Megalith mechanics

The Great Pyramid in Egypt and Stonehenge in England were both built in the third millennium BC from vast stones weighing up to 40 t. These and many other contemporary monuments to man's ingenuity could only have been achieved with an efficient means of transporting and raising the megaliths from which they are made. This paper reviews the various techniques that our forebears may have used and, with reference to Stonehenge in particular, concludes that—contrary to general belief—the stones may have been rolled rather than dragged. With the aid of models and full-scale tests, the author also proposes novel alternative methods for erecting the column and beam elements.