Submission + - Builders of massive ancient monument had sophisticated knowledge of physics (science.org) 1
sciencehabit writes: In southern Spain stands a giant, earth-covered monument upheld by gargantuan stone blocks and pillars that has withstood 6000 years of rain, wind, and earthquakes. The Dolmen of Menga has captivated archaeologists’ attention since it was first studied in the 1840s. How did preliterate architects design such a sturdy structure and build it from incredibly heavy materials?
A study out today in Science Advances argues that Menga’s builders had a far more sophisticated understanding of engineering and scientific principles than prehistoric people are usually given credit for. The engineering on display, the authors argue, reflects a process of trial, error, and learning similar to how scientists solve problems today.
In the paper, the team reports that Menga’s builders embedded more than one-third of the wall stones deep into the bedrock for stability. They teased out the order in which all 32 stones were placed, finding they were slotted together somewhat like Tetris pieces. “The blocks were placed with high precision, locked with each other, so they support each other and the whole block,” says team member Leonardo García Sanjuán, a prehistorian at the University of Seville. For fortification and waterproofing, a mound of smaller rocks and soil was placed on top of the roof. The heaviest stone, a 150-ton slab used on the ceiling, has a slight convex shape, which distributes its load to the sides, making Menga the earliest known structure to deploy the principle of the arch.
Minuscule fragments of fossilized algae, crustaceans, and mollusks found in the stones by these researchers and their predecessors indicate they came from a quarry of sedimentary rocks about 850 meters to the southwest. That quarry sits about 50 meters higher in elevation than Menga, meaning the builders somehow transported the giant stones downhill. Other researchers have argued the stones were probably rolled across on a bed of logs, but the authors suggest sledges would have worked better, giving the soft stone a gentler ride.
Together, the evidence suggests Menga’s builders had not just expert logistics and planning, but a sophisticated understanding of structures and materials, Sanjuán and colleagues argue. They understood the geologic properties and locations of available rocks as well as physical properties such as friction, load-bearing capacity, and mass. And in fitting all the stones together, Menga’s builders employed a grasp of geometry, they argue.
“I think we have been hesitant to call it science in the past because of prejudice,” Sanjuán says. “We did not see prehistoric societies as capable or worthy of having science.”
A study out today in Science Advances argues that Menga’s builders had a far more sophisticated understanding of engineering and scientific principles than prehistoric people are usually given credit for. The engineering on display, the authors argue, reflects a process of trial, error, and learning similar to how scientists solve problems today.
In the paper, the team reports that Menga’s builders embedded more than one-third of the wall stones deep into the bedrock for stability. They teased out the order in which all 32 stones were placed, finding they were slotted together somewhat like Tetris pieces. “The blocks were placed with high precision, locked with each other, so they support each other and the whole block,” says team member Leonardo García Sanjuán, a prehistorian at the University of Seville. For fortification and waterproofing, a mound of smaller rocks and soil was placed on top of the roof. The heaviest stone, a 150-ton slab used on the ceiling, has a slight convex shape, which distributes its load to the sides, making Menga the earliest known structure to deploy the principle of the arch.
Minuscule fragments of fossilized algae, crustaceans, and mollusks found in the stones by these researchers and their predecessors indicate they came from a quarry of sedimentary rocks about 850 meters to the southwest. That quarry sits about 50 meters higher in elevation than Menga, meaning the builders somehow transported the giant stones downhill. Other researchers have argued the stones were probably rolled across on a bed of logs, but the authors suggest sledges would have worked better, giving the soft stone a gentler ride.
Together, the evidence suggests Menga’s builders had not just expert logistics and planning, but a sophisticated understanding of structures and materials, Sanjuán and colleagues argue. They understood the geologic properties and locations of available rocks as well as physical properties such as friction, load-bearing capacity, and mass. And in fitting all the stones together, Menga’s builders employed a grasp of geometry, they argue.
“I think we have been hesitant to call it science in the past because of prejudice,” Sanjuán says. “We did not see prehistoric societies as capable or worthy of having science.”
They had help from space aliens. (Score:2)
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