Study Reveals How Ancient Menga Dolmen Was Built

The Menga Dolmen, a 5,600-year-old megalithic structure in southern Spain, consists of 32 massive stones, each significantly larger than those at Stonehenge. According to Leonardo García Sanjuán, a prehistory professor at the University of Seville and coauthor of a recent study, the total weight of the stones exceeds that of two fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes. The construction of such a monumental structure raises intriguing questions about the technological capabilities of Neolithic societies. The study highlights the precision with which the dolmen's stones were placed, revealing a trapezoidal chamber formed by upright stones that tilt inward. This design was achieved through careful embedding of the stones into deep foundation sockets, with up to one-third of each stone buried underground. García Sanjuán explains that after the capstones were added, the structure resembled a solid box, with the surrounding bedrock carved away to create the chamber. The dolmen was then covered with soil, providing insulation and stability. While some researchers suggest this design may have been intended to resist earthquakes, others, like Mike Parker-Pearson from University College London, argue that the primary goal was to create a lasting monument, symbolizing permanence and the connection between stone and eternity in prehistoric cultures. Recent research has also identified the quarry from which the dolmen's stones were sourced, located 850 meters away and 50 meters higher than the site. This favorable topography facilitated the transport of the massive stones, underscoring the advanced understanding of physics and geometry possessed by Neolithic builders, challenging the notion that they lacked scientific knowledge.