Neolithic Megalithic
Tomb Builders
This is an artist's interpretation of the type of sun-worshipping activities
that the Neolithic Megalithic Tomb Builders may have participated in.
Summary
In the Neolithic period, which lasted
from approximately 4000 to 1700 BC, ceremonies surrounding the deceased
were complex and ritualistic. Elaborate burial structures, some of
which are still survive, were used to mark graves. There are different
types of burials, but all are organized with careful attention paid to
directions of the position of the sun. Thus there was probably some
sort of fixation on, or worship of, the sun and its powers. Some
of these burial structures may have been used as ceremonial centers.
It has also been suggested that the people of this time also practiced
ancestor worship. No matter what the rituals focused on, they were
considered of great importance to the Neolithic people. These Megalithic
tombs builders lived in small peasant farming communities, practiced hunting,
and had some trade. There is evidence that three main types of burials
existed in the Neolithic times. They are court tombs, portal tombs,
and passage tombs. Passage tombs appear somewhat later in the record
than court tombs and portal tombs.
Detail
Pictures
Bibliography
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