Further reflections on megalith mechanics

The 4500-year-old circle of rocks at Stonehenge in England continues to fascinate today's civil engineers. Transporting and erecting the 40 t megaliths from which it is made would provide a logistical headache now let alone 45 centuries ago. Last year this journal published a paper which demonstrated that—contrary to general belief—the stones were probably rolled rather than dragged into position, albeit with plenty of Neolithic manpower. This paper shows how further mechanical refinements could have reduced the maximum gang size to just six men. If true, it suggests our ancestors had even greater intellectual sophistication than previously imagined.