Stonehenge 181
Image by Chris
Stonehenge

Stone shifting 5

Snow/ice will certainly reduce the friction on the stone and therefore make it easier to drag. However, there are two downsides: firstly, there is less braking friction, so the stone is harder to control on slopes and secondly, the friction under the feet of the haulers will be reduced by a similar amount (I haven't heard of any Bronze Age crampons being discovered) ;o). A ramp woul dhave to be constructed from solid ice blocks. I don't think heaped up snow would be strong enough for a 40 tonner.

Nice idea, though.

I agree with all your points and I think the idea was generally dismissed for those reasons.

However, it would aid getting the stone across marshy ground using Gordon's method .....

With all this pushing and pulling in mind, wha would your average 'lith builder wear on his feet ?