Liquidrage

I must admit, Neolithic megaliths are one of the few oddities that strike me as possible having some meaning beyond traditional understanding (aliens, goat gods, I don't know, they jsut don't make much sense).

All over the planet groups of people felt the need to painstakingly build extremely large and difficult stone monuments of various kinds.

Anyone know of any valid theories as to why so many groups with seemingly little else in common would all feel the need to build big?

My own poor theory is that all these start showing up shortly after the last ice age. Certainly most people lived in costal areas (and still do) and therefor would have experienced a loss of their once settled lands. Perhaps in an effort to build something they believed might last the rising waters and periodic floods, they decided to build larger then would normally be required.

As I said, it's a poor theory. Would love to see some others.

Doubting Didymus

Its not like we don't still do it today. What the fuck are the eiffel tower and the statue of liberty for? Never underestimate the power of whimsy.

Glory

Two words:

Las Vegas

Glory

Ted Hoffman

Liquidrage,
I think its important that you pick out some specific megaliths for analysis because it would be futile to attempt to come up with a general reason for building [all of] them.
Some are too far off the coasts to have been intended to help during floods etc. Some may have had religious motives, some agricultural, some territorial etc.

[ October 17, 2002: Message edited by: Intensity ]</p>

Amen-Moses

Personally I think that the ancients were trying to copy their Gods, i.e when the ice receded in various locations huge rocks were left lying around many of them in situations that would have seemed to need god like abilities (i.e immense smooth rocks perched on top of hills).

In addition the shape of the landscape carved out by the ice may have triggered such a feeling of awe that people thought of the better examples as relics of godlike activities.

As time lessened the impact of these natural monuments the humans possibly felt it their duty to mimic these great natural works with similar man made ones.

That is my take on the Neolithic megalith builders in Europe anyhow, the later builders, especially those in China and America, probably had other reasons.

Amen-Moses

Glory

The host of progrm on pyramids asked a similar question to this one. Why are all the pyramids/megaliths in the world so similar? The answer, of course, is that they aren't.

Glory

Marduk

I for one would love to know how they built those various temples or whatever they are way up in the Andes Mountains. Some of the walls of those buildings are right up to the edge of rather steep cliffs. Very impressive work of cutting and fitting 60 ton stones and putting them together in jigsaw puzzel style, now that's just showing off.

Liquidrage

There is nothing wrong with saying they aren't related. That is a valid theory.

I have no desire to just point out single ones however. As my wonderment comes from pointing out that they all do share something in common. They are all large beyond what would reasonably be assumed one would desire to build.

I have no belief in any particular theories about them. I do not believe they are all meant to point to stars (what doesn't?). But I do find a curiosity in their existence.

For the same reasons we do? Thats fine.
Luck (they aren't related)? Fine too.

Though I don't think that some are built inland is a valid objection to my naive rising waters theory. What better place to build them to avoid waters?

There might not be a link. But still, they all do have something in common.

echidna

Not meaning to trivialise your question Liquidrage, but I’ve always attributed the phenomenon to male pissing contests.

echidna

... and phallic symbolism.

Rest in peace SF.