How was your week?
Our next art project will be a MEGALITHIC MONUMENT.
Megaliths were enormous constructions typical of the
Neolithic period. All around Europe we can find these impressive monuments erected for purposes that are sometimes quite mysterious. The main types of megaliths are:
-
Menhir: They are huge vertical stones stuck into the earth. Historians suppose they were landmarks or commemorative monuments. Remember Obelix carrying a menhir on his back?
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Dolmen: They were basically a massive "stone table", with some vertical stones supporting a horizontal one. They were funerary chambers. Here is a beautiful dolmen you can visit anytime, "El dolmen de la Hechicera". It's just 20 minutes away by car, in Elvillar. A lovely excursion for a Sunday morning!
-
Crómlech: They are clusters of horizontal and vertical stones that form circles, sometimes really complex. Historians think they were sanctuaries. Probably the most famous cromlech is Stonhenge, in England.
Too big to keep in your garden? OK, then let's go for a "minilithic monument"
Gather some small rocks and create a model of a megalithic monument!
-Use a piece of
cardboard as a
base to fix the rocks with glue or plasticine.
-
Decorate with sand, leaves or whatever you want.
-Write a
LABEL describing your work: (for example: DOLMEN / NEOLITHIC / 10000 - 3000 years ago)
Here you can see some "minilithic monuments" created by 1st to 4th grade students last year in my class. Get some inspiration!
