Megalithic Portal Ancient Sites News Feed

Idaho's Mammoth Cave

Andy B — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 22:43:33 GMT

]]> Millions of years ago there was a violent volcanic eruption north of Shoshone, Idaho. Rivers of molten lava flowed out of the depth of the earth filling a valley 600 feet deep with lava. One of the rivers got blocked off at the head and the molten lava flowed on leaving a hollow tube. Idaho's Mammoth Cave came into existence. Thousands of years went by. Vegetation grew back. Strange animals lived in the area; camels, little horses, mammoths, large cats and bears. A section of the cave collapsed leaving an opening. Bears began using the cave. Stone age man began to use the cave for shelter and a place to preserve their meat in the cool temperature.

Stonehenge.

Andy B — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:39:59 GMT

]]>A new study has narrowed down the likely source of Stonehenge’s six-tonne Altar Stone, ruling out glacial transport, confirming it was moved hundreds of miles by land or sea. The paper rules out the Grampian area (Aberdeen, Rhynie, and Tomintoul), shifting the likely source further north to Caithness. Top photo: The Altar Stone during excavation in 1958, pinned beneath the Great Trilithon’s fallen upright (Stone 55b; centre) and lintel (Stone 156; right). Photographed by Richard Atkinson and rediscovered in the archive by Tim Daw. Photo © Historic England. Stonehenge needs no introduction of course, and many other sites on the web cover it in detail, so I won't say much more. Just enjoy our unrivalled collection of images and see the comments lower down on our page for links to all the latest Stonehenge research.

Cueva de Morín Rock Shelter

Anne T — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:32:25 GMT

]]>A burial that no longer contains a body, instead the excavators found a pseudomorph - an extremely rare geological feature where something is cast into the sediment, in this case an adult human laid out with grave goods, dating to the Aurignacian around 29,000 years ago.

Bawnatemple

Witherspoon — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:30:31 GMT

]]>A pair of standing stones in County Cork.

The Bride Stone (Valley of Stones)

Andy B — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 21:07:16 GMT

]]>Meet Britain's newest - old - standing stone!. This ancient stone, hidden for generations, has been raised once more to celebrate the lesser known but important Valley of Stones prehistoric landscape. Now measuring five feet (1.2m) tall with more under the surface, it was thought to have been part of a chambered tomb. Now named The Bride Stone it has been raised upright by archaeology organisation Past Participate and local volunteers as part of this Natural England Nature Reserve.

Hallstatt-Dachstein

AlexHunger — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:11:14 GMT

]]>The tombs in this valley gave their name to a series of ancient 'cultures' from the late Bronze Age (Hallstatt A) onwards. Some 4000 people were buried here, many with rich grave furnishings. Inhumations are still being discovered, including two unearthed in 2013, now in the Vienna Museum of Natural History, more on our page.

Harolds Stones

JJ — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:59:49 GMT

]]>Painting by Anthony Skates, currently on show at the Great Pulteney Street Gallery in London - thanks for sharing Anthony!. Three tall stones stand leaning at all angles in an open field. Their purpose is unknown, and they may once have been part of a larger stone monument, possibly a circle. Although they were said to commemorate a battle won by King Harold, they very likely date from the Bronze Age.

Cissbury Ring

Andy B — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:20:24 GMT

]]>More on the flint mines of Cissbury on our page and hello if you were at my short talk in Worthing on the 5th. Find the other Sussex flint mines in our Nearby Sites listing, with more on those too . Hillfort and Neolithic flint mines in West Sussex The largest hill fort in Sussex, the second largest in England and one of the largest in Britain and Europe overall, covering some 60 acres. The earthworks that form the fortifications were built around the beginning of the Middle Iron-Age possibly around 250 BC but abandoned in the period 50 BC - 50 AD. Of the approximately thirteen flint mining shafts excavated at Cissbury between 1875 and 1878, three shafts exhibited art and marked chalk blocks.

Bøgehøj Rundhøj

Boeddel — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:31:47 GMT

]]>A well-preserved round barrow on which two tall oaks stand. Situated on the island of Bornholm, Denmark. From the small hill on which the burial mound stands there is a wonderful view over the Baltic Sea to the small archipelago of Ertholmene (which is Denmark's most easterly point). More photos on our page.

TALK ANNOUNCEMENTS: Brighton Nov 12th and Old Stones & Megalithic Portals, Sunday 13th Dec, Jarrow Hall, Tyneside

Andy B — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:28:46 GMT

]]>Firstly down to Brighton, Andy is presenting a short talk on 12th November as part of Brighton Catalyst Club - tickets for that are linked below. But most excitingly travelling up to the North-East for one and only date for An Afternoon of Old Stones & the Megalithic Portal with NE Folklore Society: Sunday 13th December 2026...

Menhir de Moncorbeau

TheCaptain — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:26:53 GMT

]]>In a field beside a little stream, just to the north of the village of Couesmes-Vaucé is this menhir, around 2 metres tall. There are a few other pieces of stone nearby which may have broken off it.

Churn Knob

SolarMegalith — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:21:23 GMT

]]>A perfect example of a large bell barrow, 23m wide and 1.5m tall. Located on slope of the hill south of Blewbury and visible from a good distance. The site was excavated in the 19th century. In 2006 there was a controversy over a 16ft cross erected there by a local clergyman to mark the spot where St Birinus gave his first sermon in 634AD. This was later moved.

Veslehagan Gravfelt

kenntha88 — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:10:59 GMT

]]>Veslehagan barrow cemetery is one of the best preserved barrow cemeteries I (Kenneth) visited last summer. Twelve round barrows of varying sizes, constructed of sand, located on a flat forest covered peninsula on the bank of the Vorma. A small footpath leads east from the nearby road towards the cemetery, and the terrain slopes steeply down towards the river in all other directions. Lots more photos on our page.

Cueva de El Mirón Rock Shelter

Anne T — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 16:59:43 GMT

]]>Known as the home of "The Red Lady of El Mirón”, this rock shelter lies above Ramales de la Victoria. Discovered in 1903 by Lorenzo Sierra, and been excavated over many seasons by Lawrence Guy Straus and Manuel R. González Morales. In 2010 they found a human burial in an unusual location, found to be of the first significant burial of the lower Magdalenian period found in the Iberian Peninsula. The shelter is in the same valley as the caves of Covalanas, Cullalvera, La Haza, Pondra and Arco (find these via the list of nearby sites on our page).

St Digain (Llangernyw)

TimPrevett — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 21:54:33 GMT

]]>This church in Conwy has lots of intriguing features, more on our page. Two ancient cross incised stones on the south side of the building, also two rough, unshaped stones which appear out of place amongst the memorials nearby. St Digain's also has a yew tree reputed to be 4,000 years old.