2024-09-08 16:37:28
When we think of Paleolithic and Neolithic people, we tend to think of them as backward and primitive. However, when they look at the houses that have been built in certain places, that thinking is reduced. The pyramids of Egypt were built from blocks of stone that were beautifully carved and stacked following a carefully designed plan. The megalithic complex of Stonehenge is another example of this construction technique. These are the most famous monuments, but in the south of Spain there is one that, at least in one aspect, surpasses the previous ones: Menga Dolmen.
The heaviest stones of the Cheops pyramid, located in the King’s Chamber, reach 70 tons, while the largest stones of Stonehenge weigh between 20 and 40 tons. At Menga Dolmen, however, the large stone covering the main chamber, called Slab 5, weighs more than 150 tons. Can you imagine the volume of knowledge and the technical power of the inhabitants who, a thousand years before these monuments, have designed, sculpted and moved a kind of rock to place it on equally attractive columns, between 5800 and 5600 years ago?
The Menga Dolmen is a testimony to the wisdom and technical skills of the Neolithic societies, whose technical and architectural abilities allowed them to mobilize a large number of workers, and organize the necessary logistics to move these gigantic stones from the dumps to the construction site.
Recently, an article published in Science Advances, whose main author is José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez, our guest on Talking with Scientists, proposed a new interpretation of how this great monument was built.
Menga Dolmen is located in the province of Antequera, southern Spain. It is a monumental construction in the form of a gallery that is 25 meters long. The walls are made up of 20 large vertical slabs (orthostats) protruding from the ground that support five large mud flats that serve as roofs. The height of the gallery starts at 2.5 meters and increases to 3.5 meters in the room covered by Slab 5. The maximum width of the gallery is 5.7 meters. Three interior columns, corresponding to the position of the dolmen, support the roof rafters, providing stability to the structure. “Although the traces of the fourth column have disappeared” – comments José Antonio Lozano during the interview. The entire complex is covered by a mound of earth that protects it.
The researches of José Antonio Lozano and his team have shed light on the complex technology involved in the construction of Menga. The researchers have performed a geoarchaeological analysis focused on three key components: the angles of the stone planes, the stratigraphic polarity and the depth of the foundations. The results suggest that Neolithic builders had sophisticated biological technology.
To move these large stones from the nearby quarries, located 850 meters from the site, Neolithic engineers probably used wooden sleds on carefully designed paths to reduce friction. This method is more efficient than using rollers, which would be inadequate due to the fragility of the rocks used. Controlling the acceleration and balance of the stones during transportation is important, and large ropes will have been used to guide these blocks with precision.
Menga Dolmen is not only a technical masterpiece, but also has a deep symbolic meaning. Unlike many other dolmens, which are usually oriented to the sun or astronomical events, Menga is aligned with the Peña de los Enamorados, a famous karst massif visible from the dolmen, suggesting a symbolic relationship with this natural origin. The orientation of the dolmen towards this landscape would have had significant cultural and religious significance for the community that built it.
However, Menga also shows a subtle astronomical pattern. During the summer, sunlight partially illuminates the burial chamber, suggesting that the builders also considered astronomical phenomena when constructing this monument.
The most recent discoveries at Menga Dolmen challenge the idea that Neolithic societies lacked advanced technology. Rather than viewing these structures as simple primary graves, Menga’s analysis reveals a completely original fire- projectwhich combines architectural precision, knowledge of materials and sophisticated logistics for the transportation and placement of giant stones.
For nearly 6,000 years, the Menga Dolmen has endured as a unique example of man’s ability to build lasting and symbolic monuments with basic but highly effective technology. The interdisciplinary analysis of the dolmen, which combines archaeological, scientific and technical evidence, shows that Neolithic societies not only had the ability to move large stones, but also did so with a degree of organization and knowledge that oppose the great technical works of the story.
In short, the Menga Dolmen is a landmark in the history of megalithic architecture and a testament to the creative genius of Neolithic societies.
I invite you to listen to José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez, geologist, geochemical scientist and researcher at the Canary Islands Oceanographic Center (COC) at the Spanish Academy of Oceanography (YES), which belongs to the High Commission for Scientific Research (CSIC).
References:
José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez et al., Early science and stone technology at Menga, a Neolithic dolmen (Antequera, Spain). Sci. 10, eadp1295 (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp1295
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