🇯🇵 Japan · Megalith
Komakino Stone Circle
Late to Final Jomon (2300–400 BCE) · Late Jomon (Tsugaru region)
Late Jomon megalithic cemetery (c.2300–1700 BCE) on Hakkoda foothills in Aomori City — massive ring-ditch stone circle 35 m dia.
🇩🇿 Algeria · Tumulus
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania — Tipasa
Late Numidian–Mauretanian (25 BCE–23 CE) · Berber Mauretanian / Hellenistic Roman
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania (Kbour er Roumia) is the 32 m high Numidian–Mauretanian royal tomb 32 km W of Algiers on Sahel ridge 261 m with 60 columns (Ionic below, Doric above) and 4 false doors.
🇯🇵 Japan · Megalith
Isedotai Stone Circles
Late Jomon (2000–1000 BCE) · Late Jomon (northern Tōhoku)
Late Jomon ritual stone complex (c.2000–1700 BCE) at Kitaakita, Akita — four large stone circles (largest 45 m dia.) with 200+ river cobble andesite arrangements, sunken pit structures, and adjacent…
🇪🇸 Spain · Megalith
Talaiot de Torralba d'en Salord — Alaior, Menorca
Bronze to Iron Talayotic (c.1200–300 BCE) · Talayotic Menorcan
Torralba d'en Salord (Talayotic c.1200–500 BCE) south of Alaior is a compact 3-ha talayotic ceremonial cluster with two talaiots (max 5 m high), a 5-m taula enclosure (taula pillar 4.98 m highest on…
🇺🇸 United States · Earthwork
Monks Mound
Mississippian 900–1200 CE (peak 1050–1200) · Mississippian (Cahokia)
Largest earthen structure in the Americas north of Mexico and centerpiece of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
🇮🇹 Italy · Megalith
Su Nuraxi di Barumini
Bronze Age · Nuragic civilisation (Bronzo Medio/Recente)
UNESCO archetype nuraghe in central Sardinia — trilobate basalt tower with four bastions, tholos chambers and 55-hut village, 1500-1000 BCE.
🇺🇸 United States · Earthwork
Hopeton Earthworks
Middle Woodland Hopewell 100 BCE–500 CE · Hopewell tradition
Hopewell 22 ha circle-square with 321 m Great Circle, UNESCO 2023 unit-of-measure type-site.
🇸🇳 Senegal · Megalith
Sine Ngayène — Largest Senegambian Stone Circles
Medieval Senegambian (750–1150 CE) · Serer megalithic
Sine Ngayène is the largest Senegambian stone-circle nucleus (Senegal) with 52 circles including the 'Diallombere' double circle Ø6.5 m and 110 m long stone alignment, enclosing 1,000+ burials on 5…
🇪🇸 Spain · Megalith
Naveta des Tudons
Late Bronze Age · Talayotic culture of Menorca (Pretalayotic)
Menorca's iconic boat-shaped naveta tomb — 14 m cyclopean funerary monument 1200-750 BCE, UNESCO 2023.
🇨🇷 Costa Rica · Megalith
Diquís Stone Spheres
Chiriquí period (~600–1500 CE; peak Aguas Buenas 800–1350 CE) · Diquís (Chiriquí, Isthmo-Colombian)
Costa Rica's Diquís Delta preserves over 300 near-perfect spheres of gabbro up to 2.66 m diameter and 16 tonnes, shaped by pecking and grinding until calipers verify sphericity within 2 cm.
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Archaeological wonder
Takalik Abaj
Preclassic to Classic Olmec–Maya transition 800 BCE–900 CE · Olmec to Maya (K'iche' Pacific)
Olmec-Maya transition site with earliest Long Count stela 126 CE.
🇺🇸 United States · Earthwork
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (Mound City Group)
Hopewell 1–500 CE (Middle Woodland, peak 100–400 CE) · Hopewell tradition (Scioto Hopewell)
Finest Hopewell enclosure: 13-acre (5.3 ha) flat-topped earthen-walled enclosure (1,211 m perimeter, 1–1.8 m high) near Scioto River enclosing 24 conical, elongated and effigy mounds.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Megalith
Tiya Megalithic Stelae Field
Solomonic or late pre-Christian (~1200–1400 CE; contested to 1000 BCE) · Gurage / Sidamo (Ethio-Semitic, Southern Ethiopian megalithic)
One of 160 stelae fields in the Soddo region containing 36 standing pillars, 32 of which are sculpted with swords, paired circles and enigmatic leaf-like motifs up to 3.64 m high.
🇺🇸 United States · Earthwork
Newark Earthworks
Hopewell culture 100 BCE–500 CE · Hopewell (Adena descended, Algonquian? cohort)
Hopewell giant geometric enclosures marking 18.6-yr lunar cycle.
🇬🇷 Greece · Temple complex
Mycenae
Mycenaean Helladic 1600–1100 BCE, peak 1350–1200 BCE · Mycenaean Greeks
Homeric citadel with Cyclopean walls, Lion Gate and gold mask tombs.
🇲🇹 Malta · Megalith
Ġgantija Temples
Neolithic (Ġgantija phase) · Maltese Temple culture
Pair of cloverleaf temples with walls to 6 m high, coralline blocks >50 t, among earliest free-standing stone structures (c.3600 BCE), surrounded by massive outer wall on Gozo plateau.
🇲🇹 Malta · Megalith
Tarxien Temples
Chalcolithic (Tarxien phase) · Maltese Temple culture
Four interconnected temples with spiral reliefs, animal friezes and 2.7 m mother-goddess statue fragment. Most decorated of Maltese temples, adjacent to Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.
🇨🇳 China · Megalith
Leshan Giant Buddha
Tang Dynasty 713–803 CE · Tang Chinese Buddhist (Maitreya cult)
71 m seated Maitreya monolith (713–803 CE) carved into Lingyun red sandstone cliff at confluence of Min and Dadu rivers, largest premodern Buddha worldwide.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia · Megalith
Axum Obelisks & Archaeological Site
Aksumite · Aksumite / Ge'ez
Capital of Aksumite Kingdom (100 BCE–940 CE) with monolithic granite stelae quarried 4 km, carved to imitate multi-storey buildings with false doors/windows, elite tombs, palaces.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Megalith
Wayland's Smithy
Early to Middle Neolithic · Cotswold-Severn
Two-phase Neolithic long barrow near Uffington with sarsen passage grave overlain on earlier oval mound.
🇲🇽 Mexico · Ancient city
Kabah Archaeological Zone
Maya Late Classic 300–1000 CE · Maya (Puuc, Uxmal polity)
Palace of Masks 250 Chaac masks, 18 km sacbé 800–950 CE, UNESCO 1996.
🇲🇹 Malta · Megalith
Mnajdra
Chalcolithic · Maltese Temple culture
Clifftop complex of three conjoined temples 500 m below Ħaġar Qim; best preserved in Malta with corbelled walls, precise equinox/solstice solar alignments through doorways.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Megalith
Avebury
Late Neolithic · Windmill Hill / Late Neolithic Wessex
Largest megalithic stone circle in Europe (11.5 ha), enclosing outer bank and ditch and two inner circles. Village of Avebury sits partially within the monument.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Megalith
Ring of Brodgar Outlier — Seat of Brodgar Farm Stone
Late Neolithic (2600–2500 BCE) · Orcadian Neolithic
Solitary outlier 80 m beyond Ring of Brodgar ditch, thought to mark northern lunar minor standstill sightline from henge centre.