Many megalithic tombs have been destroyed over the centuries and the remaining buildings represent only a fraction of the original number. E. Sprockhoff [1] listed 900 for German Empire in 1938. Today this number is around 1,350 for that area. In Denmark today 2,067 tombs are known on an area roughly half the size than …
The concept of a tiered cosmos is important for an understanding of the meaning of megalithic structures. The Greek word cosmos is not just another term of what we today call the universe. Moreover it refers to the sum of experiences of a society. That includes the physical world, but also religious concepts. An important …
Entoptic phenomena (or just entoptics) are visual sensations that occur in the human visual system itself without external stimuli. That means the sensations can be observed even with closed eyes. The figure below gives some examples of the entoptic phenomena. These are usually simple geometric patterns, like lines, grids or nets, dots, zigzags and spirals. …
Described from finds in Breton megalithic art this symbol is named yoke in literature (e.g. [1] ). Locations This symbol can be found in a number of passage tombs in Brittany. A fine example can be found in the passage tomb of the Mané Lud mound in Locmariaquer with eleven ‘yokes’ on one orthostat. Interpretation …
Tri-sprial A spiral is a linear curve that winds around a centre point with increasing distance to that point although it can be also interpreted the other way round. There are examples of spirals in nature, like the shells of snail. It is a very old symbol and was used all over the world. Locations …
This symbol was named after the Mané Rutual (also known as Mané Rutuel or Mané Rethuel) chambered cairn where it was first found. It is also called ‘Mane Rutual axe’ or ‘plough axe’. Locations The symbol is found in a number of megalithic cairns. Although there is believe that some (if not all) carvings are …
This symbol was subject to a shift in meaning. In ancient Greece it was standing for a sphere or globe. The recent meaning in astronomy is the Earth. In the Bronze Age it was associated with the sun. Hence its alternative name: Sun wheel. Locations The symbol can be found in several rock art sites …
Described from finds in Breton megalithic art this symbol is named ‘crook’ in literature (e.g. [1] ). Locations This symbol can be found in a number of passage tombs in Brittany, including Mané Hroeck, Mané Rutual, Mané Lud, Gavrinis. The backstone of the passage tomb ‘Table des Marchands’ in Locmariaquer shows a number of this …
Locations Cup marks are found in many areas of Europe with main concentrations in north/west Europe and the Alps. In Germany and Scandinavia they are found on single rocks and sometimes on capstones of megalithic structures (e.g. Bunsoh). In the north of Britain cup marks are often found together with ring marks (ring and cup …
The circle is the simplest, but also most perfect geometrical shape. All points on the circle have the same distance to the centre. As symbols circles were used in many ways in Neolithic times and are still today, either solely or composed with other elements. Locations In nature circles appear for example in the …