What is Megalith?
[[Image:Dscn5212-mane-braz 800x600.jpg|thumb|right|Megalithic tomb, [[Mane Braz]], Brittany]] [[Image:clooneen wedge tomb.jpg|thumb|right|Bronze Age wedge tomb in the Burren area of Ireland]] A '''megalith''' is a large [[Rock (geology)|stone]] used to build a [[structure]] or [[monument]], either alone or together with other stones. '''''Megalithic''''' means structures made of such large stones, put together without the use of [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]] or [[cement]]. The word ''megalith'' comes from the [[Greek language|Ancient Greek]] ''{{polytonic|μέγας}}'' ''megas'' meaning ''great'', and ''{{polytonic|λίθος}}'' ''lithos'' meaning ''stone''. It has been used to describe [[stone structure]]s built by people from many parts of the world living in many different times. Many megaliths were used to figure out the dates of the [[solstice]]s and [[equinox]]es. These structures were built mainly in the [[Neolithic]] period. They continued to be built into the [[Bronze Age]]. Some were built even earlier in the [[Mesolithic]] period.<ref>Johnson, W. (1908) p.67</ref> A famous example of a megalith is [[Stonehenge]]. ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== * Johnson, W. (1908). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1uwgAAAAMAAJ Folk-memory]''. Oxford: Clarendon press. {{stub}} [[Category:Prehistoric buildings and structures]]