Megalithic Stone Monuments as Symbols: “Social Implications” of Megaliths are “Rare” (Maria Wunderlich et al) with Evolutionary Drive: Warren Fields, Stonehenge, Newgrange, Gobekli Tepe; E Halas: “groups exist only on the ground of common symbolization of their members...create a social order"

Charles Edward Peck Jr

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.83399

Megalithic Stone Monuments as Symbols: “Social Implications” of Megaliths are “Rare” (Maria Wunderlich et al) with Evolutionary Drive: Warren Fields, Stonehenge, Newgrange, Gobekli Tepe; E Halas: “groups exist only on the ground of common symbolization of their members...create a social order"

Author(s)	Charles Edward Peck Jr
Country	United States
Abstract	I have been writing about “social consciousness” for a long time. Moitreyee’ s comment dates back to a 2022 discussion of social consciousness in academia.edu. Moitreyee Raju, an Indian poet, artist, and “story teller” commented on my essay on social consciousness. She observed, “Charlie Peck: Yes the one thing that really strikes me in this write is the mentioning of the fact that religion is a way of life. And is not something that has to be performed at certain times or in certain places. I believe in this and support this whole heartedly. My religion lives in my work.????. Thank you once again for sharing.” Charlie Peck That is in spite of the fact that there is no established theory of social consciousness in western academia, Wikipedia has only three references to social consciousness, the most salient being to Karl Marx who besides creating Marxism, also set in motion the sociology of knowledge as power and control (Foucault, Gramsci). Geertz’s 1965 “Universally Accepted” Map-Definition of Religion left out: 1. Community – Groups 2. Teachings of Religion 3. Identity 4. Spirit - Spirituality 5. Selective Attention. All these factors are rather self-evident – even obvious. It is unbelievable that a very influential academic leader in anthropology could leave out a blatantly obvious characteristic of religions. What is more shocking is that until recently, anthropologists leaving out community-groups was not uncommon. In spite of the fact that stone megalith monuments require communal effort - in their study of Indian stone megaliths, Maria Wunderlich (et al) observes that: “Although comparisons with recent examples of megalithic construction have been made (e.g. [1–3]), explicitly comparative studies on the social implications of this specific phenomenon are still rare.” From my research that is correct. Recent studies of Stonehenge argue that stone henge had a second “unifying” function. A study of the prehistoric Brusselstown Ring “brings new evidence of the social complexity of early human cultures”. “The scale of megalithic tomb construction in Ireland during the Neolithic is clear evidence that important sets of social relations” were a major factor in megalithic monument construction. As Brian Josephson, a Welsh Nobel prize winning quantum physicist observes, academics are often fixated on the “factuality" [of the supernatural as opposed to the "fruitfulness" of religion. David A. Barrowclough, in his article on Maltese Megaltiths states, “I must therefore offer a working definition, recognizing that it will inevitably prove to be less than perfect: religion can be understood as the formalized recognition of some higher, unseen, divine power as having over human destiny, and as a consequence is worthy of reverence, obedience and organized worship. The “supernatural” by definition (Mirriam-Webster, Dictionary) is outside the scope of scientific inquiry and so scientifically worthless artificial abstractions.
Keywords	Megalithic, Sacred Stones, Standing Stones, Jasperite Pebble "Makapgo”, Massebot Bible Stones, Twelve Pillars Of Moses, Warren Fields, Stonehenge, Newgrange, Gobekli Tepe, Nabta Playa, Stone Circles, Cromlechs, Dolmens, Menhirs, Logan Stones, Pillar Stones, "Oracle" Stones, Passage Tombs, Burial Mounds, Kurgans, Cairns Or Galgals, Alignmententine Stones, Guardian Stones, Omphalos Or Navel Of The Earth Stones Consciousness Factor, Ideology, Formation Of Groups
Field	Sociology > Archaeology / History
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-10
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.83399

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