Megalithic architecture

Megalithic architecture uses large stones to create monuments and structures, often arranged as standing stones, tombs, or stone circles. Its forms developed independently in different societies and periods.

Megalith: A large stone used alone or with other stones to form a prehistoric structure or monument. The defining building material gives this architecture its name.
Stonehenge: A prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, built from standing stones and earthen earthworks. Its stone circle and lintelled trilithons are an iconic monumental arrangement.
Neolithic: The later part of the Stone Age, marked in many regions by farming and settled communities. Many well-known European megalithic monuments were built during this broad period.
Megalithic tomb: A prehistoric burial monument built from large stones, sometimes covered by an earthen or stone mound. Burial was a major purpose of many megalithic structures.
Masonry: Construction using individual units such as stone, brick, or concrete blocks joined or stacked together. Megalithic architecture is one distinctive mode within the broader practice of building with masonry.
Orthostat: An upright stone slab used as part of a wall or other structure. Upright slabs form walls in many megalithic tombs and chambers.
Newgrange: A passage tomb in Ireland built around 3200 BCE and covered by a large circular mound. Its stone-lined passage and chamber demonstrate sophisticated tomb construction.
European Megalithic Culture: A broad set of prehistoric monument-building traditions found across Atlantic Europe and parts of the Mediterranean. This regional grouping connects many tombs and monuments without implying a single unified society.
Stone circle: A ring or near-ring of standing stones, usually erected as a prehistoric monument. Circular arrangements are a prominent form within megalithic architecture.
Pyramid: A monumental structure with a polygonal base and triangular sides that meet at a summit. Pyramids are monumental stone architecture, but their massing differs from arrangements of large standing stones.

Linked from 11 pages