The origins of European Megaliths

[BillTre]

A study by Bettina Schulz Paulsson, a prehistoric archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden claims that the megalith building culture (which built about 35,000 structures) originated in NW France (Brittany) and spread along the coasts (to areas of France, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranian) and across seas (to Britan, Ireland and Scandinavia), indicating maritime abilities.
This is based upon 2,410 radiocarbon dates of megaliths and their surroundings.

These structures were thought to have started with building earthen gracve strutures around 5,000 BC, folowed by the first stone megaliths around 4,800 to 4,000 BC (both in France).
These designs were subsequently elaborated upon as their construction spread along maritime routes.

Alternative theories were:

• a mid-east origin
• independent origins in different areas

Interesting scientist (Dr. Schulz Paulsson) quotes:

“Everyone told me, ‘You’re crazy, it can’t be done,’” says Schulz Paulsson, a prehistoric archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the study’s sole author. “But I decided to do it anyway.”

Over the past decade, she said, she had dragged her family with her on research trips.

Of course, she acknowledged, much of that travel was along the Atlantic coast of France and to the various Mediterranean coastal sites.

“It’s not the worst,” she said.

PNAS article
Two popular articles (with nice pictures) about this:
NY Times
Science magazine news article

 

[Evo]

It is well known that very sophisticated megalithic stone formations have been found in the Near East that far pre-dates any of this. Göbekli Tepe dates from 11,000-12,000 BC. Has she just excluded all of this just to look at smaller, later, cruder, European structures?

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/150120-gobekli-tepe-oldest-monument-turkey-archaeology/

 

[phinds]

It is well known that very sophisticated megalithic stone formations have been found in the Near East that far pre-dates any of this. Göbekli Tepe dates from 11,000-12,000 BC. Has she just excluded all of this just to look at smaller, later, cruder, European structures?

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/150120-gobekli-tepe-oldest-monument-turkey-archaeology/

Very cool Evo. I was not aware of this. Thanks for posting.

 

[BillTre]

Yes, that is cool @Evo. I also had not heard of this before.

The first set of articles mentioned that there were mid-east site that were not yet dated and might change conclusions.
I have no idea if they were referring to the Göbekli Tepe type places or others.
It would be interesting to know how certain the 11,000-12,000 year old dates are.

That said, the Göbekli Tepe construction actually looks more sophisticated than the monoliths described in the other articles.
The stones have been worked on to a much greater extent. They are more right angular and have designs embossed upon them.
This would seem to indicate (to me anyway) an independent origin of the non-Turkish monoliths, at a later time.

 

[Evo]

Yes, that is cool @Evo. I also had not heard of this before.

The first set of articles mentioned that there were mid-east site that were not yet dated and might change conclusions.
I have no idea if they were referring to the Göbekli Tepe type places or others.
It would be interesting to know how certain the 11,000-12,000 year old dates are.

That said, the Göbekli Tepe construction actually looks more sophisticated than the monoliths described in the other articles.
The stones have been worked on to a much greater extent. They are more right angular and have designs embossed upon them.
This would seem to indicate (to me anyway) an independent origin of the non-Turkish monoliths, at a later time.

There are several layers to the site, the youngest dating to over 7,300 BCE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Göbekli_Tepe#Dating

It is a very interesting site and one I have been watching for years.

 

[BWV]

Too much of a coincidence, these cultures all building monoliths - must be aliens (just kidding)

What is interesting about Gobekli Tebe is that it predates agriculture - a hunter gatherer society built them

 

[phinds]

What is interesting about Gobekli Tebe is that it predates agriculture - a hunter gatherer society built them

Do we really know that for sure? I know the article says that but I wonder how certain it is.

 

[BWV]

Do we really know that for sure? I know the article says that but I wonder how certain it is.

Not sure how sure we are of anything related to prehistory, but my understanding is that early agriculture was limited to river valleys with annual floods like the Nile, Mesopotamia, Indus, etc because of no other method of fertilization, anywhere else the soil would become depleted. The article states no evidence has been found of settlements or domesticated plants and animals in the area

 

[Klystron]

It is well known that very sophisticated megalithic stone formations have been found in the Near East that far pre-dates any of this. Göbekli Tepe dates from 11,000-12,000 BC. [snip!]
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/150120-gobekli-tepe-oldest-monument-turkey-archaeology/

An excerpt from the National Geographic article

"The debris includes tens of thousands of broken animal bones, including gazelles and aurochs, a type of wild cow that’s now extinct." [Italics added]​

Could these digs help push back estimated dates of animal husbandry? I seem to remember controversy surrounding auroch bones found in early cave sites; and

"During the Neolithic Revolution, which occurred during the early Holocene, at least two aurochs domestication events occurred: one related to the Indian subspecies, leading to zebu cattle, and the other one related to the Eurasian subspecies, leading to taurine cattle. Other species of wild bovines were also domesticated, namely the wild water buffalo, gaur, wild yak and banteng. In modern cattle, numerous breeds share characteristics of the aurochs, such as a dark colour in the bulls with a light eel stripe along the back (the cows being lighter), or a typical aurochs-like horn shape."​

While gazelles were no-doubt hunted, aurochs and related cattle species could have been involved in early domestication events. For example note 18th and 19th Century reports of "wild cattle" found throughout lower North and Central America later determined to be descendants of cattle re-introduced by 15th and 16th C. Europeans. [See also Texas Longhorn]