Megalithic Technology:

Mens, Emmanuel; Large, Jean-Marc

doi:10.2307/j.ctt1cfr97n.14

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…The stripped stone surfaces are systematically oriented towards the interior of the chamber whereas the natural surfaces face outwards, ensuring a vertical wall effect. This layout is the same for the capstone and the orthostats and is also well known in the megalithic architecture of Western France more generally (Mens, 2008;Mens and Large, 2009). This wall effect is clearly accentuated by a two-stage surface treatment.…”

Section: Monolith Architecture and Technologymentioning

confidence: 59%

Life and death of Angoumoisin-type dolmens in west-central France Architecture and evidence of the reuse of megalithic orthostats

Ard¹,

Mens²,

Poncet³

et al. 2016

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During the 5th millennium Angoumois-type dolmens -tombs comprising a passage and a quadrangular chamber characterized by high-quality stone working -appeared in west-central France. During a recent collective research and evaluation program (2012 -2015), excavations, multi-method prospecting, and technological and architectural analyses have yielded new data. Megalithic monuments are part of a landscape that has been profoundly transformed by people, and are reflections of a desire to erect social and territorial markers. Geophysical prospecting undertaken for the first time on and around these monuments has revealed original features that contribute to the monumentalization of the landscape in the same way as the fortifications associated with the world of the living. The excavations of the Petite Pérotte and Motte de la Jacquille (Fontenille, Charente) dolmens have enabled us to define both petrographical type and geographical origin of the monoliths as well as to bring to light the architectural choices made by the builders. The builders clearly focused on the monoliths of the funerary chamber, as exemplified by the construction of the stone door of Motte de la Jacquille, a unique example in European megalithism. This work goes beyond mere aesthetic preoccupations, and demonstrates a genuine investment of symbolism in megalithic construction. One of the most significant advances relates to the discovery of numerous examples of old structural stones in the construction of the Motte de la Jacquille funerary chamber. These point to the recycling of a previously existing funerary chamber, specifically deconstructed for this later occasion. Several scenarios are discussed to explore the possible motivations underlying such reuse.

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Section: Monolith Architecture and Technologymentioning

confidence: 59%

Life and death of Angoumoisin-type dolmens in west-central France Architecture and evidence of the reuse of megalithic orthostats

Ard¹,

Mens²,

Poncet³

et al. 2016

bspf

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“…One of the co-authors (F. Cousseau) was the first to multiply the application of these new tools to the study of Western European megalithic buildings, by combining them with a geoarchaeological approach (Cousseau, 2023) 6 . Thus, he was also the first to propose a reading of the geological and geomorphological characteristics of the monoliths that make up the internal space of Western European megalithic monuments, based on work conducted, among others, on the alignments of Carnac (Brittany, France) (Mens, 2008;Mens et Large, 2009;Mens et al, 2022;Sellier, 1991Sellier, , 2013Sellier, , 2018. This practice has since been democratized in Western Europe and has been applied to Neolithic megalithic monuments which take the form of large burial mounds made largely of dry-stone walls, formed from blocks of small module (Cousseau, 2023;Gouézin, 2022;Gouézin et al, 2019;Linares-Catela, 2017;van der Reijden, 2020).…”

Section: Western European Methods Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Levantine Megalithic Building Techniques: A Groundbreaking Method Applied to Menjez’s Monuments (Akkar, Lebanon) from the 4th–3rd Millennium BCE

Defours Rivoira,

Cousseau,

Steimer-Herbet

2024

J Archaeol Method Theory

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The aim of this paper is to present the methodology used to study the megalithic architecture of Menjez’s monuments (Akkar, Lebanon), as part of the MEG-A Project - “First megalith builders in the northern Levant” (2022–2025). Twenty-four monuments have been investigated since 2018. The primary objective is to pioneer a comprehensive understanding of the unique Levantine megalithic building techniques and re-establish the “chaînes opératoires,” by determining the builders’ sequence of actions. This groundbreaking methodology originally developed for Western European megalithic monuments, notably in Brittany, France, has been innovatively applied and customized to suit the Levantine context, specifically focusing on the distinctive basaltic monuments of Menjez and its surrounding areas. By using photogrammetry as a tool, the researchers are able to de-construct the megalithic architecture by analyzing the different components of these monuments. Moreover, it is then possible to describe monoliths according to their place within the monument and their geological and geomorphological features. Our work has led us to consider the symbolic aspect expressed in the megalithic architecture of Menjez. Employing this groundbreaking methodology not only yields concrete answers regarding the typology of these monuments but also dramatically reshapes our perception of their construction. It establishes a precise relative chronology for the various architectural phases and, most significantly, reveals the hidden details of the raw material supply chain.

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“…Within Western Europe, Neolithic and Chalcolithic megalith quarries of the fifth-third millennia BC have been identified in both France (Mens 2009;Mens and Large 2010;Benéteau-Douillard 2013) and Iberia (Calado 2016; see case studies in Boaventura et al 2020). Several of those in western France reveal the use of stone wedges, including Rocher-Mouton (Mens 2009) and La Butte de Moncoué (Poncet et al 2021: 12-14).…”

Section: The Bluestone Quarries In Context: Prehistoric Megalith Quar...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing extraction techniques at Stonehenge’s bluestone megalith quarries in the Preseli hills of west Wales

Pearson

Bevins

Pearce

et al. 2022

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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Megalithic Technology:

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Life and death of Angoumoisin-type dolmens in west-central France Architecture and evidence of the reuse of megalithic orthostats

Life and death of Angoumoisin-type dolmens in west-central France Architecture and evidence of the reuse of megalithic orthostats

The Levantine Megalithic Building Techniques: A Groundbreaking Method Applied to Menjez’s Monuments (Akkar, Lebanon) from the 4th–3rd Millennium BCE

Reconstructing extraction techniques at Stonehenge’s bluestone megalith quarries in the Preseli hills of west Wales

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