4500 BCE – 1600 BCE · 8 sites
Continent Record
Most-Visited Ancient Site in Europe
3100 BCE – 1600 BCE
Stonehenge is a prehistoric megalithic monument in Wiltshire, England, erected in phases between 3100 and 1600 BCE. Its iconic sarsen stones and bluestones form a complex of ceremonial and astronomical significance.
3200 BCE – 2900 BCE
Newgrange is a Neolithic passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland, built c. 3200–2900 BCE, famously aligned to the winter solstice sunrise. Its sophisticated megalithic art and architecture make it one of Europe's most remarkable prehistoric monuments.
World Record
Northernmost Known Site in the World
3180 BCE – 2500 BCE
A remarkably preserved Neolithic village on Orkney's Bay of Skaill, inhabited from c. 3180 to 2500 BCE, offering unparalleled insights into prehistoric domestic life.
Oldest Monument in Europe
2850 BCE – 2200 BCE
The largest prehistoric stone circle in the world — a Neolithic henge enclosing 28 hectares with a ditch, outer bank, and three interlocking stone circles, part of a sacred landscape that also includes Silbury Hill, West Kennet long barrow, and the Sanctuary.
Oldest Monument in the World
4500 BCE – 3300 BCE
A vast complex of Neolithic standing stones, alignments, dolmens, and tumuli in Brittany, France, erected between 4500 and 3300 BCE, representing one of the largest megalithic collections in the world.
Country Record
Longest Recorded History in Malta
3300 BCE – 2500 BCE
The only known prehistoric underground temple in the world — a three-storey rock-cut sanctuary on Malta dating to 3300-2500 BCE whose chambers, carved entirely by hand from the living limestone, held the remains of more than 7,000 people and contain the oldest acoustically designed space ever discovered.
Oldest Sanctuary in Malta
3600 BCE – 2500 BCE
Megalithic temple complex on the island of Gozo constructed between 3600 and 3200 BCE, recognized as one of the world’s oldest free-standing stone religious structures. Its colossal coralline limestone perimeter walls predate both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by over a millennium.
Oldest Temple in the World
A free-standing megalithic temple complex on Malta’s south coast, built of soft Globigerina limestone around 3600–3200 BCE, with concave façades, oracle holes, and the “Fat Lady” statues now in Valletta. Part of the UNESCO Megalithic Temples of Malta.
