Two open access papers from Barney Harris - essential downloads for anyone interested in neolithic megalith transport.
Roll Me a Great Stone: A Brief Historiography of Megalithic Construction and the Genesis of the Roller Hypothesis
Harris, B. (2018) Roll Me a Great Stone: A Brief Historiography of Megalithic Construction and the Genesis of the Roller Hypothesis. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 37: 267–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12142.Summary
The idea that prehistoric, megalith-building communities used cylindrical, wooden rollers to transport enormous stones – the ‘roller hypothesis’ – is ubiquitous within archaeological literature and public discourse on megalithic architecture. The likelihood that such devices were actually used to transport megaliths during prehistory remains highly questionable, yet the roller hypothesis has now dominated discussions of the subject for some 400 years. At its heart lies the assertion that fewer people were needed to transport large stones with rollers than without them. A review of experimental and ethnographic studies of megalith transport casts doubt on this central claim and suggests that simpler, better-attested and more reliable methods were probably used.
The idea that prehistoric, megalith-building communities used cylindrical, wooden rollers to transport enormous stones – the ‘roller hypothesis’ – is ubiquitous within archaeological literature and public discourse on megalithic architecture. The likelihood that such devices were actually used to transport megaliths during prehistory remains highly questionable, yet the roller hypothesis has now dominated discussions of the subject for some 400 years. At its heart lies the assertion that fewer people were needed to transport large stones with rollers than without them. A review of experimental and ethnographic studies of megalith transport casts doubt on this central claim and suggests that simpler, better-attested and more reliable methods were probably used.
Landscapes of labour: a quantitative study of earth-moving and stone-shifting in prehistoric northern Wessex
Harris, Barney; (2020) Landscapes of labour: a quantitative study of earth-moving and stone-shifting in prehistoric northern Wessex. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).whole_thesis_correction_oct2019.pdf - Accepted Version Download (286MB)
Abstract
The study explores the construction of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in the region of northern Wessex in terms of the labour invested in their creation. A historiography of ‘megalithic construction studies’ is initially presented, along with an account of experimental studies evaluating different approaches to the material problems likely experienced by prehistoric monument builders. A summary of the various forms of prehistoric structure found throughout northern Wessex is then provided, along with any archaeological observations relating to their construction.
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