Early Medieval (Dark Age)In the 7th century CE, Asuka-mura village was the capital of Japan. The area around it contains plenty of strange stone monuments most of which cannot be seen anywhere else, so out of scope of Buddhist statue researchers in Japan. The monuments might be roughly classified into following 6 categories (different opinions exist):
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Multi-periodThe origin of Japanese gardens is thought to be the mountainous natural rock outcrop called “iwakura” (磐座 = stone pedestal) or the artificial stone circles (or enclosure, boundary) called “iwasaka” (磐境 = stone boundary) surrounding sacred areas, but the drastic change of significance of sacred stones towards luxury gardens, i.e. from worship and awe to appreciation and relaxation is a profound question. Here I introduce many of these peaceful sites that can be viewed on the Megalithic Portal.
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Multi-period“Sekibō“(石棒 = stone pole) were manufactured during mid Jōmon era (5000-4000 BCE) along with other strange stone tools for unknown purpose : "gyobutsu sekki” (御物石器 = stone tool offered to emperor after excavation), “sekkan” (石冠 = stone crown, rather looks like linga-and-yoni) and “Dokko-ishi“ (独鈷石 = Vajra-like stone). Stone poles are often found with “ishizara” (石皿 = stone dish, metate) within the pit houses, so they seem to be utilized as a set of pounding tool but many of the poles are extremely large to handle as practical tools so they might be worshipped as the symbols of masculine (phallus) and fertility. Strangely much of them were discovered in intentionally broken status and most of them show traces of hearth burn.
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Early Medieval (Dark Age)The burial mound for Prince Motoi (基王 727-728), the 1st son of Emperor Shōmu, in Nara city is called NaoYama-no-haka (那富山墓). The mound contains four stones on the surface of which images of naked men with Chinese zodiac animal heads are engraved. These stones are called “hayato-ishi” (隼人石). Hayato were ancient indigenous people inhabited in the southern Kyūshū area who resisted the Yamato court’s invasion but surrendered and were employed as foreign legion to guard the Yamato capital. (Yamato is an archaic name for Japan or present day Nara, which implies the Japanese mainland or the imperial court dominated in Nara).
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Early Medieval (Dark Age)All the three major pyramids in Japan have a connection with Buddhism: a Buddhist scripture was excavated (now lost) from Kumayama Iseki in Okayama prefecture, Buddhist statues are installed into Zutō in Nara prefecture and Dotō in Ōsaka prefecture is rumoured to have been constructed by the traveling priest Gyōki (行基).
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Iron Age and Later Prehistory　The origin of the Kofun burial mound started in the early Yayoi era (around 600 BCE), old burial systems such as pit, coffin, cist or jar burials shifted to rectangular burial mounds with a surrounding moat, in the mid Yayoi era (200-0 BCE) other variations e.g. rectangular or round mounds with or without moat appeared. Photo left: see further down for more details
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Iron Age and Later Prehistory　Dolmens in Japan distribute mainly in the northwestern Kyūshū islands. Dolmen construction technology seems to have been introduced from the Korean peninsula, which is one of the dolmen’s most densely distributed areas and contains three UNESCO World Heritage registered dolmen sites. They developed a peculiar regional style on Jeju island, but curiously no dolmen has been discovered on Tsushima and Iki islands which lie between the Korean peninsula and Kyūshū island.
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Early Medieval (Dark Age)The oldest Japanese historical book “Nihon Shoki” (日本書記) vol.27 records the construction of defending fortresses during the reign of Emperor Tenji (天智天皇 626-676 CE) after the defeat at the Battle of Baekgang in 663 CE, Yamato (Japan)-Baekje (Korea) allied vs Silla (Korea)-Tang (China) composite armies, anticipating the latter’s pursuit (as the result of the defeat, Baekje Kingdom perished). And the book also records the names of the refuged officers from Baekje (백제) kingdom who instructed the construction of the hillforts.
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Neolithic and Bronze AgeJōmon era stone circles in Japan might be roughly classified into 2 types (different opinions exist) : ring-shaped type and sundial-shaped type. Both types distribute in Hokkaidō island and Tōhoku region which are now separated by Tsugaru Strait. At Ōyu site in Akita prefecture, both types co-exist.
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Iron Age and Later PrehistoryIn Japan, chambered cairns are classified into varieties of Kofun. There even exist hybrid types: A Kofun made of mixture of soil and stones, A combination keyhole-shaped kofun with a round cairn and triangle earthen mound. More than 160,000 Kofun exist in Japan, only 3,000 (less than 2%) of them are chambered cairns.
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ResourcesHatsuki Nishio (Aska) has very kindly written us a detailed chronology of Japanese stone monuments, from prehistoric times right up to the present day. He has included details of the various cultures and time periods, with examples of his favourite sites from each time period from out of the many thousands of sites he has submitted to the Megalithic Portal. He is also adding more detailed articles on major types of site such as stone circles and dolmens in Japan.
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DiscoveriesLocated in Southwestern India, Kerala is a state that has many megalithic monuments that are not very well known outside India. Megalithic sites in this area are thought to date to the Iron Age, and many other items, such as clay plates, iron weapons, fishing hooks, pots, utensils of Iron Age date have been found.
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Other ArchaeologyAs I entered the bar of the famed, but now decrepit, Baron Hotel in downtown Aleppo, it became clear the golden Era of Lawrence of Arabia and Agatha Christie was long past. Lawrence started in the Middle East as an archaeologist prior to World War I before graduating to clandestine activity while Christie followed her archaeologist husband Sir Max Mallowan around much of the Middle East as of 1934, which clearly generated a lot of fiction plots besides useful archaeology. The Baron Hotel still had a map of all the Syrian archaeological sites hanging on the wall, but could barely afford to keep the bar stocked or the sofa upholstery repaired.
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Multi-periodOutside Sardinia very few people know of the archaeological treasures hidden in plain view on this large Mediterranean Island. I almost have the impression that the Italian government in Rome is conspiring to keep the tourist Euro streaming into the mainstream sites in Rome, Florence, Venice and Pompey. With a bit more patience, you find there is a lot more to see.
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Pre-ColumbianLocation, location, location.

The watershed of the lower Ohio River was the cradle of the largest city in North America north of Mexico prior to 1800 AD. It was an independent birthplace of accurate plotting of the sun and moon's movement. And it is an exception to the anthropological "rule" that only farming allows the building of large public works by a society.
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Iron Age and Later PrehistoryIn my nine day stay in Croatia, I arrived in Zagreb and drove 1715km to my point of departure in Dubrovnik through most of Eastern Croatia and parts of Bosnia. During this time I was able to see more than a dozen hillforts, dozens of tumuli, one stone circle and innumerable Roman remains. As I went I was taking GPS readings and photographing for the Portal, so read the first online guide to these sites.
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Neolithic and Bronze AgeAberdeenshire was re-invented in 1996 when the “old” Grampian Region was split into Aberdeenshire, the City of Aberdeen and Moray. Whilst the new Moray region closely resembled the old Morayshire, the new Aberdeenshire annexed the pre-1975 Banffshire and Kincardineshire. This area contains the highest density of prehistoric and early historic monuments per square mile in the whole of mainland UK. With virtually all the known recumbent stone circles, over half of the known carved stone balls and a significant percentage of Pictish Symbol Stones, the area has lots to offer the megalithic tourist.
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EnglandWhen reading through books on the history of Cheshire, prehistory is often consigned to a couple of pages or a small chapter at most, and in general historians have led us to believe that nothing of real importance occurred in the county until the coming of the Romans. However, upon further investigation it becomes quite clear that there was once, and indeed still is, a rich prehistoric landscape, particularly in the east of the county on the western slopes of the Pennines around Macclesfield and the eastern slopes of the mid-Cheshire Ridge near Delamere.
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EnglandShropshire has a wealth of prehistoric archaeology that is not evident at first glance. The county's ancient history is easily overshadowed by its substantial roles in Roman, Mediaeval and Industrial history. But scratch the surface, and evidence of megalithic sites and culture will become apparent.
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Neolithic and Bronze AgeThe region of Dumfries & Galloway was formed in 1975 and comprises the 3 counties along the Solway Firth, Wigtown, Kirkcudbright and Dumfries. Nowadays the area is mainly used for cattle & sheep farming in the lowlands around the coast and forestry in the uplands, which together with tourism forms the economic basis of the region. In prehistoric times it was a hive of activity from the Mesolithic period onwards.
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