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Stone shifting - was it just about effort?
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jimit
jimit
1053 posts

Anything for an easy life!
Jan 19, 2004, 16:54
Could there be parallels with the building of the great Mediaeval Cathedrals?
The moving of vast amounts of wood and stone to a sacred site...
The honouring of the God(s)...
The celebration when part or all was done....
The continued use for 100(0)s of years....
The alteration/refinement of the construction to reflect changing beliefs...
The abandonment or decay occasioned by war/invasion/new religion..

In the Middle Ages, even with the very high level of superstition, the methods used for construction were the most modern and efficient available.

I can see that perhaps a few symbolic small stones in the Neolithic were carried to a site but when it came to the nitty gritty they would have used the easiest method possible. Basically people without the tyranny of our clock watching society would still like to get the job done as easily as possible so they could get to their food/partner/lover/pub all the sooner!
I wouldn't have thought humans have changed much in this respect over the last 50,000 years.
In some religions, you can pay someone to go on a pilgrimage while you still get the kudos, one can wonder if this happened in the past. Also, the Mediaeval masons, apart from working for the glory of their God, were paid. Probably impossible to know, but could the builders of our great Henges been paid also? It brings to mind wonderful scenes of Trades Union activists saying "No more mead...no more bloody Trilithons!" ;)
In reply to:
Re: Stone shifting - was it just about effort? (FourWinds)		 Replies:
Re: Anything for an easy life! (FourWinds)
Pilgrimage by proxy (FourWinds)
Re: Anything for an easy life! (nigelswift)
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