At Stone Pages January 31st … a stone circle at Mzora in Morocco, 27km from Lixus, was known in Roman times as the Tomb of Antaeus who was killed by Hercules. It is in fact a Neolithic period ellipse of 168 stones (some are missing) the tallest of which is 5m. At the centre is a large tumulus – which is thought to be a much later addition. A survey of the site in the 1970s, when A Thom was popular, went so far as to say it was built by the same people or culture that constructed megaliths in France, Britain and Ireland. Th ellipse was said to be similaar to examples in Britain such as Daviot and the Sands at Forvie.
At www.nature.com/news/2011/110131/full/news.2011.58.html … a paper in the Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society B 366 (2011) by Harvath et al claims they have solved the riddle of the Viking Sun Stone that was used to located the position of the Sun on a cloudy day. It is thought polarizing crystals were involved. The Vikings had a problem crossing the sea between Norway and Iceland/ Greenland as perpetual daylight in summer months prevented them from using the stars to navigate. Also, there was a problem in cloudy, foggy, and snowy weather, as well. Sagas described the stone being held up in the air and revealing where the Sun's light filtered through. It is thought it was Icelandic spar, a rock common in Scandinavia as well, a transparent form of calcite.
At www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=94694&CultureCode=en … archaeologists in Norway excavating a burial mound have found Bronze Age petroglyphs beneath the cremated remains of two people. It seems the mound may have been erected because of the petroglyphs but this by no means certain as it was built on a prominent hill overlooking a wide horizon, the kind of site mound builders preferred. A short distance away were two boat drawings – and more of the soles of feet petroglyphs found inside the mound. The petroglyphs date between 1800-500BC and the mound is Iron Age, post 500BC.