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Chapter 6: Conclusion
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In spite of the fact that many features of the structure of megaliths have now received rather rational explanations and have appeared in the frame of suggested general system of changes that had been occurring on the planet back then, there is still no full satisfaction from the path traveled. This is because the answer to two important problems connected with megaliths is still not found:
- What is depicted by numerous petroglyphs?
- How did people extract, move, and install the blocks weighing tens of tons?
Concerning the first question it is possible to say the following: after all that was said it is difficult to accept the existing interpretations of the elements of the images seeing in sticks, triangles, hooks and circles certain symbols of power, authority, the feminine and masculine origins or the images of various deities. It seems that these constantly reoccurring motives, as well as megaliths, must have more prosaic and rational explanation. But I have not succeeded in finding it yet.
Certainly, one should admit that there might not have been a direct connection between the images and possible natural features of the life of megaliths builders in these territories. They could have depicted something different, maybe, something from a completely different area of people’s interests. However, you will agree, if such connection between the images and their real life is established, this would cause less questions, than the absence of such connection.
The only exception could be «Neolithic spiral». The motive, which is very characteristic for Neolith and is often found both in Brittany and in England. It seems to me, that «Neolithic spiral» has to do with those slow whirlpools in stagnant zones, which we so much discussed in this article.
The second problem − «how did people deliver and establish stones», can have no less importance for all above-stated things. Looking at these 30-40-50 tons blocks being soldiered, lifted and laid on other plates, I had a constant feeling, that I have not understood some very important detail in the life of those who established them.
It is hard to believe that they dragged and established them, as it is thought nowadays, by labor power of hundreds and thousand people. My doubts are supported by absence of traces of dragging and auxiliary facilities for their setting as though blocks were weightless and they brought them by air. Then it is necessary to search for some specific, original solution of this problem acceptable in those conditions, which we assumed. Here again it is appropriate to remember flooding. What if people connected blocks to something having positive buoyancy, and using a varying water level pulled them out of quarry and then moved by swimming. Under certain conditions, it seems possible. However, one should find confirmation to this, and it is necessary to begin from searches and excavations of places of quarrying.
Unfortunately, neither in England nor in Brittany, the absence of ancient quarrys did not become a subject of purposeful research. It could not occur that one should look for them under a layer of deposits. Fortunately, this gap can be filled. By means of modern technology one can find them much faster than before. And, then, probably, studying the conduction of mining − the ways of separation of blocks from a solid monolith, their moving inside of a mine, the position of blocks ready for exporting, the very form of a mine, and may be even the presence of some parts of used devices − will prompt solutions of these riddles. The same way, the detailed studying of local turves can prompt answered to what those alignments and barrows used to catch.
In this chapter, I would like to mention some more circumstances, which can have interesting consequences. Reading the materials published on megaliths I often found description of the unattractive way in which the monuments appeared to researchers. This had been caused by the fact that people who had lived nearby used to take away stones from which they had been constructed for their own construction purposes. However, it seems that these destructions were not always caused by men.
The shape of tumulus Gavrinis before the beginning of excavations in the last century reminded a volcano crater. Its upper part seemed to sink having formed a lowering in the center. The assumption that this is a result of later disassembling of the tumulus seems unlikely because it is more convenient to begin disassembling a cairn not from the top but from the side and the ground level. At the same time the dolmen’s gallery inside was filled by soil, and the entrance was buried by stones. The tumulus itself as all such constructions from the outside resembled a usual hill or a mound, so the first researchers have drawn a conclusion, that, apparently, the builders had intentionally disguised it being afraid of robbers. However, at the same time there were no traces of burials demanding such measures of masking found inside of it, if certainly we do not count famous graphics on the walls. It was in the same way that Newgrange was "disguised" as a hill, until in 1699 while producing stones for road filling the workers have opened a way inside (see Appendix 1).
Big stone aprons were opened at excavation and around the external contour of walls of the above-mentioned dolmen Table du Marishan and cairn Barnenez and Newgrange.
The entrance into tumulus on the Carn Island was found only in the 20th century since it had been covered by a meter thick layer of deposits.
One can add to this only that many dolmens came down to us in very pitiable condition: sagged or fallen walls, thrown down and laid near the floor slab, etc.
Considerable destructions were also noticed in the alignments. About half of all stones have been tumbled down. Certainly, it is possible to assume, that they have simply suffered from time. It is not possible to estimate quantitatively a measure of possible impact of this factor. However, I shall remind, the blocks in the alignments were established by ancient people thoroughly enough, and it is unlikely that they could have such destructive consequences, no matter how long they remained under the present conditions.
Let us recollect, that a big menhir split into four parts lays on the ground. Similar destructions of megaliths are observed everywhere including England. It is possible to add to this often found disorder in places of burials even when archeologists had a confidence that objects had not been previously visited by thieves. One of the examples is West Kennet (England). In dolmen chambers made in a barrow there were found the remains of about 50 adults and children. From the arrangement of bones, it appeared as if originally bodies were randomly piled upon each other and mixed up with stones. The entrance itself was filled up by big stones, which had been originally settled in front of it.
From all of this one can assume that at the time of reorganization of the relief on low plains where these constructions were established there could be an unusual rising of water for which they had not been adapted.
Such flooding could and should have made destructions outside and inside of the constructions similar to the above-mentioned ones.
The hole at the top of Gavrinis tumulus could be formed because the builders could use for its construction not only stones, but also surrounding ground since water usually did not rise up there. At flooding it naturally began to sink through underlying boulders that caused such peculiar shrinkage of the construction. This dirt having leaked through cracks filled the free space inside of the corridor having preserved for us in the best possible way to graphics on the walls. The waves could also cause the destruction of the external surface of tumulus, additionally fill the entrance by stones, to smooth terraces and form around an apron of stones, clay, and sand (as it actually happened). This is how the blocks in the alignments could be tumbled down and dolmens could be destroyed, and people who were hiding in the dolmens from the war of the elements could be simply flooded and buried in them under a layer of the fallen stones.
This is how the elements could transform man-made constructions into dead barrows having disguised them in the best way possible.
It is not necessary to speak about the consequences of such event for people occupying these places; it is more appropriate to keep silent. Such ending, most likely, caused the absence of sane explanations of the purpose of megaliths, and about everything else concerning people’s lives in those times in native stories and legends . . . − there were not enough witnesses left.
Thinking about all of that, one cannot help recollecting the Bible story about the flood.
One of the main conclusions, which I would like to get across to the readers of this article, is that the existence of numerous riddles connected with the prehistorical period of human history is not accidental. The reason is not our misunderstanding of the way of thinking and beliefs of the ancient people, that would not allow us to restore the logic of their actions, but essentially incorrect representations about the surface of the ground back then, what kind of environment they used to live in, what they could and could not do. The Earth before and after this reorganization, looked like two different planets. As soon as this understanding appears riddles start to be solved one after another, and many myths start to acquire traits of the reality. This concerns the Egyptian pyramids, the lines of Naska desert, the Colossus of the Easter Island, Baalbek stones, the legend about Atlantis, and many, many other things.
The main "responsibility" for this lies certainly with geologists. Geologists have not noticed the forms of hidden system in the organization of the relief. They have not separated basic blocks − deformation structures. They have overestimated the importance of minor factors forming the terrestrial surface. As a result, geologists have not understood that the real nature of the relief is that of wave. Consequently, they have missed the main force responsible for formimg the relief − the force of horizontal compression. The mistake in this important point has led to forming of the viewpoint with mostly superficial and formal inner connections. In the future geology awaits serious changes.
Because of this error, geologists could not develop a general concept of the development of the Earth; could not understand the reasons of the occurrence and degradation of the recent glaciation. They have also missed the planetary mountain building − an event that practically was taking place in front of people. Therefore, until now, there is no uniform opinion, and there are disputes concerning the formation of oceans and continents; whether our planet is compressed or extended; whether the continents move or do not move; and what is the role of space catastrophes in its history.
In fact, some of these problems are already moving from theoretical area into practical.
It is interesting, what the Previousparticipants the Kyoto agreement would do having learned that even if they completely stop the emission СО2 into the atmosphere it would unlikely slow the recession of glaciers. The reason of deglaciating is not in warming, but in the same relief building due to which once immovably laying ice covers started to move and slip from the heights into the oceans.
Moreover, how quickly will they cancel the agreement after having learned, that even if the process of glacier melting continues at the same rate as it does now this would not result in rising of water level in the great oceans? All these apocalyptical stories of flooding of maritime towns are the consequence of either naivety or a desire of some researchers to take place of Cassandra and to get that way additional importance in the opinion of contemporaries.
The presented view of the relief development explains many riddles: why do some birds migrate seasonally; why did mammoths go extinct, and how did they manage to be so well preserved; whether humankind should fear the increase of water level in the ocean because of glaciers’ melting; what is actually doing on with this water level. What caused recent climatic changes, which resulted in extinction of many kinds of animals from the face of the earth? And what creates changes that are occurring nowadays?
I shall particularly note, that the theory of continental drift, with all its conceptual arsenal, with Gondwana and Pangaea, with subduction, rifts, and spreading, has no place in the system offered by me. I believe that in the near future the victorious marching of this clearly “armchair idea” based only on one fact of similarity of coastal lines of the Atlantic ocean, which nevertheless literally cast a spell on the minds of scientists, will be an object of research for psychologists. This is by far not the full list of the things, I am sure, that awaits the area of geological science in the nearest future.
In the conclusion, we can recollect a well-known episode from the Bible of how the water started to decrease after the flood and how the first dry land appeared (Gen. 8). In case with any rationally thinking person this story does not cause anything but bewilderment or an indulgent smile. Really, how it could be, where could the water go from our “sphere"? Got absorbed in the ground? Escaped into some underground holes? Dried up? It seemed that there was no sane explanation to this. Nevertheless, all described in the Bible becomes absolutely realistic if one admits that the appearance of dry land was caused by the growth of heights that was literally going on in front of the eyes of those who could see it.
As a result, water was redistributed on the surface of the planet. It has left from the risen land into deepened hollows. The area of the seas and oceans was reduced, but the quantity of water remained the same. In addition, this process activating or slowing down always went on and continues to go on until now. The Earth shrinks, so to say, it wrinkles because of old age, showing after each collapse reorganization of the relief its deeper structures − its original basis, its frame work.
New geological worldview essentially reduces a role of a Man in his influence on the climate of the Planet. This, on the one hand, removes many well-known fears frequently used in the speculative purposes, but, on the other − in a new way opens the potential of the Earth and all futility of human efforts to resist such reorganization of the relief if it suddenly repeats. However, it seems, there are no reasons to expect it in the nearest future.
Such events, as it seems, start geological eras. Thus, we were “lucky” to become witnesses of such unusual phenomenon and be able to think of a name for the epoch following Cenozoic, in which the humankind, maybe, at last will be able to understand the right place in this world.
P.S.: As to well-known English henges − Stonehenge, Avebury, and others, I think that the things said in this article will be enough for anyone interested to reflect on what they really are − sanctuaries or the first hydroengineering constructions. If the latter seems more convincing to someone, it would be good to imagine how they functioned.
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