1.2 Neolithic Monuments

The Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic (New Stone Age) brought farming, permanent settlements, and monumental building. Çatalhöyük (Turkey, c. 7400 BCE) was one of the first large towns, its houses entered through the roof.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge (England, c. 2500 BCE) is a megalithic monument of huge standing stones arranged in circles, aligned with the solstices — likely a ritual and astronomical site.

Megalithic building

Megaliths ('great stones') were moved and raised without metal tools or the wheel. Post-and-lintel construction (two uprights topped by a horizontal beam) appears at Stonehenge.

Key terms

Neolithic

New Stone Age — farming, settlements, monuments

Çatalhöyük

early Neolithic town in Turkey (roof entries)

Stonehenge

megalithic stone circle in England, c. 2500 BCE

Megalith

a great stone used in monuments

Post-and-lintel

two uprights topped by a horizontal beam

Try an AP-style question

Stonehenge's alignment with the summer solstice sunrise suggests…

1. it was a royal palace
2. it was a marketplace
3. it was a defensive fort
4. astronomical or ceremonial use