The Megalithic Portal
Encyclopedia
The Megalithic Portal is a web resource dedicated to prehistoric archaeology
and closely related subjects. Many ancient sites have disappeared over the last 50 years or so due to development and intensive agriculture. The Megalithic Portal's mission is to document, publicise and protect those that remain and help to ensure their preservation for future generations.
Information is contributed by thousands of visitors from all over the world, on types of prehistoric monument from chambered tombs and standing stones to hillfort
s and settlements, and much in between. There are many tens of thousands of listings, and over the years the site has extended beyond prehistoric megaliths, extending to, for example Pictish symbol stones in Scotland. So while still calling itself the Megalithic Portal, it is has also become the biggest online repository of data on related areas of interest such as holy wells and ancient crosses in the UK. Its listings are often referenced by noted web sites and in recent books on megaliths and Holy Wells.
Founded by chartered engineer Andy Burnham, the site database began in 1997 as Megalithic Mysteries, and the Prehistoric Web Index, from a database he originally compiled. The Megalithic Portal has existed in its current form since February 2001. The information is maintained by a team of voluntary editors and administrators and has become the centre of a keen user group. Contributors have been known to give up their jobs to travel, researching little-known ancient sites to add to the database. In 2002, Archaeology Magazine reviewed the Megalithic Portal, describing it as 'useful, fun, and accurate'. As of January 2010 the Megalithic Portal has been constituted as a non profit making membership society
A recent project (April 2010) has involved contributors finding over 1000 ancient sites pictured on Google Street View
in the UK and elsewhere
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and closely related subjects. Many ancient sites have disappeared over the last 50 years or so due to development and intensive agriculture. The Megalithic Portal's mission is to document, publicise and protect those that remain and help to ensure their preservation for future generations.
Information is contributed by thousands of visitors from all over the world, on types of prehistoric monument from chambered tombs and standing stones to hillfort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
s and settlements, and much in between. There are many tens of thousands of listings, and over the years the site has extended beyond prehistoric megaliths, extending to, for example Pictish symbol stones in Scotland. So while still calling itself the Megalithic Portal, it is has also become the biggest online repository of data on related areas of interest such as holy wells and ancient crosses in the UK. Its listings are often referenced by noted web sites and in recent books on megaliths and Holy Wells.
Founded by chartered engineer Andy Burnham, the site database began in 1997 as Megalithic Mysteries, and the Prehistoric Web Index, from a database he originally compiled. The Megalithic Portal has existed in its current form since February 2001. The information is maintained by a team of voluntary editors and administrators and has become the centre of a keen user group. Contributors have been known to give up their jobs to travel, researching little-known ancient sites to add to the database. In 2002, Archaeology Magazine reviewed the Megalithic Portal, describing it as 'useful, fun, and accurate'. As of January 2010 the Megalithic Portal has been constituted as a non profit making membership society
A recent project (April 2010) has involved contributors finding over 1000 ancient sites pictured on Google Street View
Google Street View
Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...
in the UK and elsewhere
Features
Site features include:- Comprehensive listing of prehistoric and related sites in the UK, Europe and worldwide searchable by name, type, location, grid referenceGrid referenceGrid references define locations on maps using Cartesian coordinates. Grid lines on maps define the coordinate system, and are numbered to provide a unique reference to features....
, quality of remains and ease of access. Entries contain descriptions, on-page maps, comments and photographs from visitors, with links to local weather, accommodation, aerial views and further websites (over 20,000). Over 60 site types include stone and timber circles, rows, barrows and tombs of all sorts, surviving and destroyed
- The interactive Megalith Map covers the whole of Europe. Tens of thousands of sites are plotted, arranged as layers that can be turned on and off, zoomed and browsed according to site type and area. The map leads to live database entries containing, where possible, details of what remains today, what has been found in the past, and information on access, photographs, visitors' comments and a list of other nearby sites.
- The egallery contains over 50,000 photographs of ancient sites from around the UK and worldwide. Photographs are divided by location, with specialist galleries such as the Spirit of Place (best pictures of ancient sites) the Art Gallery (visitors’ drawings and paintings) and the History Gallery (places of interest outside the definition of prehistory).
- News stories from the world of prehistory, updated daily, with original articles and book reviews. The Megalithic Portal's news feeds are often referenced from other archaeological web sites.
- A Forum for the exchange of ideas and thoughts on stones, prehistory, sacred sites and mysteries
- A facility allowing visitors to submit their own articles and photographs.
- Downloads of data suitable for use with Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
, GeoRSSGeoRSSGeoRSS is an emerging standard for encoding location as part of a Web feed. GeoRSS is an emerging standard for encoding location as part of a Web feed. GeoRSS is an emerging standard for encoding location as part of a Web feed. (Web feeds are used to describe feeds ("channels") of content, such as...
feeds, GPSGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
and third-party mapping tools, links to download e-books, articles, audio and other resources.