Megalithic Yards

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StoneLifter S
StoneLifter Jan 5, 2006 14:50:24
Replying to jacksprat

At the risk of being flippant my inside leg measurement is exactly one Megalithic Yard. Drystone wallers and farmers both use the length of a pace to measure lengths of wall and, while it is certain that Thom's statistical analyses found a unit of measurement, it's not certain whether this was casual - a careful step length - or formalised as a cultural yard or fathomstick.

P Paulus
Paulus Jan 5, 2006 15:12:00
Replying to StoneLifter

I wouldn't say you were being flippant there StoneLifter. Even the modern archaeoastronomers are a little sceptical about old Alex's Megalithic Yard. It seems likely that our old ancestors paced their old stone measurements - though we have instances in some cultures of 'measuring sticks', but these are not in the line of the high maths old Thom theorised. Still, without him, we wouldn't have the excellent ground-plans which he and his son laid out.

Jack - For overviews and critiques on MegYards, check Heggie's "Megalithic Science", MacKie's "Science & Society in Prehistoric Britain", and Ruggles' "Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain." But, if you still wanna check the Atlantis stuff, John Michell's mythic "New View over Atlantis" might be up your street.