Previous years events- Reviews and Memories
Megalithomania was founded by Hugh Newman, John Martineau and Gareth Mills in the winter of 2005. Inspired by the incredible research of numerous authors, the conference was created to become an open forum to debate the megalithic arts and sciences. The team felt that history books and colleges do not present the evidence that is being discovered today. Revelations in the fields of archaeoastronomy, geomancy, mathematics, ley alignments, sacred geometry and other cutting-edge disciplines are helping rewrite our own history, but are often completely overlooked by the academic world. Many people want to know where we came from and connect to our ancestors so we hope that this annual event can be part of that process. Here is a short history of the conference....
"This year’s Megalithomania was what a vat of ancient Aztec chocolatl drink would be to a chocoholic
– it just seems to get better and better." Click here for the full 2010 Fortean Times Review.
Click here for the two other reviews of the 2010 conference
Fortean Times Review of Megalithomania 2019
The First Megalithomania, 6th - 7th May 2006
The event began with site visits to Stanton Drew and Stoney Littleton on the Friday with Sig Lonegren, followed by seventeen (yes 17!) talks from a plethora of Megalithic scholars on the Saturday and Sunday, with an evening concert from ‘lounge’ band - Pink n Ruby. The event ended with a wet and windy tour to Stonehenge with Robin Heath, followed by a relaxing jaunt round the stones of Avebury on the Monday. The event was launched!
“In the merry month of May, Merrily Harpur joined a motley band of megalithomaniacs in the Assembly Rooms of Glastonbury and discovered that Britain’s ancient stones still have plenty to tell us…” Read full Fortean Times review here
“A really interesting two days - and a deluge of new information, most of which I'm still trying to assimilate...” Read Simon Banton’s review here
To hear an interesting podcast of the event, go here.
Download audio MP3s of all the 2006 talks here.
Megalithomania, 19th - 20th May 2007
The event began with a tour to Stonehenge on the Friday with John Michell, followed by fourteen talks from a distinguished line-up of dedicated Megalithomaniacs. Saturday night was hosted by the Bards of Glastonbury as part of their ‘Bardic Chair of Ysys Wintrin’. The event ended with a tour around Glastonbury Abbey with John Michell, with dowsing skills taught by geomancer Shaun Kirwan.
"I have just arrived home from the megalithomania conference and it was mega - as the young may say. And yes a bit manic as well. Every speaker was well prepared and had material to share to inspire us all, even the novice stoner. Not that there were many of those in more ways than one at Glastonbury Assembly Rooms...” Read Maia of Shaldon’s review here
Download audio MP3s of all 2007 talks here.
Megalithomania, 17th - 18th May 2008
Originally Gordon Hillman and Alan Richardson were on the line-up, but they both pulled out at the last minute. However, Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas, authors of ‘Mystery of the Crystal Skulls’ stepped in, as the new Indiana Jones movie was being premiered that weekend in Cannes and we wanted to shed some light on that subject. We were also joined by Philip Coppens and Semir Sam Osmanagich, who blew the audience away with revelations about the Bosnian pyramids. Visits to Stanton Drew and Stoney Littleton with John Martineau on Friday was followed by two days of talks, including snippets of ‘Standing with Stones’, a film produced by Michael Bott. The event ended with a sunny tour to Stonehenge and Avebury with David Furlong on the Monday.
”Well done Hugh and crew, this well attended conference in Glastonbury met entirely my high expectations, and it was evident that many others thought so too. Someone said at the intro that this conference was not from the academy, but I was struck by the rigour of the research, the professionalism.…” Read Maia’s review here
To see a photo-gallery of the event and the tours, click here. Buy DVDs from 2008 here .
Megalithomania, 23rd - 24th May 2009
Robin Heath gave a guided tour of Stonehenge on the Friday, before the conference kicked in to two days of intensive Megalithomania activity. John Michell had unfortunately passed a month previously, so the theme of the event drifted into looking at his life work, and John Martineau hosted a touching tribute to the great visionary. Robin Williamson, gave an astonishing bardic account of the Tuatha de Danaan and performed an evening concert and Lee and Tim Hooker stunned everyone with their megalithic discoveries in Ukraine. Heath polished off the event with an excellent masterclass of archaeoastronomy at Avebury on the Monday.
“So was Megalithomania 2009 worth the trip? Too right it was! Once again Hugh and his crew gave us a weekend of education, re-evaluation and entertainment...” Read full review by Maia of Shaldon here
Merrily Harpur joined a motley band of megalithomaniacs once again in the Assembly Rooms of Glastonbury, Read full Fortean Times review here
To see a photo-gallery of the event and the tours, click here. Buy DVDs from 2009 here
