megalith

Also known as standing stone

thumb|Dolmen at [[Ganghwa Island, South Korea (c. 300 BC)]] thumb|Megalithic Batu Brak, Lampung Province, Indonesia (c. 2100 BC) thumb|Megalithic grave Harhoog in [[Keitum, Sylt, Germany (c. 3000 BC)]]

AI overview

A megalith is a large stone structure built by ancient peoples, examples of which have been found across the world from Korea to Indonesia to Germany, dating back thousands of years. These monuments matter because they provide evidence of early human societies' capabilities, organizational skills, and cultural practices.

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: Megaliths
OpenStreetMap tag: archaeological_site=megalith

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~45 min read

Article

47 sections

Contents

Types and definitions
Single stones
Multiple stones
Timeline
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Stone Age
Bronze Age
Geographic distribution of megaliths
European megaliths
Tombs
Other structures
Spread of megalithic architecture in Europe
African megaliths
North Africa
West Africa
Central Africa
Eastern Africa
Southern Africa
Asian megaliths
North East Asia
Northern style
Southern style
Capstone style
Southeast Asia
Living megalith culture of Indonesia
South Asia
West Asia
Melanesian megaliths
Micronesian megaliths
Modern theories
Purposes
Methods of construction
Types of megalithic structure
Contemporary megalith-building cultures
The Toraja of Indonesia
The Marapu of Indonesia
References in literature
Gallery
See also
Notes
References
Works cited
Further reading
Articles
Books
External links

A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically from Sweden in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south.