CHAPTER IX 



THE BUILDERS OF THE MEGALITHIC MONU- 

 MENTS, THEIR HABITS, CUSTOMS, 

 RELIGION, ETC. 



WITH regard to the date of the megalithic 

 monuments it only remains to sum up 

 the evidence given in the previous chapters. It 

 may be said that in Europe they never belong to 

 the beginning of the neolithic age, but either to 

 its end or to the period which followed it, i.e. to 

 the age of copper and bronze. The majority date 

 from the dawn of this latter period, though some 

 of the chambered cairns of Ireland seem to belong 

 to the iron age. Outside Europe there are cer- 

 tainly megalithic tombs which are late. In North 

 Africa, for example, we know that the erection 

 of dolmens continued into the early iron age ; 

 many of the Indian tombs are clearly late, and 

 the corridor-tombs of Japan can be safely attri- 

 buted in part at least to the Christian era. 



With what purpose were the megalithic monu- 

 ments erected ? The most simple example, the 

 menhir or upright stone, may have served many 

 purposes. In discussing the temples of Malta 



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