Megalithic Economics


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Megalithic Economics

What are Megaliths?

What type of People built the Megaliths?

Here is a typical Megalithic Structure.

Here is one with a 400 ton Capstone.

What technology did these people have?

They were Specialist Builders Let’s look at some of their Structures.

Carnac France

The Ring of Brodgar

And its Ditch

Bryn Celli Ddu Anglesey

Newgrange Ireland

Maes Howe Outside

Maes Howe Inside

They had Factories Mass producing Stone Axes

Graig Llwyd Llanfairfechan

The Headland they sailed around shipping their Work in Progress.

Gwaenysgor, on the Mouth of the Dee Estuary

The Evidence of Split Site Axe Production

Evidence of Division of Labour

The Evidence for the wide spread trading. The Area Served

They also made Ceramics

A Grooved Ware Pot

Grooved Ware & Symbols

Symbols from Newgrange, Ireland and Skara Brae, Orkney

They lived in civilized houses with Drainage en-suite!

They were Skilled Astronomers

Winter Solstice Sunset Maes Howe

Winter Solstice Sunrise Newgrange

The collimated light beam at Newgrange

Use of Lightbox Slits

Bryn Celli Ddu was built as an observatory!

In 1929 the Mound was put in place to “restore” the Site. To cover the basic aligned structure. After all tombs are supposed to be underground!

The Light Slit and Pillar at Bryn Celli Ddu

The Sun’s declination displayed by Bryn Celli Ddu

The Declination Gauge on the Pillar

The Buried Symbol Stone

A Meaning for the Symbols?

But these People also had a National System of Measurement.

Thom’s Megalithic Yard

The Accuracy of the M Yard.

How did they produce the M Yard?

Making a Megalithic Yard

The Implications of the wide spread Megalithic Yard

How to make a Standard Volume Measure

Why were these Ancient People Interested in Astronomy?.

They were Sophisticated in Everything except Writing

This the heritage of the Grooved Ware People

This lecture "Megalithic Economics" builds on the previous work, discussed in "The Megalith Builders" was given on Wednesday 5th September 2001 at the Pickaquoy Cinama as part of the Orkney Science Festival.

In this talk Robert discussed how the Grooved Ware People had used division of labour and specialisation to improve their productivity and their standard of living.

With the help of Merryn Dinely, Robert demonstrated how the megalithic yard could be used as the basis for creating standard units of weight and volume.

This lecture was sponsored by Orcades Viking Ltd.

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