Prehistoric Megalithic Engineering

Megalith comes from the Greek word `Mega’, which means large and `Lithos’, stone.Megalith also portrays an object which consist of rocks formed in particular shape for a purpose which has been used in describing building that have been built by people of an ancient era in various locations of the world.

 Varieties of huge stone have been found as megaliths in construction of different structures that took place during the Neolithic period and that which continued through the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age.

Several theories have come up regarding the methods used in the prehistoric megalithic engineering in the form of modern civil engineering methods used in the megalithic construction.


One of the most amazing factors of the megaliths is its unusual size which has given some of the sites a mythological stand where local traditions consider that they had been fashioned by gods or giants.

Puzzling Primitive Methods and Tools

There are various tales with regards to the megaliths, describing single large structures of stones which had been thrown or lost by giants and have been described in particular as their graves or ovens or houses. The connection of giants with megaliths dates back to the thirteenth century where the oldest reference to tumuli gigantis has been found in written documents.

The most amazing mystery is the moving and using of huge stones which have been weighing over hundreds of tonnes where the smaller stones could have been exceedingly convenient and efficient. Generations of archaeologist, engineers, explorers, historian as well as tourist are left perplexed with these great mysteries and have been speculating on how the ancient people movedthese massive tons of blocks of stone with the help of primitive methods and tools.

Besides moving them, the accuracy of positioning them is mind blowing and while the question is simple the problem is quite complex.

Adopted Sophisticated Technology

The use of such massive stones in several constructions like the Baalbek, Giza, Stonehenge, Carnac, Jerusalem, to name a few, indicates a level of organization and skill.

Several theories have come up regarding the methods which were adopted in the prehistoric megalithic engineering especially in the form of modern civil engineering system imposed during the megalithic engineering.

In recent prehistoric period, this civilization adopted sophisticated technology by inconveniently quarrying huge stones as well as transporting them to inconvenient distance to some to the most inconvenient locations and then piling them into temples on the mountain scale.

Many agree that the Great Pyramids of Egypt together with other prehistoric megalithic structures around the globe were constructed on these colossal magnitudes which no ordinary human being would have done. The monument at Abu Simbel even today had to be cut to pieces since even the heaviest machinery was unable to manage to move them a few hundred yards away from the Nile waters which were rising behind the Aswim Dam.

Astounding Level of Technical Skill

The actual structure method and technology adopted by the ancient people is puzzling as well as fascinating to modern man and an in-depth study has revealed an astounding level of technical skill and knowledge shown by ancient men.

Some examples are that they quarried the stone needed without using any explosives recognizing different area or weaknesses in the rock, using fire to crack the stone or driving in wet wooden wedges into cracks in rock walls.

Besides they also used different types of fibres woven and plaited in various patterns to make ropes which were used in a variety of uses like the movement of heavy objects.