MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS IN EUROPE

Generation of scholars and people have been determined to solve the question of who built and what was the use of these megalithic monuments?

Apparently, they can be found all over Northern Europe. What was the use and reason for building these megalithic monuments either in a circle, straight lines or standing alone?

They are ancient structures built with a single or many huge stones. The single stone slab is called menhirs and it means long stone. Alignments built with a line of uncarved stones. Also stone circles. In Britain alone are more than 900. The circles can be just made of huge boulders or better constructed like Stonehenge.

The purpose of these monuments is not known. Whether they were used for a kind of worship or scientific reason which took place within the circle or straight lines is not known. There are as many theories about these stones. However, since there is an alignment of a number of stone structures with the Sun and the stars it makes it more acceptable that they were used for Sun worshipping and seasonal events. It had been notice that the movement of the Sun and stars at the solstices which means the times when the Sun is furthest north and south from the equator aligns with the stones.

AVEBURY RING

It is not acceptable that they were astrological observatories, clocks, or primitive space stations.

Stonehenge is the most widely know megalithic monument in Britain. However, as already mentioned, there are quite a number of others in northern Europe. Just to mention a few is the Castlerigg circle in Cumbria, Callanish in the Outer Hebrides, Avebury Ring in Wiltshire and Ballynoe in Northern Ireland. A most extraordinary site exists in France. There are 3000 stones set in parallel rows at Carnac in Brittany.

The CASTLERIGG CIRCLE in Cumbria, north-west England stands in front of the towering fells. The circle was built in about 3000 BC using 38 unhewn stones. There are still 33 of them standing. The largest stone weighs 15 tonnes.

The CALLANISH STONE CIRCLE in the Outer Hebrides is erected, like all the other, in wild, windswept and isolated spots. It raises another many questions.

The CARNAC STONE ALIGNMENT in Brittany is assumed by the expert that is was a moon observatory. They are three major groups of stone.  It could have been once one area.  People might have used stones for other use.

CARNAC MENEC -- is area of 1,165 by 100m.  The largest stone is 4m high.

CARNA KERMARIO -- is a fan-like lay out.  It has 1,029 stone and has 1,305m in length

CARNAC KERLESCAN -- is a smaller group of 555 stones and has a length of 800, with the largest stone of 4m.

BALLNOE IN NORTHERN IRELAND