III. Standing Stones

What Were The Standing Stones?

The Neolithic Standing Stones were huge slabs of rock that were erected in a standing position. This required a large amount of strength and dedication, considering that this ritual was repeated thousands of times in different areas throughout Europe.

Where Were They Found?

These Standing Stones were places all throughout Europe. They were found in places like the Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Serbia, Italy, Scotland and the United Kingdom. There are over 1,300 stone creations in the United Kingdom alone. The trait ion of building these massive stone monuments was clearly an ritual that was practices all throughout Europe.

Why Were These Standing Stones Built?

To our knowledge, the Neolithic Standing Stones of Europe were created to worship or honor their gods. Their religion was based on the meetings of farmers and hunter/gatherers. They met to trade goods from different areas of the world. Their religions was also based on the natural elements in the world around them. They worshiped the cosmos, stars, moon, animals, and the other features of the land.

What Happened to These Standing Stones?

Later, these Standing Stones were smashed down and the ground under them was carved out to make burial chambers. These burial chambers were passage tombs, and at special times during the year, like the Solstice or full moon, the light shown down the tunnels, illuminating the graves. Many religious rituals and burials were held here, and each corpse was added to a the passages along with his or her ancestors. This society did not value individuality, thus all the corpses and skeletons were buried together.

Resources

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/, http://archaeology.about.com/od/neolithic/tp/Neolithic-Sites-In-Europe.htm, http://www.ask.com/wiki/Portal:Scotland/Selected_article/2009, "End of the Stone Age," video notes.