseta Norte". [The megalithic group of Villarmayor (Salamanca). Contribution to the study of Megalithism in the West of the Northern Plateau]

by Marta Diaz-Guardamino Uribe

(Spanish) Complutum, 1997

This article is the summary of my master thesis, in which I studied a group of megalithic funerary monuments situated... more This article is the summary of my master thesis, in which I studied a group of megalithic funerary monuments situated in the valley of the river Tormes (Salamanca), in the SW of the northern plateau, in the Iberian Peninsula. One of the interesting aspects of these monuments is that they have varied sizes, architectures and locations in the landscape, although some of them might have been used during the same period, suggesting the existence of intra/inter-group social differences. An additional interest is that they are located not far from two contemporary settlements. These megalithic monuments were in use during the 4th-3rd Millenia BC. 

Wyniki wstępnej prospekcji geomagnetycznej cmentarzyska megalitycznego kultury pucharów lejkowatych w Muszkowicach, woj. dolnośląskie

by Mirosław Furmanek

Furmanek M., Przybył A., Wyniki wstępnej prospekcji geomagnetycznej cmentarzyska megalitycznego kultury pucharów lejkowatych w Muszkowicach, woj. dolnośląskie (w:) Metody geoinformacyjne w badaniach archeologicznych, Poznań 2011, s. 24-25.

Les monuments mégalithiques du Mänz (Nord-Shoa) : un inventaire provisoire

by François-Xavier Fauvelle-Aymar

Co-authored with Derese Ayenachew, B. Hirsch & R. Bernard
Published in "Annales d'Ethiopie" 23, 2007-2008 : 329-398.

This articles presents a preliminary inventory of megaliths, in particular funerary tumuli, found in Mänz, Ethiopia.... more This articles presents a preliminary inventory of megaliths, in particular funerary tumuli, found in Mänz, Ethiopia. The inventory provides geographical and morphological details, as well as oral information gathered about these monuments.

Necrópole megalítica da serra do Alvão (Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Vila Real)

by Domingos Cruz

Cruz, D. J. (1985), “A necrópole megalítica da serra do Alvão”, Trabalhos de Antropologia e Etnologia, XXV (2‐4), Porto, pp. 396‐406.

The genesis of monuments among the Mediterranean islands.

by Michael Kolb

2005. The genesis of monuments among the Mediterranean islands. In: The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Mediterranean. Edited by B. A. Knapp and E. Blake. Blackwell, London, pp. 156-179.

Labor mobilization, ethnohistory, and the archaeology of community in Hawai'i.

by Michael Kolb

1997. Labor mobilization, ethnohistory, and the archaeology of community in Hawai'i. (S. Kepecs and M. J. Kolb, editors). Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, special issue 4, pp 265-285.

Monumentality and the rise of religious authority in precontact Hawaii.

by Michael Kolb

1994. Monumentality and the rise of religious authority in precontact Hawaii. Current Anthropology 35(5):521-547.