Megalithic Art Research Articles

Beyond Newgrange: Brú na Bóinne in the later Neolithic

The Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site, Ireland is best known for its megalithic monuments, in particular the great developed passage tombs of Knowth, Dowth, and Newgrange, and its abundance of megalithic art. However, our understanding of the wider Brú na Bóinne landscape has changed beyond all recognition in the last decade owing to the application of modern, non-invasive survey technologies – in particular LiDAR and large-scale geophysical survey – and most recently as a result of the hot, dry summer of 2018 which revealed a series of remarkable cropmarks between Newgrange and the River Boyne. Despite a lack of excavation it can be argued, based on their morphological characteristics, that many of the structures revealed belong within the corpus of late Neolithic ritual/ceremonial structures, including earthen henges, square-in-circle monuments, palisaded enclosures, and pit/post-alignments. These display both extraordinary diversity, yet also commonality of design and architecture, both as a group and with the passage tombs that preceded them. This paper provides an up-to-date survey of the late Neolithic and presumed late Neolithic landscape of Brú na Bóinne. It provides new evidence and new insights from ongoing survey campaigns, suggesting parallels within the British Neolithic but also insular development within some monument classes.

Natural “megalithic art” at Valencina (Seville): a geoarchaeological approach to stone, architecture, and cultural choice in Copper Age Iberia

Valencina (Seville, Spain) is one of the most important megalithic sites of the third millennium BCE in Western Europe. Among its most celebrated monuments are the tholoi of Montelirio, La Pastora, Matarrubilla, and Structure 10.042-10.049. Although sharing the same architectural tradition, these monuments were raised at different times of Valencina’s history and present important formal differences. In particular, the tholoi of La Pastora and Matarrubilla contrast with that of Montelirio in that they are devoid of artistic ornamentation such as paintings and engravings, showing instead an inordinate number of natural geological features. This study, focusing on La Pastora and Matarrubilla, offers an innovative approach to the notion of “megalithic art.” Firstly, these elements are characterized and classified and their natural origin established. Thus, the calcareous sandstone blocks dated from the Tertiary reveal structures on their surfaces generated by biological (bioturbation) and physical (by currents) processes during the Neogene. The surfaces of certain slabs of identical lithology at La Pastora experienced more recent intense marine bioerosion and bioconstructions in the form of Ostrea preserved to this date. Secondly, we emphasize the choice of different rock types following a certain pattern or serving to highlight a particular constructive element. In sum, all the natural elements bear highly aesthetic qualities and appear to have been deliberately chosen to highlight specific decorative or symbolic aspects. As a result, we suggest that future research on “megalithic art” should include analogous geological examinations in order to discern the origin and nature of the different elements.

After the Axes? The Rock Art at Copt Howe, North-west England, and the Neolithic Sequence at Great Langdale

Within sight of the Neolithic axe quarries on the Langdale Pikes is a group of massive boulders at Copt Howe. The two largest command a direct view of the stone source where the sun sets into the mountainside at the midsummer solstice. Both are decorated by pecked motifs which resemble features of Irish passage tomb art. Small-scale excavation in 2018 showed that a rubble platform had been built at the foot of the main decorated surface and sealed two further motifs of similar character. New work has established an important sequence in Great Langdale. Recently obtained radiocarbon dates indicate that the main period of axe production was between 3800 and 3300bc, whilst Irish megalithic art is later and was made between about 3300 and 2900bc, suggesting that Copt Howe achieved its importance after axe-making had ceased or was in decline. That is consistent with an increasing emphasis on relations between northern Britain and Ireland during the Late Neolithic period. Perhaps Copt Howe itself was treated as a ‘natural’ passage tomb.

“3DMeshTracings”: A protocol for the digital recording of prehistoric art. Its application at Almendres cromlech (Évora, Portugal)

The recording of megalithic art on menhirs in Western Iberia used to be performed through direct tracing. The use of photographic techniques represented an important advance in the interpretation of some of the most important prehistoric sites in this wide region, and also in the structuring of archaeological narratives. With the development of photogrammetry, the possibilities have improved considerably, enabling the recording of decorations not visible to the naked eye. In this paper, we present a new protocol to highlight the engravings on eroded surfaces, based on High Performance Computing and advanced algorithms for 3D mesh calculation. This tailored protocol has rendered expressive visual results that have succeeded in recording one of the most exceptional cromlechs in Western Europe: Almendres (Portugal). The results have proved the efficiency of the method and the need to revisit the classic megalithic sites.

Le site du Bronze moyen du Vrignoux à Aizenay (Vendée): stèles anthropomorphes et dépôt de parures annulaires

Un diagnostic archéologique réalisé par le service départemental de l’archéologie de Vendée a mis au jour un dépôt de parures annulaires enfoui dans un contexte particulier, topographique d’une part, mais surtout archéologique, au lieu-dit le Vrignoux à Aizenay. En effet, des fosses associées à ce dépôt livrent pour certaines de la céramique, et pour d’autres des fragments de stèles, réemployés comme éléments de calage. Deux autres stèles de petite taille, mais complètes, ont été découvertes, l’une dans un fossé parcellaire subactuel, et l’autre, mise à bas à côté de sa fosse d’implantation. Cet article propose, après une présentation du contexte de découverte et des structures du site, une description des stèles, à la fois sur un plan technologique – ce qui permet de démontrer qu’elles ont bien été façonnées – et sur un plan typologique. En l’absence d’élément de datation direct du contexte originel d’implantation de ces stèles, leur mise en perspective dans un cadre plus large, à l’échelle notamment du domaine atlantique où les découvertes de ces petites stèles anthropomorphes se multiplient, permet d’envisager une origine néolithique. L’étude céramique, la réalisation de plusieurs datations 14C et l’analyse du dépôt de parures annulaires convergent pour attribuer l’enfouissement du dépôt et la remobilisation des stèles entre la fin du Bronze moyen 1 et le début du Bronze moyen 2, soit entre la fin du XVIe et la première moitié du XVe siècle avant notre ère. Si l’interprétation du contexte dans lequel le dépôt a été effectué est discutée, on retiendra surtout, outre la probable pérennité du site, l’originalité des pratiques étudiées. En effet, le contexte du dépôt, en lien avec des structures bâties, est inédit dans la région. Ces pratiques sont mises en relation avec les remobilisations mégalithiques à l’âge du Bronze. Qui plus est, aux objets métalliques sont associées de la céramique et des datations 14C. Celles-ci suggèrent une attribution légèrement plus ancienne que ce qui était envisagé jusqu’ici pour ce type de parure annulaire à tige grêle, à section quadrangulaire ou biconvexe et extrémités indifférenciées, dont la répartition correspondrait aux contours d’un groupe régional spécifique, que le dépôt d’Aizenay contribue à mieux caractériser.

Des dalles ornées durant le Campaniforme et l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne : mythe ou réalité ?

Il est plus ou moins acquis depuis les travaux de P. Du Chatellier qu’il existe une forme d’art à l’âge du Bronze ancien en Bretagne dont les représentations se limiteraient à quelques dalles ornées de cupules et autres motifs simples, opinion défendue par J. Briard mais combattue par C. Burgess. Afin d’y voir plus clair, nous avons repris cette question sans a priori en nous limitant géographiquement à la Bretagne. En premier lieu, nous avons réuni le corpus des dalles ornées découvertes en contexte campaniforme ou Bronze et avons intégré celles issues de contextes probables et possibles. La moisson est plutôt maigre puisque ce sont seulement douze sépultures et un habitat qui ont livré des dalles en contexte certain du Campaniforme ou de l’âge du Bronze ancien, auxquels s’ajoutent onze cas plus incertains. Ces dalles ornées (à cupules ou à représentations figuratives) sont toutes en situation de réemploi selon des modalités variées. Les surfaces gravées sont généralement tournées vers l’extérieur mais aussi cachées vers l’intérieur des sépultures. Ces pierres décorées peuvent être réutilisées telles quelles, cassées ou réaménagées. En second lieu, la confrontation avec le corpus des dalles à cupules des sépultures néolithiques ne permet pas de dégager des types ou des agencements de cupules propres à l’âge du Bronze. On peut donc difficilement soutenir l’idée d’un développement de l’art des cupules à cette période en Bretagne ; ce qu’infirme d’ailleurs le nombre écrasant de dalles à cupules en contexte néolithique. Une large part de ces pierres ornées réutilisées dans les sépultures de l’âge du Bronze pourrait bien provenir d’affleurement à cupules ou de monuments néolithiques, comme l’attestent par ailleurs le réemploi de certaines représentations clairement néolithiques (figures anthropomorphes, haches emmanchées). Cependant, un lot de quatre dalles à cupules se distingue par leur perforation, inédite dans l’art mégalithique néolithique, et des figurations de cupules et de formes géométriques reliées entre elles, alors que les signes gravés néolithiques sont généralement placés côte à côte. Les auteurs proposent d’attribuer ce petit ensemble à l’âge du Bronze ancien, voire au Néolithique final. À cela s’ajoutent six petites dalles à cupules, découvertes sur l’habitat de Beg ar Loued comme dans le tumulus de Cruguel ; leur support modeste paraît être une originalité de l’âge du Bronze.

Going Round in Circles? (Or Revisiting the Relationship between Megalithic Art and Landscape Art in Ireland)

This paper seeks to revisit the relationship between Irish megalithic art at sites including Newgrange and Loughcrew, County Meath, and rock art found in the landscape on natural open-air outcrops and erratic surfaces in Ireland. Traditional approaches have had a tendency to treat the traditions in isolation; however, the two traditions arguably share similar timeframes and draw upon related motifs. In reference to the demonstrable importance of certain geological trends in the distribution and form of rock art in the landscape, this paper shifts the focus of research to variability in stylistic expression and the treatment of the stone surface, and offers some alternative insights.

Natural and artificial colours: the megalithic monuments of Brittany

Abstract

Megalithic Constructions Discovered in the Azores, Portugal

The oldest cave art known is of prehistoric origin, dating back to approximately 40,000 years ago in both Asia and Europe. The megalithic constructions in Western Europe and the Mediterranean Region took place mainly in the Neolithic and continued until the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. The Azores Islands did not seem to have been occupied before the arrival of the Portuguese navigators in the XVth century. Because of that, it was not expected that megalithic structures would be found, or structures that resembled megalithic tombs and rock art in the Azores Islands, geographically located in the Center of the North Atlantic, at 1500 km west of Lisbon (Portugal) and about 1900 km southeast of Newfoundland (Canada). These findings seem to be, historically, a paradox. In a first moment, an oral presentation was made about these findings by the author at the 16th Annual Mediterranean Studies Association Congress, and after that, a field trip took place with the archeologists present at the stated Congress. The perplexity was the dominant conduct of the guests, and some hypotheses that certain archaeologists mentioned were evolved versions which had not been empirically corroborated. Afterwards, new findings were registered at Grota do Medo site, helping to make clear that larger stones had been used to construct structures or monuments. The rock art surrounding the megalithic constructions in the Azores also has similarities with those found in Europe. If these findings belong to the Bronze Age or Iron Age, it can reopen new scientific questions about ancient mid-Atlantic crossings. The present article tries to establish ties among the megalith constructions found in the Azores with those known in Europe.

Combining photogrammetry and photographic enhancement techniques for the recording of megalithic art in north-west Iberia

Photogrammetry is an indirect technique that allows one to obtain different recording products – orthophotographs, planimetries, 3D models, etc. – that are essential for the study of prehistoric rock art. We believe nonetheless that there is no single technique capable of effectively registering an entire rock art site, so it is highly recommended to use a combination of several systems – that is to say, the development of a specific recording methodology – in order to obtain a documentation which is as thorough as possible. In this regard, different possibilities of combination of photogrammetry with other photographic techniques have been analysed, with the aim of obtaining an accurate recording of the art and its support, seeking also to incorporate into this recording other essential data for the study of its state of preservation.The use of photogrammetric techniques will be described, along with the tests carried out with photographic techniques such as polarised light photography or those that register images at both ends of the visible spectrum, both in the ultraviolet (UV) and in the infrared region (IR). These techniques enable the revelation of invisible details to clarify issues concerning technology and to explore scarcely noticeable forms of alteration. In some cases, these experiences have been complemented by the use of laser scanning in order to compare the effectiveness of both techniques.With all the experience acquired, it is possible to propose a rather precise recording methodology that requires no specialised technical training and no complex equipment.

Aspect, Architecture, and Art: The Passage Grave Tradition of Northwest Britain

By the mid-seventh millennium BP Neolithic communities along the Atlantic Seaboard of Europe began to witness the emergence of a pictographic language based on a common repertoire of abstract and figurative motifs. Although largely confined to passage grave communities occupying the coastal fringes of Atlantic Europe, the megalithic art tradition unified much of the Neolithic world from the coastal regions of the Mediterranean to northern Scotland over a period of some 3,000 years. The art itself appears to have acted as a personal signature, unique to each monument and its builders, but drawing on a limited set of symbols. This article explores the geographic extent of this mainly abstract motif repertoire and proposes that, over time and space key symbols may have been expressed in different ways; forming a distinct relationship between aspect (the landscape) and architecture.

Paintings in Atlantic Megalithic Art: Barnenez

The use of technique is usually considered in European megalithic art as an indicator of the level of culture sophistication attained by a particular community. Traditionally, it was considered that only the Iberian Peninsula is home to painted dolmens. The analysis of chamber H of the Barnenez tumulus together with some information scattered over the continent, prove that painting was part of the graphic programs in the most archetypal Atlantic sites, such as Brittany. A highly rewarding panorama appears for European megalithic art with potential new readings. The most suitable method of detecting paintings and interpreting them in funerary contexts must be reviewed.

La estatua-menhir del Pla de les Pruneres (Mollet del Vallès, Vallès Oriental)

At the site of the Pla de les Pruneres has been found an anthropomorphic figure carved in three dimensions on a block of arkose of 4.90 meters high and 6200 kg weight. The similarities of this statue-menhir with the figures of the Rouergue and the French Languedoc are very interesting, a fact which leads us to propose a timeline for this figure of 3300-2200 a.C. similar to these figurative groups of France. This discovery adds to the figure of Ca l'Estrada and the set of Reguers de Seró that place Catalonia in the forefront of research on megalithic art of the 4th and 3rd millennium B.C.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: NEW RECORDINGS OF MEGALITHIC ART IN NORTH‐WEST IRELAND

SummaryIn this paper new and previously known passage tomb art in north‐west Ireland is recorded using an innovative recording technique. The use of this method, which involves vector drawing from digital photographs taken with oblique lighting (VeDPOL), has clarified and increased the instances of megalithic carving in the north‐west of Ireland. At two monuments – Listoghil and Heapstown Cairn – the new recordings have allowed us to contextualize the art within the broader corpus of passage tomb motifs. Additionally, it is proposed that one of the carvings from Listoghil is of later prehistoric origin and not Neolithic as previously believed. Finally, and most importantly, this paper highlights a group of motifs recently found at Cairn B in the Carrowkeel‐Keashcorran complex. This discovery demonstrates for the first time that megalithic art was a feature of all four major passage tomb complexes in Ireland.

Frontières et art mégalithique. Une perspective depuis le monde pyrénéen

The presence of Atlantic themes in the most Mediterranean area of the North of the Iberian Peninsula serves as an invitation to reflect on the validity of the traditional boundaries which defined the Pyrenees as the border between the megalithic worlds of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Indeed, the territorial extension of the Iberian megalithic art coincides with that of the French megalithic art of which some of the best examples can be found in the South-east. The metal weapons represented in Vizcaya and Navarra draw attention to the strong symbolic facet of an area traditionally considered as marginal, and coincide with the metal resources of these rich environments of great potential for herding and agriculture. The engraved Palmela point of KTV is the first of its kind identified in the South of Europe. Its integration within a megalithic construction confirms the long course of development of these tombs which underwent in the mid-third millennium cal BC one of their greatest moments of inflexion, at a time contemporary to the use of the Beaker assemblage.

DISPLAY, DISCLOSURE AND CONCEALMENT: THE ORGANIZATION OF RAW MATERIALS IN THE CHAMBERED TOMBS OF BOHUSLÄN

Summary. The Neolithic chambered tombs of Bohuslän on the west coast of Sweden were built out of locally occurring raw materials. These exhibit a wide variety of colours, textures and mineral inclusions, and all were used to contrive a series of striking visual effects. Certain of these would have been apparent to the casual observer but others would only have been apparent to someone inside the passage or the burial chamber. There is no evidence that the materials were organized according to a single scheme. Rather, they permitted a series of improvisations, so that no two monuments were exactly alike. The effects that they created are compared with those found in megalithic art where the design elements were painted or carved, but in Bohuslän all the designs were created using the natural properties of the rock.

Light at the end of the tunnel: the way megalithic art was viewed and experienced

This paper explores how megalithic art may have been viewed during a period when Neolithic monuments were in use as repositories for the dead. The group of monuments discussed are primarily passage graves which were being constructed within many of the core areas of Neolithic Atlantic Europe. Although dates for the construction of this tradition are sometimes early, the majority of monuments with megalithic art fall essentially within the Middle to Late Neolithic. The art, usually in the form of pecked abstract designs appears to be strategically placed within the inner part of the passage and the chamber. Given its position was this art restricted to an elite and was there a conscious decision to hide some art and make it exclusively for the dead? In order to discuss these points further, this chapter will study in depth the location and subjectivity of art that has been carved and pecked on three passage graves in Anglesey and NW England. I suggest that an encoded grammar was in operation when these and other passage grave monuments with megalithic art were in use.

The protection and management of the megalithic art of Galicia, Spain

Megalithic art is an important cultural resource in many regions of Western Europe. In this contribution we look at examples from Galicia, in the north-west corner of the Iberian Peninsula. A vast project has been underway since 1998, surveying and characterizing megalithic paintings, a field of research previously unexplored in any systematic way. Through defining the extent and state of conservation of megalithic paintings, the aim of the project is to be able to recommend adequate measures for their protection and preservation. It is hoped that this interdisciplinary effort will be combined with a consistent policy of display and promotion that will ensure a growing public awareness of the value of these fragile artistic works, while avoiding unnecessary losses in this part of our cultural heritage.

Decorating the Houses of the Dead: Incised and Pecked Motifs in Orkney Chambered Tombs

Megalithic art has often been treated as a unitary phenomenon, related to the spread of farming across Western Europe. This approach does not do justice to the very different ways in which tomb decoration was employed by particular communities. This article focuses on the megalithic art of Orkney, much of it recorded for the first time during a recent field survey. This is normally interpreted as a local variant of the style of ‘art’ found in Neolithic Ireland, but on close examination it has much stronger links with the abstract motifs found in local settlements. Whereas the megalithic art of Ireland may have celebrated the passage of the dead to another world, in Orkney it was used to emphasize their continued involvement in the affairs of the living.

Megalithism in the Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian megalithic tombs started in the advanced neolithic of undecorated potteries of the IV millenium BC. It took a hugh tipologycal and cultural evolution during the Calcolithic, since the Bronce Age in the end of III milennium BC. The megalithic art shares its neolithic roots, in its cultural and geographic diversity evolution.