Batu kenongs, also known as kenong stones, is a type of megalith. They became prevalent sometime between the neolithic and early Iron Ages as megalithic culture spread to Indonesia. Archeological research of the stones began in the late 19th century, continuing to present day. There is much uncertainty in how they came to Indonesia, but they are believed to have been used to support buildings.
Betu kenongs are upright cylindrical or rounded stones and receive their name from their physical resemblance to the gamelan music instrument, the kenong. [1] They are described as "cylindrical stones with a knob on top", and classified into three separate categories: those with a single cylindrical knob, those with two cylindrical knobs, and those with rounded knobs. [2] Excavations have revealed them in patterns of rectangles and circles, which has led archeologists to believe they were used for foundations of structures. [3] Along with their organization, the archeological excavation done by Willems (1938) has continued to support this theory. The excavation found two different purposes for Kenong stones, each used in conjunction to create a foundation. Kenong stones surrounding structures were used to support bamboo stilts in which a bamboo pole would be placed onto the knobs of the stone. Adversely, stones in the center of the construction were used to carry the majority of the house's weight. The stones in the center were supported by a large stone tab, thus the weight was deferred onto it from the kenong stones creating a steady foundation. This, along with the arrangement of stones in a circular or rectangular pattern, helps to solidify their use as building implements. [4]
Megaliths can be seen all over Indonesia, spreading from the East to the West. However, even with such a large distribution historians have yet to be able to exactly pinpoint a time and reason for the introduction of megaliths into the region. Theories suggest the culture started in Asia, Ancient Egypt, or along the Mediterranean. Overall, most contribute the appearance of megaliths to cultural diffusion sometime between the neolithic and early Iron Ages. [3]
Bondowoso, located in the Java region, has attracted much archeological attention for its extensive number of megaliths. 1898 marked the first documentation of the artifacts in the area and led to the kenong stone, along with three other megaliths, first being classified for its distinct characteristics. More excavation and research into the early 1940s generated interest in megaliths in Indonesia, leading to a new wave of investigation by the National Research Centre of Archeology after World War 2. This new research discovered 47 megalithic sites in Bondowoso, 13 of them containing Batu kenongs. [2]
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A dolmen or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus. Small pad-stones may be wedged between the cap and supporting stones to achieve a level appearance. In many instances, the covering has eroded away, leaving only the stone "skeleton".
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The Medway Megaliths, sometimes termed the Kentish Megaliths, are a group of Early Neolithic chambered long barrows and other megalithic monuments located in the lower valley of the River Medway in Kent, South-East England. Constructed from local sarsen stone and soil between the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, they represent the only known prehistoric megalithic group in eastern England and the most south-easterly group in Britain.
Chestnuts Long Barrow, also known as Stony Warren or Long Warren, is a chambered long barrow near the village of Addington in the south-eastern English county of Kent. Probably constructed in the fifth millennium BC, during Britain's Early Neolithic period, today it survives only in a ruined state.
Carrowmore is a large group of megalithic monuments on the Coolera Peninsula to the west of Sligo, Ireland. They were built in the 4th millennium BC, during the Neolithic. There are thirty surviving tombs, making Carrowmore one of the largest clusters of megalithic tombs in Ireland, and one of the 'big four' along with Carrowkeel, Loughcrew and Brú na Bóinne. Carrowmore is the heart of an ancient ritual landscape which is dominated by the mountain of Knocknarea to the west. It is a protected National Monument.
Bondowoso Regency is a landlocked regency in East Java, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,518.77 km2, and had a population of 736,772 at the 2010 Census and 776,151 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 781,417. The most common languages are Madurese and Javanese, although Madurese is the majority. The nearest large city is Surabaya, approximately five hours' drive away.
The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in northwestern France, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. Most of the stones are within the Breton municipality of Carnac, but some to the east are within neighboring La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC.
This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic structures.
Carved stone balls are petrospheres dated from the late Neolithic, to possibly as late as the Iron Age, mainly found in Scotland, but also elsewhere in Britain and Ireland. They are usually round and rarely oval, and of fairly uniform size at around 2+3⁄4 inches or 7 cm across, with anything between 3 and 160 protruding knobs on the surface. They range from having no ornamentation to extensive and highly varied engraved patterns. A wide range of theories has been produced to explain their use or significance, with none gaining very wide acceptance.
The Cairn of Barnenez is a Neolithic monument located near Plouezoc'h, on the Kernéléhen peninsula in northern Finistère, Brittany (France). It dates to the early Neolithic, about 4800 BC. Along with the Tumulus of Bougon and Locmariaquer megaliths, also located in Great West France, it is one of the earliest megalithic monuments in Europe and one of the oldest man-made structures in the world. It is also remarkable for the presence of megalithic art.
The Tumulus of Bougon or Necropolis of Bougon is a group of five Neolithic barrows located in Bougon, near La-Mothe-Saint-Héray, between Exoudon and Pamproux in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
North Padang Lawas is a regency in North Sumatra province of Indonesia. It has an area of 3,918.05 km2, and had a population of 223,049 at the 2010 census and 260,720 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 267,275. North Padang Lawas Regency was created on 17 July 2007 from eastern parts of the South Tapanuli Regency. Its administrative seat is the town of Gunung Tua.
Gunung Padang is a archaeological site located in Karyamukti, Campaka, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Indonesia, 30 kilometres (19 mi) southwest of the regency seat or 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Lampegan station. Located at 885 metres (2,904 ft) above sea level, the site covers a hill, an extinct volcano, in a series of five terraces bordered by retaining walls of stone that are accessed by 370 successive andesite steps rising about 95 metres (312 ft). It is covered with massive hexagonal stone columns of volcanic origin. The Sundanese people consider the site sacred and believe it was the result of King Siliwangi's attempt to build a palace in one night.
In the area of present-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, up to 5,000 megalith tombs were erected as burial sites by people of the Neolithic Funnelbeaker (TRB) culture. More than 1,000 of them are preserved today and protected by law. Though varying in style and age, megalith structures are common in Western Europe, with those in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern belonging to the youngest and easternmost—further east, in the modern West Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland, monuments erected by the TRB people did not include lithic structures, while they do in the south (Brandenburg), west and north (Denmark).
Nordic megalith architecture is an ancient architectural style found in Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia and North Germany, that involves large slabs of stone arranged to form a structure. It emerged in northern Europe, predominantly between 3500 and 2800 BC. It was primarily a product of the Funnelbeaker culture. Between 1964 and 1974, Ewald Schuldt in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania excavated over 100 sites of different types: simple dolmens, extended dolmens, passage graves, great dolmens, unchambered long barrows, and stone cists. In addition, there are polygonal dolmens and types that emerged later, for example, the Grabkiste and Röse. This nomenclature, which specifically derives from the German, is not used in Scandinavia where these sites are categorised by other, more general, terms, as dolmens, passage graves and stone cists.
The Pokekea Megalithic Site is a megalithic archaeological site in the Lore Lindu National Park. It is located in the Behoa (Besoa) Valley northwest of Bada Valley. The Behoa valley is notable for its preserved kalambas, megaliths shaped like large cylindrical stone vats. The kalambas served as communal funerary urns and resemble in form and function the monuments on the Plain of Jars in Laos.
Archaeology in India is mainly done under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Barreira Megalithic Complex is located in the Sintra municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal. Situated on a small wooded hill overlooking the village of Odrinhas, site of Roman ruins and an archaeological museum, it consists of about twenty menhirs and other monoliths or megaliths.
Anta is the Portuguese name for about 5,000 megaliths built during the Neolithic period in the area of Portugal. The Anta das Pedras Grandes is a late-Neolithic site located in Casal Nova in the parish of Caneças, in the Odivelas municipality, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It was classified as a National Monument in 1944. Excavations in the early 21st century suggest that it was originally built as a dolmen or single-chamber megalithic tomb, consisting of a polygonal long chamber with eight supporting stones about 3 metres tall, and a short access corridor. There are traces of a tumulus, and human bones have been discovered. Excavations in the surrounding area also identified many flint chippings, suggesting that the area was used for the production of flint items.
The Anta da Vidigueira is a megalithic dolmen or burial chamber located southwest of the village of Freixo, in Redondo municipality in the Évora district of the Alentejo region of Portugal. The dolmen was probably constructed between the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
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