Europe's Mysterious Megaliths

  • By Evan Hadingham
  • Posted 10.21.10
  • NOVA

NOVA's "Secrets of Stonehenge" presents exciting new archeological evidence about the building and purpose of the world's most famous stone monument, leading to a provocative theory that it was involved in a cult of ancestor worship. But Stonehenge was only one of around 900 stone circles in the British Isles dating to the Neolithic period about 5,000 years ago, so much remains to be discovered. Outside Britain, circles are rare, but other distinctive traditions of prehistoric ceremonial sites built with large stones—or megaliths—flourished.

Launch Interactive

View a slide show of stone circles and other prehistoric ceremonial sites stretching from Scotland to Malta.

Evan Hadingham is NOVA's senior science editor. A trained archeologist, he has written several books on Stonehenge and other ancient stone monuments.

Credits

Images:

(Avebury 2, Callanish 1 & 2, Dol Menhir, Ggantija, Hagar Qim)
Courtesy Evan Hadingham
(Avebury 1)
© Steve Geer/iStockphoto
(Ring of Brodgar)
© David Woods/iStockphoto
(Nether Largie)
© Martin McCarthy/iStockphoto
(Newgrange)
© Paul Flynn/iStockphoto
(Drombeg)
© Joe Gough/iStockphoto
(Carnac)
© Jacques Croizer/iStockphoto

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