WithregardtothemegalithicmonumentsofIndia，wecanonlyrepeatwhatwehavealreadysaid。ColonelMeadowsTaylorhascounted2，129
inthedistrictofBellaryDeccanalone。ManylegendsareconnectedwiththemwhichremindusofthoseofEurope，someattributingtheirerectiontodwarfsorrants，tofairiesortogenii，whilstothersthinktheyweretheworkoftheKauranasandPandaves，thecelebratedfamilieswhoselongstruggleisdescribedintheMahabharata，andwereprobablyaboriginalracesofthecontinent。TheplainofJellalabadandofNagpore，studthevalleyofCabulareliterallystrewnwiththesemonuments。TheyarenotlessnumerousinthePresidencyofMadras，wheretheychieflyconsistofsubterraneanchambersmadeofhugeunhewnstonesorofdolmensabovegroundsurroundedbyoneormorecirclesofuprightstones，suchasareshorninFig。65。MajorBiddulph，whenheascendedthevalleysoftheHindooKooshMountains，wasastonishedtoseeoneverysidemegalithicmonumentsresemblingthoseofhisowncountry，and，likethem，theworkofanunknownrace。[161]
DolmenatPallicondah，nearMadrasIndia。
Thisis，ofcourse，butaveryrapidsurveyofthemegalithicmonumentsofourglobe。Theyaremostofthemeithertombsintendedtoholdthebodiesofthedead，ormemorialssetupintheirhonor。Newfactsareconstantlycomingtolightinthisconnection，andwemayaddtowhatwehavealreadysaid，thatbeneaththetumulusofMugen，asintheCabecod’ArudaPortugal，therearenumerousskeletons；
sixty-tworeposeinthesepulchralchamberofMonastierLozere；
thedolmenknownastheMasdel’AveugleGardcoversacircularcavityinwhichfifteencorpseshadbeenplaced；thatofLaMoulineCharentealsoenclosedanumberofskeletons，allinacrouchingposition，whilstabovethemwereplacedtwoclumsyvases，apiousofferingtotheunknowndead。TheprehistoriccemeteryofMaupascontainsseveralcryptsofirregularform，builtofrubblestone，andsurmountedbyahugestonewhichhadbecomecorrodedbyage。Inthesecrypts，too，thedeadwerepileduponeachother，andtherelicsfoundwiththemjustifyusinassigningthemtotheNeolithicage。BeneaththedolmensofPort-BlancMorbihanweretwoupperlayersofdead，stretchedouthorizontallyandseparatedbyflatstones。IntheIsledeThinieMorbihanexcavationshavebroughttolighttwenty-sevenstonecistsorcoffinsofdifferentsizes，allintendedtobeusedforburial。BeneaththemenhirsofFinistere，cindersandstonescharredbyfirebeareloquentwitnesstothecremationofthedead。“WheneveradolmenhasbeenopenedinFinistere，“saysDr。Floquet，“cindersorboneshavebeenpickedup；why，then，shouldwenotadmitthatalldolmensaretombs？“Thisisreallyaconclusiontowhichwearealmostcompelledtocome，andthenameshandeddownbypopulartraditionare，ifneedbe，yetanotherproofofthesamething。OnedolmenatLocmariaker，forinstance，isknownasLETOMBEAUDUVIEILLARD，acoveredavenueatSaintGildasisLECHAMPDUTOMBEAU，andfartheronapathwayleadingtoaruinedmegalithisknownastheCHEMINDU
TOMBEAU。TheAbbeHarvardspeaksofaremarkablemonolithknownasLAPIERREDUCHAMPDOLENT，andanotherCHAMPDOLENTismetwithnearRheims，whilstagroupofmonumentsnearTrehontereuciscalledtheJARDINDESTOMBES，andtheuprightstonesofAuvergneareknownbythecharacteristicnameofthePLOUROUSES。
WhetherweexaminethemegalithsofGermanyorofPoland，themoundsofOhioorofKentucky，ofMissouriorofArkansas，itiseverthesamething；excavationsbringtolightstrikingproofsoftheirdestination，andeverywhereweareledtothesameconclusions。
Archaeologistswouldcertainlyappeartohavebeenjustifiedinhopingthatthetombsthusscatteredaboutallovertheworldwouldyieldsuchusefulinformationastoleadtosomefinalconclusions。Unfortunately，however，thishasnotbeenthecase。Oftenalltraceofburialhasdisappearedinsuccessivedisplacements，andmoreoftenstill，thehomeofthedeadhasbeenviolatedinthehope，whichturnedouttobeimaginary，offindingtreasures；whilstinothercasestheearliestinhabitantsofthetombshavebeenremovedtomakewayfortheirsuccessors，whointheirturnweresoonafterwardsexpelled。Victoryanddefeatwerenotoverwithlife，butweremetwithyetagaininthegrave。
FIGURE66
DolmenatMaintenon，withatableabout191/2feetlong。
IthasbeenwellpointedoutbyFergusson，inhis“RudeStoneMonuments，“thatthemegalithicarchitectureoftheremotepastisathingaltogetherapart；itsspecialformindicatingnowthetendenciesofaraceorgroupofracesofmankind，nowtheparticulardegreeofcivilizationattainedbyaraceatacertainperiodofitsdevelopment。Acursoryviewofthesemonumentsasawholewouldleadustoclassthemalltogetherasmassesofrough，scarcelyhewnstonespiledupwithoutcement，andalmostalwayswithoutornamentation。Instudyingthemonebyone，however，wefind，inspiteoftheirundeniablefamilylikeness，ifwemayusesuchaterm，thatitisquiteeasytosnakeoutcertaindifferences，theresultofthepeculiargeniusoftheracebywhomtheywereerected，orofthenatureofthematerialsthebuildershadattheirdisposal。Totakeacaseinpoint：CromlechsaremostnumerousinEngland，anddolmensinFrance，andinboththesecountrieswemeetwithaformofdolmenFig。66suchasisrarelysetupinotherdistricts；oneoftheextremitiesofthetablerestingontheground，andtheotheropttwosupportingstones。InScandinaviathesupportsareerraticblocks，inIndiafragmentsoftherocksintheneighborhood，inAlgeriaandthesouthofFrancebuildingsincoursesareoftenmetwith；inBrittanythemonumentsofMane-er-H’roekandMane-Ludarepavedwithlargestones。ThegroundfromwhichrisesthedolmenofCaranda，nearFereinTardenoisAisne，iscoveredwithslabs，andtheopeningisclosedwithaflatstonerestingontwolintels。WecannotspeakofCarandawithoutreferringtothediscoveriesandmagnificentpublicationsofM。F。Moreau，thankstowhomthedailylifeoftheGauls，Gallo-Romans，andMerovingiansisbroughtvividlybeforeus。Toreturn，howevertoourmonuments：Aswehaveseen，thecryptwasinmanycasesdividedintotwoormoresepulchralchambersbywallsmadeofstones。WefindthisarrangementatGavr’innis，atGamatLot，atAlt-SammitinMecklenburg，inWaylandSmith’scaveinBerkshire，andinagreatmanymonumentsinScandinavia。M。duChatellierspeaksofseveralmegalithicmonumentsinFinistere，includingacentraldolmenandseverallateralchambers。ThechamberedgravesatParkCwninWales，andatUleyinGloucestershire，containsidechambers，thoseoftheformerwithacoveredpassagebetweenthem，whilstinthelatterthesidechambersaregroupedroundacentralapartment。AtNewGrange，inIreland，apassagemorethanninety-twofeetlongleadstoadoublechamberofcruciformshape，witharoofofconvergingstones。YetanotherfineexampleofasimilarkindisthatofMaeshowintheOrkneyIslands。ThetombofVaurealSeine-et-Oisecontainsthreecryptsofdifferentsizes。ThelongbarrowofMoustoir-Carnaccontainedfourseparatechambers，thewesternoneofwhichisadolmenofthekindknownasGROTTESDESFEES，andissupposedtobemucholderthantherestofthegroup。Acentralcircularchamber，withwallsofuprightstones，hasaroofinwhichanattempthasbeenmadetoformakindofdome，thestonesofwhichprojectandoverlapeachother，marking，clumsyasistheconstruction，aconsiderableadvanceonanythingpreviouslyaccomplished，andaddingconsiderablytothesolidityofthemonument。
Anexaminationofthemegalithicmonumentsstillstandingenablesustojudgeofthedifficultieswithwhichtheirbuildershadtocontend，bearinginmindtheprimitivenatureoftheirtools。WehavealreadygiventhedimensionsofthestonesformingthealignmentsatCarnac。ThoseatAveburyvaryinheightfromaboutfourteentosixteenfeet，andintheDeccanisatumulussurroundedbyfifty-sixblocksofgraniteofanevengreatersize。OneoftheslabsofthePedra-dos-MurosPortugalisremarkableforitssize；andthelengthofthetableofadolmenontheroadfromLouduntoFontevraultismorethanseventy-twofeetlong；thatofthedolmenofTiaretAlgeriaissomeseventy-fivefeetlongbyawidthofnearlytwenty-sixfeetandathicknessofnineandahalffeet。Thisextremelyheavyblockrestsonsupportsrisingmorethanthirty-ninefeetfromtheground。[162]
Stoneaswellaswoodcanbemuchmoreeasilycutinonedirectionthaninanyother。Menearlylearnttorecognizethispeculiarity，andtotakeadvantageofitinattackingrock。Withtheirstonehammerstheystruckinstraightlines，alwaysaimingatthesamepoints，andthen，probablywiththehelpofafiercefile，theysucceededinbreakingofffragments。Theyalsoemployedwedgesofwood，whichtheydroveintonaturalorartificialfissures，pouringwaterontothiswedgeagainandagain。Thewoodbecameswollenwiththedamp，andincourseoftimeablockofstonewouldbedetached。Neithertimenorsinewyarmswerewanting，andFergussonhasremarkedthatanyonewhohasseentheeasewithwhichChinesecooliestransportthelargestmonolithsforconsiderabledistances，willnotlookuponthedifficultiesoftransportasinsurmountable。Amoreseriousdifficultywouldbetheplacingofthetableofthedolmenonthesupports，whichareoftenraisedtoagreatheightabovetheground。Itissupposedthatearthwaspiledupagainstthejambssoastoformaninclinedplane，upwhichthetablewasslidintoplacewithleversandrollersofthemostprimitiveform，suchaswereinuseinthemostremoteantiquity。Sometimesthewayinwhichthesestonesarebalancedisperfectlymarvellous。TheMartinestone，nearLivernonLot，forinstance，istheshapeofaboat，andtheslightesttouchisenoughtomakeitrockonitstwosupports。ThatofCastleWellanFig。55restsonthreestonespointedatthetop，andsomeofthetrilithonsofIndiaareofevenmoreremarkableconstruction。
Although，asageneralrule，megalithicmonumentsarewithoutornamentation，thereareagoodmanyexceptionsinthecaseofdolmensmadeofveryhardgranite，onwhichnumerouscarvingsandengravingshavebeenmade。Itis，however，impossibletodecipheranybutaveryfewofthesesigns，whethercircles，disks，dots，toothorleafmouldings，spirals，serpentinelines，lozenges，orstrip。
M。duChatellierdescribesatCommanaFinistereanentrancegalleryloadedwithcarvings，andthewallsofoneoftheDeux-SevresmonumentshaveonthemsomeveryroughrepresentationsofthehumanfigurecutinINTAGLIO，whilstvariousmegalithsofIrelandareadornedwithcircles，spirals，stars，etc。OneofthesupportsofthedolmenofPetit-Mont-en-Arzonhasonitarepresentationoftwohumanfeetinrelief；thatofCouedicinLockmikel-Badenispairedwithflatstonescoveredwithengravings。OnthegraniteceilingofthecryptbeneaththedolmenoftheMerchants，orasitiscalledinBrittanytheDOL
VARCHANT，isengravedthefigureofalargeanimalsupposedtohavebeenahorse，buttheheadofwhichwasunfortunatelybrokenoffatsomeremotedate。[163]Weoftenmeetwithrepresentationsofhammers，sometimeswithandsometimeswithouthandle。WegiveanillustrationofoneofthewallsoftheMane-LudmonumentFig。67，whichwillenablethereadertojudgeofthegeneralcharacteroftheseengravings。
PartoftheMane-Luddolmen。
ThemonumentoftheIsleofGavr’innis，ofwhichwehavealreadyspoken，isthemostremarkableofanyfortherichnessofitsdecoration。Itincludesagallery，consistingofforty-nineblocksofgraniteandtwoofquartz，leadingtoaspaciousapartment。Theseblockswerebroughtfromadistance，andthefactthatthelittlearmoftheseaseparatingtheislandfromthemainlandwascrossed，provesthatthemenwhobuiltthemonumentownedboatsstrongenoughtocarryheavyloads。Excavationscarriedonin1884broughttolightapavementconsistingoftenlargeslabsofgranite，andbeneaththispavementwasfoundakindofcryptatleastthreefeetdeep，thelowerpartofthelateralmenhirsformingthewalls。Wemustadd，however，thatDr。deClosmadeuc，andhisopinionshouldcarryweight，thinksthatwhentheGavr’innismonumentwaserectedtheislandwasconnectedwiththemainland。Threeofthesupports，formingthewallsofthecrypt，andallthoseofthegalleryarecoveredwithchevronsorzig-zagornaments，circles，lozenges，andscrollsofwhichFig。68
willgivesomeidea，andwhichMerimeecomparestothetatooingoftheinhabitantsofNewZealand。MegalithicmonumentsofIrelandandcertainstonesinNorthumberlandareornamentedinamannerresemblingtheGavr’innisengraving，similardesignsbeingproducedbysimilarmeans，andalthoughtheengravingsofMorbihanaregenerallymoreclearlycutanddistinct，Avenoteinallalikethesameabsenceofregularity，thesameroughnessofexecution，thesamestrangetypes，thesamedisorderinthearrangementofthesigns，andthesamecaretopreservethesurfaceoftheblockinitsnaturalcondition。